Fishing at Bonnet Lake, Sudbury, Ontario

• Overview

  This water sits in Sudbury, Ontario. Height above sea level is 447 metres. Roughly 29 hectares: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. The full circuit measures close to 3.5 km on foot. By elevation it is in the upper part of our Ontario listings. Chapleau sits 58 km from here and is the nearest stop. Then Wawa, 73 km, and Sault Ste. Marie, 117 km. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Bonnet Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Fish documented in Sudbury include smallmouth bass, northern pike, yellow perch, Iowa darter and walleye. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. Fish Bonnet Lake to its features, not to its size.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 16°C; the cold one sits at -15°C. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. Firm cover through the cold months, then open water from late April. Break-up near late April, freeze-up near mid November: that is the shape of an average year. Fishing peaks soon after break-up and again before the cold returns. It holds true on Bonnet Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. No built facilities appear in mapping around this water. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. For a change of water, Hornet Lake is 2.5 km distant. Signs at Bonnet Lake carry more weight than any list.