Bay Lake Fishing near Dowling, Ontario

• Overview

  Sudbury in Ontario is where Bay Lake sits. It stands 402 metres above sea level. It measures about 24 hectares, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. With about 3.5 km of edge, you can try several depths in one session. Dowling at 31 km is the nearest place to stop. For a city, Greater Sudbury is 51 km off. In the same area: Kawawia Lake at 2.1 km, Towchain Lake 3.4 km off, Mule Lake at 3.5 km, Sandfly Lake 4.5 km off and Shingwak Lake at 5.1 km. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Bay Lake

  Depth here is unknown, so count the lead down before committing. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Public occurrence data for Sudbury names smallmouth bass, northern pike, yellow perch, Iowa darter and walleye. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. At Bay Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 18°C, with January the cold end at about -15°C. Cold winters and warm summers give a wide working range. The lid arrives early and lasts until roughly late April. On the long-run averages the water opens up around late April and starts locking again about late November. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. It holds true on Bay Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public data does not answer the access question here. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Formal access is not mapped, so the last stretch is likely on foot. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. Kawawia Lake, 2.1 km away, makes the obvious fallback. For Bay Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.