Big Ben Lake in Algoma: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  The Algoma entry here is Big Ben Lake, in Ontario. The surroundings are boreal forest. It covers about 10 hectares, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. A shoreline of some 1.5 km keeps the choices simple. It is a small entry by Algoma standards. Nearest town is Wawa, 42 km off. Then Hornepayne, 99 km, and Chapleau, 101 km. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Big Ben Lake

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Records held for Algoma cover walleye, northern pike, Iowa darter and yellow perch. County records show what lives in the area; the local agency holds the water-by-water list. The shape of Big Ben Lake decides where the fish sit.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is -16°C to 16°C. Open water is the exception rather than the rule here. The open season starts with the thaw, near enough early May. In an average year the thaw lands around early May and the freeze near mid November. Late spring and early autumn carry the year between them. The season on Big Ben Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  The access position is unclear from public sources. 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. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. Willigar Lake sits 1 km off and takes the overflow. Nothing on Big Ben Lake should be assumed from this page alone.