Arrow Lake, Ontario: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  In Ontario, Arrow Lake falls inside Thunder Bay District. It lies 431 metres above sea level. Surface area runs to roughly 1.67 sq km, so plan for one area rather than the whole. Few waters listed in Thunder Bay District are bigger. The nearest place of any size is Sioux Lookout, 134 km away. For a city, Thunder Bay is 194 km off. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Arrow Lake

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Across Thunder Bay District, recorded fish include cisco, blackfin cisco, rainbow smelt and bloater. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. Arrow Lake gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 17°C in July and bottoms out near -21°C in January. Everything is compressed into the middle of the year. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from early May. Ice usually gives way near early May, and forms again about mid November. Fishing peaks soon after break-up and again before the cold returns. On Arrow Lake that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing we hold confirms whether access is permitted. Nothing is listed nearby for parking or launching a boat. One rod, a handful of hooks and floats, and a few small lures are enough for this water. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. Wapikaimaski Lake, 4.8 km away, makes the obvious fallback. Check the current arrangement for Arrow Lake.