Fishing at Allen Lake, Algoma, Ontario

• Overview

  Set in Algoma, Ontario, this is Allen Lake. It stands 327 metres above sea level. Surface area runs to about 5 hectares — small enough to read in one session. On size it sits at the modest end of our Algoma list. Supplies mean a trip to Wawa, 61 km off. Chapleau lies 80 km off, Hornepayne another 106 km. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Allen Lake

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Reported across Algoma: walleye, northern pike and Iowa darter. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. At Allen Lake light and wind decide more than tackle does.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 16°C; by January the average is down near -16°C. Winter runs most of the calendar, and everything worth doing happens in the gap. After early May the shallows warm and the fish move up. On the long-run averages the water opens up around early May and starts locking again about mid November. September and October fish steadily right up to the freeze. At Allen Lake the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. No car park, ramp or path is recorded within easy reach of the shore. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Sort the permit out before you load the car. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. If the gate is shut, Dog River at 1.8 km is the nearest alternative. For Allen Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.