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

• Overview

  Ontario holds Bissonnette Lake, in Thunder Bay District. Elevation runs to 349 metres. At 9 hectares it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. The bank runs about 2.2 km all the way round, so one visit can cover most of it. It is a small entry by Thunder Bay District standards. Manitouwadge sits 28 km from here and is the nearest stop. Then Hornepayne, 50 km, and Longlac, 106 km. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Bissonnette Lake

  Nothing we hold settles how deep this runs. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. 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. On Bissonnette Lake the first feature you find is usually worth a session.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put July at about 16°C and January near -18°C. The ice season is long here and the open one short. Ice is part of the season here, ending near early May. Ice usually gives way near early May, and forms again about mid November. The first weeks of open water and the last are the ones to plan for. It holds true on Bissonnette Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Mapping shows an empty shoreline: no ramp, no jetty, no marked entry. One rod, a handful of hooks and floats, and a few small lures are enough for this water. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. The nearest alternative is Wabatong Lake, 1.8 km out. Rules at Bissonnette Lake are worth checking on the day.