Banana Lake in Thunder Bay District: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Banana Lake is one of the Thunder Bay District listings for Ontario. The bank is 334 metres above sea level. Around 25 hectares of surface means several distinct areas to work. With about 3.6 km of edge, you can try several depths in one session. Manitouwadge is the closest place, 21 km off. For a city, Thunder Bay is 284 km off. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Banana Lake

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Thunder Bay District records list cisco, blackfin cisco and rainbow smelt among the fish reported. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. Banana Lake repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from -18°C in January up to 16°C in July. Little of the calendar is open water, so timing counts for everything. The lid usually goes in early May, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. On the long-run averages the water opens up around early May and starts locking again about mid November. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. That shapes the year on Banana Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Mapping is blank for access, so scout the approach before committing the car. A light spinning outfit with a small box of lures and some bait covers most of what swims here. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. For a change of water, Thompson Lake is 0.7 km distant. Confirm access to Banana Lake locally before you travel.