Amylou Lake, Ontario: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Thunder Bay District in Ontario is where Amylou Lake sits. The bank gives way to boreal forest. The water covers some 25 hectares, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. Shoreline comes to about 2.8 km, small enough to learn in a day. Manitouwadge sits 27 km from the bank. It is 287 km to Thunder Bay, the nearest city. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Amylou Lake

  We hold no depth figure for this one. 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. Records held for Thunder Bay District cover cisco, blackfin cisco, rainbow smelt, bloater and shortjaw cisco. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. At Amylou Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about -18°C in January to roughly 16°C in July. This is a two-season water: locked, then wide open. Break-up comes around early May, and the run that follows is short and strong. Break-up sits around early May on average, with the water closing again about mid November. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. The season on Amylou Lake follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. No slipway, car park or made path shows up nearby in mapping, so treat access as rough. One rod, a handful of hooks and floats, and a few small lures are enough for this water. Take the rules with you rather than trusting memory. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. The nearest alternative is Olie Lake, 3.7 km out. For Amylou Lake in particular, ask before you travel.