Fishing at Sittingman Lake, Nipissing District, Ontario

• Overview

  Nipissing District, Ontario, is where Sittingman Lake sits. The country here is rolling bush. With some 19 hectares of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. The bank runs about 2.9 km all the way round, so one visit can cover most of it. It sits higher than most water we list in Ontario. Start from South River, 43 km down the road. Barrie is the closest city, 166 km away. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Sittingman Lake

  Depth is unmeasured here, so let the shoreline guide you. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. County-wide records name smallmouth bass, cisco and yellow perch. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Treat Sittingman Lake as a water to read rather than to cover.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 18°C in July and bottom out at -13°C in January. The year splits cleanly: hard water, then open water. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around late April. Break-up near late April, freeze-up near late November: that is the shape of an average year. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. It sets the rhythm of the year at Sittingman Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Overnight stays are possible about 200 m out, where camping is mapped. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Parking is often the real limit rather than the bank itself. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. For a change of water, Ranger Lake is 2 km distant. For Sittingman Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.