Spectacle Lake in Parry Sound District: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Spectacle Lake falls in Parry Sound District, part of Ontario. It sits at 263 metres above sea level. It measures about 14 hectares, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. The full circuit measures close to 3.1 km on foot. For supplies, Parry Sound is 16 km out. After that come Huntsville at 48 km and Bracebridge at 53 km. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Spectacle Lake

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Species logged across Parry Sound District include smallmouth bass, pumpkinseed, yellow perch, northern pike and rock bass. Species recorded across the county may be limited to a few waters. Treat Spectacle Lake as a water to read rather than to cover.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 19°C in July and bottom out at -10°C in January. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. Hard water holds through the cold months, breaking up near mid April. Average temperatures cross freezing around mid April in spring and again near early December in autumn. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. The season on Spectacle Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing we hold confirms whether access is permitted. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Flaxman Lake sits 1 km off and takes the overflow. Where Spectacle Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.