Balancing Lake Fishing near Longlac, Ontario

• Overview

  Set in Thunder Bay District, Ontario, this is Balancing Lake. Height above sea level is 345 metres. At about 36 hectares, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. With about 3.0 km of edge, you can try several depths in one session. Longlac is the closest place, 17 km off. Thunder Bay is the closest city, 268 km away. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Balancing Lake

  Our records hold no depth for this water. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Public occurrence data for Thunder Bay District names cisco, blackfin cisco, rainbow smelt and bloater. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. The shape of Balancing Lake decides where the fish sit.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 16°C and January at -19°C. Winter owns most of the year at this latitude. Break-up comes around early May, and the run that follows is short and strong. In an average year the thaw lands around early May and the freeze near mid November. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. The season on Balancing Lake follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. 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. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Lukinto Lake, 2 km away, makes the obvious fallback. For Balancing Lake in particular, ask before you travel.