Fishing at Tarn Lake, Nipissing District, Ontario

• Overview

  Look for Tarn Lake in Nipissing District, Ontario. The surface lies 247 metres up. At about 55 hectares, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. With about 3.8 km of edge, you can try several depths in one session. Head to Chalk River, 31 km away, for anything you forgot. Further out sit Petawawa (34 km) and Deep River (37 km). Rules here are straightforward: one set of provincial rules.

• Where to Fish on Tarn Lake

  No figure exists for depth, so let the water show you. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Species logged across Nipissing District include smallmouth bass, cisco, yellow perch, pumpkinseed and rock bass. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. Fish Tarn Lake to its features, not to its size.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 18°C, the coldest about -13°C. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. The lid arrives early and lasts until roughly late April. Ice clears near late April and comes back about late November in a typical year. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. That is the shape of the year on Tarn Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Overnight stays are possible about 520 m out, where camping is mapped. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Sort the permit out before you load the car. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Should this one be busy, Little Tarn Lake is 1.9 km off. Where Tarn Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.