Fishing Archie Lake in Thunder Bay District, Ontario

• Overview

  Within Thunder Bay District, Ontario, you have Archie Lake. It stands 343 metres above sea level. Roughly 26 hectares: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. The whole outline is near 3.2 km, and most of it is walkable. Nearest town is Greenstone, 57 km off. Geraldton lies 72 km off, Nipigon another 74 km. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Archie Lake

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Survey and observation records for Thunder Bay District include cisco, blackfin cisco, rainbow smelt, bloater and shortjaw cisco. County records show what lives in the area; the local agency holds the water-by-water list. At Archie Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 17°C and January about -20°C. Everything is compressed into the middle of the year. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around early May. Averages place the thaw at early May and the freeze at mid November. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. On Archie Lake the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. No made access is recorded, so a short walk in is the likely arrangement. A light spinning outfit with a small box of lures and some bait covers most of what swims here. Take the rules with you rather than trusting memory. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. Should this one be busy, Standingstone Lake is 1.5 km off. Check the position at Archie Lake before loading the car.