Fishing at Buckshee Lake, Sudbury, Ontario

• Overview

  Out in Sudbury, Ontario, sits Buckshee Lake. The surroundings are pine and birch. At about 76 hectares, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. For a base, Chapleau sits 49 km out. Wawa is 91 km away, with Sault Ste. Marie at 115 km. Other water nearby: Lawless Lake 1.7 km off, Proulx Lake sits 2.6 km out, False Lake 3.1 km off, Whiskey Jack Lake sits 3.2 km out and Challener Lake 3.5 km off. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Buckshee Lake

  Our records carry no depth, so judge it from the bank. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Survey and observation records for Sudbury include smallmouth bass, northern pike and yellow perch. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. Buckshee Lake gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 17°C, the coldest about -14°C. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. Expect a solid lid for months and a thaw around late April. In an average year the thaw lands around late April and the freeze near mid November. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. On Buckshee Lake that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. Nothing in the way of made access shows up nearby: no ramp, no car park, no path. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. For a change of water, Lawless Lake is 1.7 km distant. Rules at Buckshee Lake are worth checking on the day.