Fishing Bat Lake in Thunder Bay District, Ontario

• Overview

  Bat Lake is one of the Thunder Bay District listings for Ontario. What surrounds it is northern bush. It covers about 7 hectares, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. It is a small entry by Thunder Bay District standards. The nearest town is Nipigon, 55 km away. It is 154 km to Thunder Bay, the nearest city. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Bat Lake

  Depth here is unknown, so count the lead down before committing. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Thunder Bay District records list cisco, blackfin cisco, rainbow smelt, bloater and shortjaw cisco among the fish reported. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. On Bat Lake the first feature you find is usually worth a session.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 16°C and January at -20°C. Open water is the exception rather than the rule here. The open season starts with the thaw, near enough early May. On the long-run averages the water opens up around early May and starts locking again about mid November. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. Bat Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. Nothing formal is recorded here: no ramp, no car park, no marked path. One rod, a handful of hooks and floats, and a few small lures are enough for this water. Bank access can be seasonal on ground like this. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. The nearest alternative is Barnacle Lake, 1.2 km out. Signs at Bat Lake carry more weight than any list.