Fishing at Tent Lake, Nipissing District, Ontario

• Overview

  Tent Lake is set in Nipissing District, Ontario. It sits at 298 metres above sea level. The water covers some 59 hectares, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. There is roughly 7.4 km of bank, more than one visit can cover properly. Nearest town is Témiscaming, 52 km off. For a city, Greater Sudbury is 103 km off. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Tent Lake

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. County-wide records name smallmouth bass, cisco, yellow perch and pumpkinseed. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. Take Tent Lake a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 18°C in July and bottoms out near -15°C in January. Winter shuts the surface down for months. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near late April. Average temperatures cross freezing around late April in spring and again near late November in autumn. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. Tent Lake runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. No built facilities appear in mapping around this water. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. The nearest alternative is Kettle Lake, 0.9 km out. Confirm before you fish Tent Lake.