Bienda Lake, Ontario: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Within Thunder Bay District, Ontario, you have Bienda Lake. The surroundings are pine and birch. With some 37 hectares of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. The edge runs 4.8 km or so, easy to work in an afternoon. Sioux Lookout sits 164 km from here and is the nearest stop. Thunder Bay sits 209 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Bienda Lake

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. 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. Species logged across Thunder Bay District include cisco, blackfin cisco and rainbow smelt. The county list is broader than any single water. Bienda Lake gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 17°C on average, January about -21°C. Hard water is a season in its own right here. Look for the thaw near early May; the fishing lifts straight after. Climate figures give an open season running early May to mid November. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. Time your trip to Bienda Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Nothing is mapped in the way of a ramp or car park within a short radius. Keep the gear simple: light line, small hooks, split shot and a couple of proven lures. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. Failing this one, try Tempest Lake, 1.1 km away. None of that is settled for Bienda Lake in what we hold.