Bells Lake in Thunder Bay District: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Bells Lake sits within Thunder Bay District in Ontario. It sits in lake country bush country. With some 11 hectares of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. There is roughly 1.9 km of shoreline here, which is a short walk end to end. It is a small entry by Thunder Bay District standards. The nearest place of any size is Manitouwadge, 57 km away. Beyond it, Terrace Bay at 74 km and Schreiber at 87 km. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Bells Lake

  Depth is unknown to us, and the shoreline is the better guide. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Species logged across Thunder Bay District include cisco, blackfin cisco and rainbow smelt. Read it as a county summary, not a water-by-water list. The near bank of Bells Lake is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 16°C and January at -15°C. Winter closes the water for a while, and the reopening is worth catching. Ice-out usually falls in late April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Averages place the thaw at late April and the freeze at mid November. June through September is the settled part of the year, with the shoulders busier for fish. Bells Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  Our records carry no access rule either way. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. No made access is recorded, so a short walk in is the likely arrangement. One rod, a handful of hooks and floats, and a few small lures are enough for this water. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. The nearest alternative is Gulliver Lake, 5.5 km out. Check the current arrangement for Bells Lake.