Fishing Willow Island Lake in Nipissing District, Ontario

• Overview

  Ontario holds Willow Island Lake, in Nipissing District. It stands 284 metres above sea level. It measures some 6.86 sq km, and wind has room to build across it. On our Nipissing District list it sits near the top for size. Some 48 km away sits Temiskaming Shores, the nearest settlement. Haileybury follows at 52 km, then Ville-Marie at 63 km. No boundary runs near, so the local rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Willow Island Lake

  Depth remains unrecorded, so treat the first session as a survey. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. County-wide records name smallmouth bass, cisco, yellow perch and pumpkinseed. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. At Willow Island Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The seasonal spread runs -16°C to 18°C. Cold winters and warm summers give a wide working range. Ice-out usually falls in late April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. In an average year the thaw lands around late April and the freeze near late November. Late spring and early autumn carry the year between them. It sets the rhythm of the year at Willow Island Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. Nothing in the way of made access shows up nearby: no ramp, no car park, no path. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. Failing this one, try Walsh Lake, 6.2 km away. Check the position on Willow Island Lake before loading the car.