Upper Minnow Lake in Hastings County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Upper Minnow Lake lies in Hastings County, Ontario. The surface lies 451 metres up. At roughly 8 hectares, the whole thing is within casting reach of a single walk. It is high ground by Ontario standards. Nearest place of any size is United Townships of Dysart, Dudley, Harcourt, Guilford, Harburn, Bruton, Havelock, Eyre and Clyde, 15 km away. For a city, Barrie is 146 km off. The boundary is near enough that local access rules are worth double-checking.

• Where to Fish on Upper Minnow Lake

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Open biodiversity records for Hastings County list rock bass, smallmouth bass, pumpkinseed, yellow perch and bluegill. Read it as a county summary, not a water-by-water list. The near bank of Upper Minnow Lake is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 18°C in July and bottom out at -12°C in January. Seasons are distinct, and each one fishes differently. After late April the shallows warm and the fish move up. Expect the water usable from around late April until roughly late November. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. At Upper Minnow Lake the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. A camping area sits within 1.1 km of here. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Bank access can be seasonal on ground like this. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. Lower Minnow Lake, 0.6 km away, makes the obvious fallback. Signs at Upper Minnow Lake carry more weight than any list.