Bluejay Lake Fishing in Thunder Bay District, Ontario

• Overview

  Set in Thunder Bay District, Bluejay Lake is an Ontario water. Around the bank it is spruce and muskeg. It runs to roughly 41 hectares — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. The margin runs to about 5.6 km in total. Start from Longlac, 37 km down the road. The big place round here is Thunder Bay, 257 km distant. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Bluejay Lake

  Our records hold no depth for this water. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Thunder Bay District records list cisco, blackfin cisco, rainbow smelt and bloater among the fish reported. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. On Bluejay Lake the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 16°C and January about -18°C. Cold dominates the calendar on water this far north. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near early May. Break-up near early May, freeze-up near mid November: that is the shape of an average year. The first weeks of open water and the last are the ones to plan for. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Bluejay Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing we hold confirms whether access is permitted. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. There is no recorded infrastructure here; expect to find your own way in. One rod, a handful of hooks and floats, and a few small lures are enough for this water. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Lunam Lake, 2 km away, makes the obvious fallback. What applies at Bluejay Lake may have changed since it was mapped.