Varley Lake, Ontario: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Varley Lake is listed under Nipissing District, Ontario. The water sits 378 metres up. The water covers some 28 hectares, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. With about 3.2 km of edge, you can try several depths in one session. Supplies mean a trip to Mattawa, 36 km off. Further out sit Powassan (60 km) and South River (65 km). The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Varley Lake

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Open biodiversity records for Nipissing District list smallmouth bass, cisco, yellow perch, pumpkinseed and rock bass. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. Read Varley Lake before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 18°C in July and bottom out at -13°C in January. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. Look for the thaw near late April; the fishing lifts straight after. From about late April to around late November, expect open water on the long-run figures. June through September is the settled part of the year, with the shoulders busier for fish. Plan any trip to Varley Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Mapping shows a campsite some 590 m from the water. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Camp Five Lake sits 1.7 km off and takes the overflow. Treat Varley Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.