Ault Lake Fishing in Thunder Bay District, Ontario

• Overview

  Look for Ault Lake in the Thunder Bay District part of Ontario. Country round the bank runs to northern bush. Surface area runs to roughly 1.01 sq km, so plan for one area rather than the whole. The margin runs to about 12 km in total. The nearest place of any size is Schreiber, 31 km away. The big place round here is Thunder Bay, 136 km distant. No boundary runs near, so the local rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Ault Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Thunder Bay District records list cisco, blackfin cisco, rainbow smelt, bloater and shortjaw cisco among the fish reported. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. The shape of Ault Lake decides where the fish sit.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between -17°C in January and 16°C in July. The season is measured in weeks rather than months. Once it clears, about early May, the fishing comes on quickly. On average, early May opens the water and mid November closes it again. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. Ault Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Nothing built is recorded close to the bank here. One rod, a handful of hooks and floats, and a few small lures are enough for this water. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. For a change of water, Little Ault Lake is 1.3 km distant. Signs at Ault Lake carry more weight than any list.