Willard Lake in Timiskaming District: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  In Ontario, Willard Lake belongs to Timiskaming District. Height above sea level is 334 metres. Surface area runs to about 6 hectares — small enough to read in one session. Most waters listed here for Timiskaming District are larger. The town to know is Kirkland Lake, 37 km out. The big place round here is Greater Sudbury, 177 km distant. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Willard Lake

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Timiskaming District records list brook trout, northern pike and yellow perch among the fish reported. County records show what lives in the area; the local agency holds the water-by-water list. Work Willard Lake in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 17°C at the top of summer and -17°C at the bottom of winter. A hard winter is normal, and the thaw brings a strong few weeks. After early May the shallows warm and the fish move up. In an average year the thaw lands around early May and the freeze near mid November. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. Anyone fishing Willard Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. Access points are not mapped for this water, which suits people who like quiet. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Night access is frequently treated as a separate matter. Should this one be busy, Cowie Lake is 0.7 km off. Signs at Willard Lake carry more weight than any list.