Beartrack Lake, Ontario: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Set in Sudbury, Ontario, this is Beartrack Lake. This is lake country bush ground. The water covers some 79 hectares, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. The margin runs to about 11 km in total. It sits higher than most water we list in Ontario. The nearest place of any size is Elliot Lake, 92 km away. Further out sit Dowling (104 km) and Chapleau (105 km). The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Beartrack Lake

  Depth here is unknown, so count the lead down before committing. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Public occurrence data for Sudbury names smallmouth bass, northern pike, yellow perch, Iowa darter and walleye. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Fish Beartrack Lake to its features, not to its size.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from -15°C in January up to 17°C in July. A solid cap is the normal state through winter. Look for the thaw near late April; the fishing lifts straight after. On the long-run averages the water opens up around late April and starts locking again about late November. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. Plan any trip to Beartrack Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Ownership and access are not documented in what we hold. 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. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Cortez Lake, 3.2 km away, makes the obvious fallback. Rules at Beartrack Lake are worth checking on the day.