Bearskin Lake Fishing in Thunder Bay District, Ontario

• Overview

  The Thunder Bay District end of Ontario holds Bearskin Lake. This is boreal forest country. It measures about 51 hectares, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. The perimeter runs near 7.2 km, so plan the walk before you start. The closest town, Greenstone, is 43 km distant. Then Geraldton, 59 km, and Nipigon, 85 km. No boundary runs near, so the local rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Bearskin Lake

  Nothing we hold settles how deep this runs. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Public occurrence data for Thunder Bay District names cisco, blackfin cisco, rainbow smelt and bloater. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. At Bearskin Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 16°C in July and bottom out at -20°C in January. The ice season is long here and the open one short. Ice-out usually falls in early May, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Expect the water usable from around early May until roughly mid November. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. At Bearskin Lake the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. Keep the gear simple: light line, small hooks, split shot and a couple of proven lures. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Should this one be busy, Still Lake is 1.5 km off. Nothing on Bearskin Lake should be assumed from this page alone.