Bass Lake Fishing Guide, Thunder Bay District, Ontario

• Overview

  Bass Lake lies within the bounds of Thunder Bay District, Ontario. This is spruce and muskeg ground. At 8 hectares it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. Our Thunder Bay District list holds plenty of bigger water. You are 12 km from Terrace Bay. After that come Schreiber at 22 km and Manitouwadge at 88 km. No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Bass Lake

  Depth is unknown to us, and the shoreline is the better guide. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Thunder Bay District records list cisco, blackfin cisco and rainbow smelt among the fish reported. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. Bass Lake gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July near 16°C and January near -16°C on the long-run figures. Little of the calendar is open water, so timing counts for everything. Ice-out usually falls in early May, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Break-up sits around early May on average, with the water closing again about mid November. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. That is the shape of the year on Bass Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. No launch point is recorded nearby, so this is a bank water unless you carry a boat in. Keep the gear simple: light line, small hooks, split shot and a couple of proven lures. Take the rules with you rather than trusting memory. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. For a change of water, Poulin Lake is 0.7 km distant. Treat Bass Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.