Fishing at Antler Lake, Thunder Bay District, Ontario

• Overview

  Antler Lake is a Thunder Bay District water, Ontario side. The bank gives way to rolling bush. With some 51 hectares of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. There is roughly 5.5 km of bank, more than one visit can cover properly. By elevation it is in the upper part of our Ontario listings. For supplies, Ignace is 77 km out. Atikokan is 86 km and Lappe 118 km. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Antler Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Across Thunder Bay District, recorded fish include cisco, blackfin cisco, rainbow smelt, bloater and shortjaw cisco. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. At Antler Lake light and wind decide more than tackle does.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 17°C in July and bottom out at -19°C in January. Four clear seasons, with a proper winter at one end. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around early May. Expect the water usable from around early May until roughly mid November. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. The season on Antler Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  We hold no note on access for this one. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. One rod, a handful of hooks and floats, and a few small lures are enough for this water. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. If the gate is shut, Little Trewartha Lake at 5.4 km is the nearest alternative. Nothing here settles the position at Antler Lake for certain.