Turgeon Lake, Ontario: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Look for Turgeon Lake in the Cochrane District part of Ontario. The water sits 243 metres up. Around 23 hectares of surface means several distinct areas to work. The bank runs about 2.5 km all the way round, so one visit can cover most of it. You are 31 km from Hearst. Further out sit Hornepayne (70 km) and Kapuskasing (123 km). Round about: Mark Lake 1.4 km away, Jeanette Lake at 3.1 km, Irish Lake 4.3 km away, Boyle Lake at 4.6 km and Paddy Lake 6.1 km away. No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Turgeon Lake

  Our records carry no depth, so judge it from the bank. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Cochrane District records list northern pike, yellow perch and white sucker among the fish reported. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Take Turgeon Lake a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 16°C, with January the cold end at about -18°C. Everything is compressed into the middle of the year. The open season starts with the thaw, near enough early May. Average temperatures cross freezing around early May in spring and again near mid November in autumn. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. Expect Turgeon Lake to follow that timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. No slipway, car park or made path shows up nearby in mapping, so treat access as rough. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. If the gate is shut, Mark Lake at 1.4 km is the nearest alternative. Treat access at Turgeon Lake as something to verify.