Fishing at Bell Lake, Sudbury, Ontario

• Overview

  You will find Bell Lake in Sudbury, Ontario. The surroundings are boreal forest. It measures about 44 hectares, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. The bank runs about 3.8 km all the way round, so one visit can cover most of it. Timmins lies 80 km from the water. Greater Sudbury is the closest city, 157 km away. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Bell Lake

  We hold no depth figure for this one. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Across Sudbury, recorded fish include smallmouth bass, northern pike and yellow perch. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. On Bell Lake the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from -17°C in January up to 17°C in July. Long winters and short summers set the pattern. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from early May. In an average year the thaw lands around early May and the freeze near mid November. The first weeks of open water and the last are the ones to plan for. That shapes the year on Bell Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Nothing in the way of made access shows up nearby: no ramp, no car park, no path. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Night access is frequently treated as a separate matter. Should this one be busy, Rutter Lake is 1.7 km off. For Bell Lake in particular, ask before you travel.