Ril Lake & Buck Lake Fishing

Having been frustrated by a few windy outings on some of the bigger lakes around Huntsville, I continued on my quest to check out and break down some of the smaller lakes in the area. Not knowing what to expect, as I'd never been to either of these locations, I took three rods with me: a heavy one for flipping and pitching, a medium-light one for drop-shotting, and a medium-heavy for jerkbaits and top-waters. Usually I limit myself to two when I'm on the kayak and familiar with a particular body of water. But I wanted to have all bases covered. My first stop was Ril Lake on Saturday. 

Ril Lake is relatively small, located just east of Baysville, Ontario. You can catch both smallmouth and largemouth, but, in my opinion, the lake is better suited for the latter. Bring a flipping stick and work the docks, weed-beds, and fallen trees. 

The lake has two negative attributes: it's full of pesky rock bass, and it's full of wake boats. The former tear up your soft plastics and the latter...well, don't get me started on that, or else I might use some choice (and inappropriate, or maybe very appropriate, depending on your perspective) words. 

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On Sunday, I spent just over two hours on Buck Lake, north-west of Huntsville. I was fishing for bass, but the only bite of the evening was from a little walleye on my drop-shot rig. The feisty little guy didn't even want to pose for a picture, launching himself out of my hands and back into the water. 

Buck Lake is a bit of an enigma, and even though I didn't catch any, I suspect it's more of a smallmouth lake. It's much deeper and quite a bit bigger than some of the other smaller lakes I've been fishing recently. There are a few spots, particularly those with lily pads, where you'd expect to catch bass. These don't always produce.  

The lake is full of bait fish. Perhaps the brown bass are busy chasing this abundant food source. Take a jerkbait with you and cover water until you find some fish. Once you find some, you can slow down and comb the area with a more finesse presentation. 

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Greg Cholkan is a lawyer and fisherman. He works in Muskoka with Barriston LLP and his practice focuses on real estate, wills and estates, and business matters. Follow him on Instagram and Twitter.

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