Fishing Swordfingal Lake in Hastings County, Ontario

• Overview

  Set in Hastings County, Swordfingal Lake is an Ontario water. It lies 381 metres above sea level. The water measures roughly 9 hectares, so nothing here is far from anything else. For a base, Bancroft sits 19 km out. Kingston sits 127 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Swordfingal Lake

  Depth is unknown to us, and the shoreline is the better guide. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. County-wide records name rock bass, smallmouth bass, pumpkinseed and yellow perch. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Swordfingal Lake fishes better once you know its edges.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 18°C on average, January about -12°C. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. Ice is part of the season here, ending near late April. Open water usually runs from late April until about early December. Fishing peaks soon after break-up and again before the cold returns. The season on Swordfingal Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. V Lake sits 1.4 km off and takes the overflow. Nothing on Swordfingal Lake should be assumed from this page alone.