Bass Clash On Lake Nos

Lake Nosbonsing is an angler’s paradise that's open year-round. Check out the amazing fishing opportunities here!

Had enough of the daily grind?

Isn’t it time to reward yourself and your family by booking a vacation designed for everyone?

How about someplace in Northern Ontario just a short drive from the GTA?

We have a place for those with little ones or individuals with little patience for long drives. That place is in Corbeil, Ontario, a three-hour drive north on Highway 11 from Toronto, close to the city of North Bay on Lake Nosbonsing called Big Moose Camp.

lake nosbonsing aerial view

(Photo credit: Karl Kalonka)

Lake Nosbonsing is approximately sixteen hundred acres with its irregular shape. The lake is fed by Depot Creek and local springs and has the River Kaibuskong flowing out of the east and running into the Mattawa River. It’s separated into two halves by narrows and each part of the lake has several beautiful bays to fish in.

Nosbonsing offers all of the fishing benefits of its larger neighbour, Lake Nipissing. However, it is much quieter making it popular with less experienced anglers or those not wanting to deal with the expanse of water on Lake Nipissing.

angler smallmouth bass fishing

(Photo credit: Karl Kalonka)

Lake Nosbonsing is an angler’s paradise, open year-round and offering many fishing opportunities without the challenges of the big water. It’s an irregular-shaped lake that is approximately seven miles long. It is tucked away in the Almaguin Highlands, and the magnificent hills only add to the beauty of the lake. The lake plays host to walleye, northern pike, muskellunge, smallmouth and largemouth bass, and yellow perch. It’s a perfect setting to escape and enjoy picturesque views and all of the fishing that the lake has to offer.

Our trip to Lake Nos was in early September, a time when the forests are starting to colour and the predator species are thinking about fattening up for winter.

Despite all of the opportunities to chase the toothy critters or tasty walleye or jumbo perch, we decided to have a good old-fashioned ‘Bass Clash’ with Lake Nos smallmouth and largemouth bass. This lake is blessed with both natural structural elements as well as man-made offering the dedicated bass angler a wide variety of options and techniques or tactics to fish for bass.

lake nosbonsing aerial structure

(Photo credit: Karl Kalonka)

I started my trip the first evening by fishing obvious rocky points and rock bars with noisy topwater baits by YoZuri and continually changed tactics on ‘hot looking’ locations by snap jigging micro tube jigs and Ned Rig micro craws dragged along the bottom. Caught a nice share of hard-fighting smallmouth on the snap tube and lost some even bigger ones, but that’s fishing, right?

The first morning was perfect. Dead calm conditions with a slight mist on the surface of the lake and as ideal as it gets for topwater baits like poppers, prop baits and my favourite on new lakes, the YoZuri Wake Bait, a lure that triggers bites when the bass just feel like blasting the surface.

angler smallmouth bass fishing

(Photo credit: Karl Kalonka)

I found some quiet back bays with thick weed beds leading to shoreline points and rock piles and started casting along the edge of the weed beds and fan casting to within feet of the shore and found some awesome, fat smallmouth bass that literally ate the wake bait with the familiar ‘toilet flush’ strikes, inhaling the bait.

After a great morning of brown bass bashing, I was now itching to catch some of lake Nos big green bass and picked up my heavy power St. Croix pitching stick, twenty-pound test line and a handful of soft plastic baits and fished some of the heaviest, nasty thick shallow weeds I could find on the lake.

Not ten minutes into my bass stalking, I set hook into my very first Lake Nos bucket mouth bass and the bass clash continued the rest of the afternoon. I caught them on man-made docks, in thick lily pads and eelgrass as well as the ever-abundant fallen trees along the shorelines of each back bay. Some beautiful largemouth up to four pounds were all caught and released.

big moose camp cottage

(Photo credit: Karl Kalonka)

At Big Moose Camp, all of the fourteen cottages are lakefront or lake view, have two or three bedrooms, a bathroom with a shower and hot water, drinkable water supplied from a well, a fully-equipped kitchen, propane forced air or electric heat, satellite HD TV and their own fire pit, picnic table and deck. There are boat and motor rentals, docking and launching facilities, bait and ice, kayaks, pedal boats, SUP and canoe rentals and ice fishing huts available for the guests staying at the resort.

big moose camp cottage interior

(Photo credit: Karl Kalonka)

Isn’t this the year to get back to living? Isn’t this the year for a good old-fashioned bass clash?

Reward your family or friends and check out Big Moose Camp
Contact them here: phone (9 am to 7 pm) at (705) 752-3738

About Karl Kalonka

It's possible Karl's love for fishing began as early as the age of five. His parents took the kids on weekend trips across Ontario fishing for panfish, catfish, and bass. "I started with a bobber and worm from the time I was five years old," says Karl. These days, he has the enviable task of doing what he loves for a living, travelling across Ontario fishing, filming and producing two outdoor series, Extreme Angler and Crappie Angler TV.

Recommended Articles

Killarney Mountain Lodge

Discover this newly renovated luxury resort and marina in Georgian Bay.

The 2022 Northern Ontario Fishing Survey and Contest

Enter to win $1,000 in fishing gear.

An unforgettable family fishing trip

Led by Mom

Bobber-Whacky Magic

Don't Say Good-bye To The Bobber

Keeping You In the Fishing Game

Tips For What To Have On Your Boat

Slate Falls Outposts: Arc Lake Outpost

Fly-in Adventure and First-class Service in Northern Ontario

Ice Fishing in Northeastern Ontario

Year-round lodges that offer everything from DIY to fully outfitted ice fishing operations.

What to Pack for a Fly-in Adventure

These items are sometimes overlooked but come in really handy on a remote fishing trip.

Eagle Lake Fall Muskies

Discover why in the late fall Eagle Lake is a prime location to catch giant muskies in Sunset Country.

Catching Bass Can Be Crystal Clear

Head to this Northwest Ontario resort for an opportunity to catch your personal best smallmouth bass.

Top 8 Places to Ice Fish in Ontario

Ice fishing in Ontario offers diverse catches in serene winter settings.

Why I Use Sinking Fly Lines

What these are and how to use them for fly fishing.

Trophy Lake Trout on Lake Obabika

The pursuit of giants on a recovered fishery.

Mattagami Lake's Perfect Family Fishing Destination

Green Wilderness Lodge offers the rare and perfect blend of relaxed, family-friendly atmosphere and incredible fishing.

Non-Stop Action and Trophy Catches at Timberlane Lodge

With 3,000 miles of shoreline and world-renowned natural reproduction, this 150-mile-long fishery is a must-visit for every serious angler.

Ice, Grit, And the Glory of the Kaby Lake Pike

The weather is a relentless challenge and the fish are the ultimate reward.

The Pipestone Foursome: Unlocking the Multi-Species Treasure Trove of Cedar Island Lodge

From explosive topwater smallmouth to rare northern largemouth and deep-dwelling lakers, the diversity of Northwest Ontario is put to the ultimate test.

Sliding Into Bass Heaven

Fall is approaching, and they need to start feeding for the winter.

Fantastic Brook Trout

A Train-in Trip to Loch Island Lodge

The Eyes Have it

How to Use a Natural Resource as Bait