Fishing Allan Lake in Kenora District, Ontario

• Overview

  The Kenora District entry here is Allan Lake, in Ontario. This is rolling bush country. At about 53 hectares, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. The bank runs about 4.7 km all the way round, so one visit can cover most of it. Start from Sioux Lookout, 9.5 km down the road. For a city, Thunder Bay is 263 km off. Other water nearby: Mullen Lake at 3 km, David Lake 3.2 km off, Yager Lake at 4.4 km, Perlin Lake 4.7 km off and Pape Lake at 5.4 km. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Allan Lake

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Records held for Kenora District cover northern pike, longnose sucker, white sucker and johnny darter. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. The shape of Allan Lake rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 18°C and January at -18°C. The season turns properly here, and fish follow it closely. Once it clears, about late April, the fishing comes on quickly. Averages suggest open water from about late April through to roughly mid November. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. Allan Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. No made access appears within a short radius, so plan to park on a verge and walk. A wire trace and a big bright lure handle the pike; deep water asks for a heavier spoon. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. Should this one be busy, Mullen Lake is 3 km off. What applies at Allan Lake may have changed since it was mapped.