North Snake Lake
Reviewed July 4-6, 2002

Fly-in Ontario bass fishing.

Sam and I moved over to the Snake Lakes from Wolf earlier that week, another spot we had successfully fished in the past, went smoothly – even in the heat of midday (but it was only 93
degrees !). The cabin that awaited was another outpost dream camp – a 2-bedroom beauty with windows all round, a screened porch, modern appliances, a modern kitchen and a spacious dining / sitting area. I must commend John Bleasby on his commitment to upgrading a number of the Stanton Air outpost camps. No cramped, tin-roofed cookers these !

Sam and I had learned a lesson at Wolf Lake and committed to fishing earlier and later than we usually might at the Snake Lakes – a move which paid off handsomely in great catches from the fallen timber atop the lake (mornings) and the shallow, soft-bottom, weedy bay at the lower end of the lake (evenings).

Friday brought cloudy intervals and we headed to the adjacent lake via a narrow navigable channel that connects the Snake Lakes. Slow at first, the fishing steadily improved, especially after we switched over to craw coloured crankbaits. Most bass were smallmouth, a trend that continued even when we returned to the main lake. On our last morning, we reverted back to spinnerbaits and plastic worms, pounding the heavy cover at the top end of the lake. Again, we were rewarded with plenty of good bass and a couple in the 3-pound range. Nevertheless, we recognized that the extended extreme weather and warm lake temperatures had impacted on the fishing – so we’re goin’ back !!!!!

North Snake Lake
Overview

Situated due west of Minden, ON, amidst a remote tract of Crown and private holdings, North (Upper) and South (Lower) Snake Lakes are typical of lakes found throughout South-Central Ontario's cottage country. Accessible only by air, the area lakes boast diverse angling opportunities, but none better than those for smallmouth and largemouth bass. North Snake Lake is a small, narrow lake which supports a healthy population of both bass species, although largemouths dominate. This is a "numbers" lake with lots of fish between 1 and 2 pounds, but bass up to 4 pounds are caught occasionally.

At the southern extreme of the lake is a navigable creek which leads to South Snake Lake, a considerably larger, but very similar, bass lake. Here, feisty, aerial smallmouth bass seem to dominate catches, but we also caught some decent bucketmouths as well. About 1-1/4 miles in length and featuring a number of weed and timber-strewn back bays, this lake offers both quantity and quality bassin'. Many bass in the 2 to 4-pound range were caught and released during our exploratory outings.

Both the Snake Lakes feature rocky, wooded shorelines with a few blowdowns dipping into the clear water. Scattered along irregular shorelines are "skinny" lily pad / spatterdock beds which often hold a bass or two, especially during the brighter daylight hours and during feeding periods when bass are cruising the weedlines in search of prey. The bottom falls away quickly into 8 to 12 feet of water and then gradually tapers to 20-foot depths at midlake.

Other important shoreline features on both lakes include the beaver lodges. While not numerous, these obvious structures seem to always attract bass. Indeed, our best catches and most of the bigger bass came directly off beaver lodges and their attendant sunken piles of twigs and branches. On both lakes, at either end, are gradually tapering, soft-bottom, weedy shallows littered with timber. Typically, these lakes also feature inflowing and/or outgoing creeks or swampy areas too shallow to fish. Soft-bottom areas which support extensive insect hatches, crayfish and baitfish, always attract feeding bass. But, where the weedlines give way to deeper water (4 to 6 feet), bass seem to congregate and feed - primarily, early or late in the day. Dropping back even deeper at midday, into 12 or more feet of water, might keep you on fish. Where they exist, mid-lake shoals, sunken humps and small islands are always good spots to check for feeding bass.