Fishing at Bertha Lake, Thunder Bay District, Ontario

• Overview

  Ontario holds Bertha Lake, in Thunder Bay District. The water sits 373 metres up. It measures about 15 hectares, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. The full circuit measures close to 2.3 km on foot. It is a small entry by Thunder Bay District standards. Head to Wawa, 80 km away, for anything you forgot. The big place round here is Thunder Bay, 255 km distant. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Bertha Lake

  Nothing in our records gives a depth for this one. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Thunder Bay District records list cisco, blackfin cisco, rainbow smelt, bloater and shortjaw cisco among the fish reported. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. Read Bertha Lake for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about -12°C and August at about 16°C, the water has a wide range to work through. The year splits cleanly: hard water, then open water. The open season starts with the thaw, near enough late April. The open-water window runs from around late April to about late November in an average year. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. On Bertha Lake that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Nothing formal is recorded here: no ramp, no car park, no marked path. Keep the gear simple: light line, small hooks, split shot and a couple of proven lures. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. Camp Lake at 3.2 km is the sensible second choice. Ask locally about Bertha Lake if anything is unclear.