Fishing at Avis Lake, Kenora District, Ontario

• Overview

  Set in Kenora District, Avis Lake is an Ontario water. Pine and birch runs right down to the water. About 1.95 sq km, so local knowledge or a boat saves a lot of walking. You are looking at roughly 10 km of shoreline, with plenty of water between access points. For supplies, Red Lake is 95 km out. Winnipeg is the closest city, 356 km away. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Avis Lake

  Our records carry no depth, so judge it from the bank. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Records held for Kenora District cover northern pike, longnose sucker, white sucker, johnny darter and logperch. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. The shape of Avis Lake rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 17°C and January reads -20°C. Spring and autumn carry the fishing; summer and winter test it. Break-up comes around early May, and the run that follows is short and strong. On the long-run averages the water opens up around early May and starts locking again about mid November. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. Anyone fishing Avis Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  Our records carry no access rule either way. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Access is unmapped, which usually means a farm track and a walk. For the pike, wire up and throw larger lures along the weed edges. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. For a change of water, Tepeka Lake is 4.6 km distant. What applies at Avis Lake may have changed since it was mapped.