Sunfish Lake in Nipissing District: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  The Nipissing District end of Ontario holds Sunfish Lake. This is mixed forest country. It measures some 1.77 sq km, and wind has room to build across it. Size puts it in the front rank of our Nipissing District list. The town to know is Mattawa, 48 km out. For a city, Barrie is 189 km off. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Sunfish Lake

  No figure exists for depth, so let the water show you. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. 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. At Sunfish Lake the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 18°C and January at -13°C. A solid cap is the normal state through winter. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around late April. The open-water window runs from around late April to about late November in an average year. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. Plan around that when you fish Sunfish Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. There is camping recorded roughly 1.3 km off. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. Failing this one, try Bird Lake, 1.6 km away. Check the current arrangement for Sunfish Lake.