Alf Lake, Ontario: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Within Algoma, Ontario, you have Alf Lake. The setting is pine and birch. Surface area is around 74 hectares, which gives you real water without needing a boat. Shoreline length is close to 7.5 km, and each section fishes a little differently. The nearest town is Elliot Lake, 82 km away. Chapleau is 90 km and Blind River 100 km. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Alf Lake

  Our records carry no depth, so judge it from the bank. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Survey and observation records for Algoma include walleye, northern pike and Iowa darter. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. On Alf Lake the first feature you find is usually worth a session.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July is the warm end of the year here, averaging about 17°C, while January sits near -14°C. The middle months are generous; the ends are demanding. Count the season from break-up, usually late April. On the long-run averages the water opens up around late April and starts locking again about late November. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. It holds true on Alf Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Access is unmapped, which usually means a farm track and a walk. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Failing this one, try Bajoras Lake, 1.9 km away. For Alf Lake in particular, ask before you travel.