Fishing Shallnot Lake in Nipissing District, Ontario

• Overview

  Shallnot Lake lies in Nipissing District, in Ontario. Height above sea level is 455 metres. Surface area is around 10 hectares, which gives you real water without needing a boat. The edge runs 2.0 km or so, easy to work in an afternoon. It is high ground by Ontario standards. The closest town, United Townships of Dysart, Dudley, Harcourt, Guilford, Harburn, Bruton, Havelock, Eyre and Clyde, is 58 km away. For a city, Gatineau is 184 km off. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Shallnot Lake

  Depth is unknown to us, and the shoreline is the better guide. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Survey and observation records for Nipissing District include smallmouth bass, cisco and yellow perch. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. Read Shallnot Lake before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 18°C, the coldest about -13°C. The freeze arrives properly here and holds. The open season starts with the thaw, near enough late April. Going by climate averages, expect open water from about late April until roughly late November. September and October fish steadily right up to the freeze. Time your trip to Shallnot Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. No slipway, car park or made path shows up nearby in mapping, so treat access as rough. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. Shall Lake, 1.8 km away, makes the obvious fallback. Nothing here settles the position at Shallnot Lake for certain.