Bizhiw Lake Fishing near Espanola, Ontario

• Overview

  In Ontario, Bizhiw Lake falls inside Sudbury. The bank is 289 metres above sea level. Surface area runs to about 2 hectares — small enough to read in one session. It is a small entry by Sudbury standards. Espanola is the closest town at 31 km. For a city, Greater Sudbury is 62 km off. Water in the same corner: Topaz Lake (0.9 km), Spark Lake out at 1.1 km, Pearl Lake (1.7 km), Artist Lake out at 2.1 km and Cave Lake (2.3 km). No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Bizhiw Lake

  Depth remains unrecorded, so treat the first session as a survey. 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. Survey and observation records for Sudbury include smallmouth bass, northern pike, yellow perch and Iowa darter. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. On Bizhiw Lake a short move beats a long cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 19°C; the cold one sits at -10°C. Expect a real winter and a strong spring after it. The lid usually goes in late April, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. The season between ice runs from about late April to early December. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. Plan any trip to Bizhiw Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. Mapping shows a jetty some 1.1 km off. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. Topaz Lake sits 0.9 km off and takes the overflow. None of that is settled for Bizhiw Lake in what we hold.