Sward Lake Fishing in Nipissing District, Ontario

• Overview

  Set in Nipissing District, Ontario, this is Sward Lake. It lies 430 metres above sea level. At about 12 hectares, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. Roughly 3.7 km of bank means you can walk to a fresh area when one goes quiet. United Townships of Dysart, Dudley, Harcourt, Guilford, Harburn, Bruton, Havelock, Eyre and Clyde at 29 km is the nearest place to stop. Then Haliburton Village, 40 km, and Huntsville, 44 km. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Sward Lake

  Our records carry no depth, so judge it from the bank. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Records held for Nipissing District cover smallmouth bass, cisco and yellow perch. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. Read Sward Lake before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 18°C, the coldest about -12°C. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. Break-up comes around late April, and the run that follows is short and strong. On the long-run averages the water opens up around late April and starts locking again about late November. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. The season on Sward Lake follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. There is no mapped parking or launch close by, which usually means walking in. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. Dagger Lake sits 2.3 km off and takes the overflow. Treat Sward Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.