Blackwater Lake near Lively: Fishing Spots, Seasons and Access

• Overview

  Blackwater Lake is a Greater Sudbury water, Ontario side. Country round the bank runs to lake country bush. At about 86 hectares, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. The shoreline runs about 5.7 km, so it pays to pick a stretch and stay with it. On our Greater Sudbury list it sits near the top for size. You are 16 km from Lively. It is 29 km to Greater Sudbury, the nearest city. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Blackwater Lake

  No published figure covers depth, so learn it as you fish. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. County-wide records name smallmouth bass, yellow perch and northern pike. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. The shape of Blackwater Lake rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 19°C in July and bottoms out near -12°C in January. Winter closes the water for a while, and the reopening is worth catching. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around late April. In an average year the thaw lands around late April and the freeze near early December. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. It sets the rhythm of the year at Blackwater Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Access points are not mapped for this water, which suits people who like quiet. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. For a change of water, Little Bass Lake is 3.2 km distant. Treat access at Blackwater Lake as something to verify.