Black Mandyn Lake in Algoma: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  In Ontario, Black Mandyn Lake belongs to Algoma. The water sits 358 metres up. With some 21 hectares of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. Bank access stretches around 2.8 km in total. The town to know is Wawa, 46 km out. Chapleau is 102 km and Sault Ste. Marie 122 km. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Black Mandyn Lake

  No figure exists for depth, so let the water show you. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Reported across Algoma: walleye, northern pike, Iowa darter and yellow perch. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Black Mandyn Lake gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 16°C in July and bottom out at -13°C in January. A full turn of seasons, with the strongest sport on either side of summer. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around late April. Ice usually gives way near late April, and forms again about late November. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. The season on Black Mandyn Lake follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. There is camping recorded roughly 1.2 km off. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. The nearest alternative is Rotund Lake, 1.7 km out. Confirm access to Black Mandyn Lake locally before you travel.