Shippagew Lake Fishing in Nipissing District, Ontario

• Overview

  Set in Nipissing District, Ontario, this is Shippagew Lake. Country round the bank runs to lake country bush. Surface area runs to roughly 1.70 sq km, so plan for one area rather than the whole. Some 13 km of bank gives room to move when the wind turns. It is among the larger waters listed here for Nipissing District. The closest town, South River, is 54 km away. Powassan follows at 58 km, then Mattawa at 60 km. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Shippagew Lake

  Our records hold no depth for this water. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Survey and observation records for Nipissing District include smallmouth bass, cisco, yellow perch and pumpkinseed. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. At Shippagew Lake the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 18°C in July and bottom out at -13°C in January. Four clear seasons, with a proper winter at one end. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around late April. Climate averages put the opening at about late April and the closing near late November. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. On Shippagew Lake that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  Our records carry no access rule either way. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. You can camp 640 m off, which suits an early start. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Blue Lake sits 1.5 km off and takes the overflow. The position on Shippagew Lake is worth confirming on the day.