Fishing Sparks Lake in Nipissing District, Ontario

• Overview

  Set in Nipissing District, Sparks Lake is an Ontario water. Height above sea level is 341 metres. It measures about 38 hectares, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. Around 3.6 km of margin, front to back. For supplies, Témiscaming is 23 km out. Then Notre-Dame-du-Lac, 26 km, and Mattawa, 35 km. Also worth knowing: Tremblay Lake within 1.9 km, Campbell Lake 3 km away, Skunk Lake within 3.4 km, Little Jocko Lake 3.6 km away and Crocan Lake within 3.6 km. No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Sparks Lake

  No published figure covers depth, so learn it as you fish. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Survey and observation records for Nipissing District include smallmouth bass, cisco, yellow perch and pumpkinseed. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. Read Sparks Lake for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is -13°C to 18°C. Four clear seasons, with a proper winter at one end. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from late April. Expect the water usable from around late April until roughly late November. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. Plan any trip to Sparks Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. No built facilities appear in mapping around this water. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Take the rules with you rather than trusting memory. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Tremblay Lake at 1.9 km is the sensible second choice. Nothing on Sparks Lake should be assumed from this page alone.