Smith's Lake Fishing in Nipissing District, Ontario

• Overview

  In Ontario, Smith's Lake falls inside Nipissing District. It lies 285 metres above sea level. The water measures roughly 7 hectares, so nothing here is far from anything else. It is a small entry by Nipissing District standards. The nearest place of any size is Mattawa, 15 km away. After that come Témiscaming at 40 km and Notre-Dame-du-Lac at 41 km. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Smith's Lake

  No figure exists for depth, so let the water show you. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Across Nipissing District, recorded fish include smallmouth bass, cisco and yellow perch. County data is a starting point rather than a guarantee. On Smith's Lake that means starting tight and working out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 18°C for July and -13°C for January. Cold winters and warm summers give a wide working range. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about late April. Climate figures give an open season running late April to late November. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. That is the shape of the year on Smith's Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. Access points are not mapped for this water, which suits people who like quiet. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Jennette Lake, 1.4 km away, makes the obvious fallback. Treat Smith's Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.