Bill's Lake Fishing in Kenora District, Ontario

• Overview

  Out in Kenora District, Ontario, sits Bill's Lake. Elevation runs to 401 metres. Small at around 8 hectares: two anglers spread out cover most of it. On size it sits at the modest end of our Kenora District list. Some 31 km away sits Vermilion Bay, the nearest settlement. The big place round here is Winnipeg, 240 km distant. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Bill's Lake

  Depth remains unrecorded, so treat the first session as a survey. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Reported across Kenora District: northern pike, longnose sucker, white sucker and johnny darter. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. At Bill's Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 18°C; by January the average is down near -17°C. A hard winter is normal, and the thaw brings a strong few weeks. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from late April. Averages suggest open water from about late April through to roughly mid November. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. The season on Bill's Lake follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. Nothing is listed nearby for parking or launching a boat. Pike mean a wire trace, no exceptions; big spoons and jerkbaits do the searching. Ask in the nearest town if you are unsure. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. For a change of water, Geejay Lake is 0.9 km distant. The position on Bill's Lake is worth confirming on the day.