Stretch Lake Fishing in Nipissing District, Ontario

• Overview

  Stretch Lake sits within Nipissing District in Ontario. The bank is 316 metres above sea level. The water covers some 15 hectares, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. The full circuit measures close to 2.5 km on foot. The nearest place of any size is Mattawa, 23 km away. Greater Sudbury is the closest city, 185 km away. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Stretch Lake

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. 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. Nipissing District records list smallmouth bass, cisco, yellow perch and pumpkinseed among the fish reported. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. Work Stretch Lake in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 18°C; the cold one sits at -13°C. Hard water is a season in its own right here. After late April the shallows warm and the fish move up. Averages place the thaw at late April and the freeze at late November. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. Anyone fishing Stretch Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing we hold confirms whether access is permitted. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. A campsite lies 280 m away for anyone staying over. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. Failing this one, try Dumond Lake, 1.9 km away. Check the current arrangement for Stretch Lake.