Fishing at Burness Lake, Thunder Bay District, Ontario

• Overview

  Set in Thunder Bay District, Ontario, this is Burness Lake. It stands 294 metres above sea level. It measures some 3.54 sq km, and wind has room to build across it. You are looking at roughly 13 km of shoreline, with plenty of water between access points. Few waters listed in Thunder Bay District are bigger. Nearest place of any size is Greenstone, 147 km away. Beyond it, Geraldton at 151 km and Longlac at 155 km. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Burness Lake

  Nothing in our records gives a depth for this one. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Survey and observation records for Thunder Bay District include cisco, blackfin cisco and rainbow smelt. The county list is broader than any single water. Burness Lake fishes better once you know its edges.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 16°C at the top of summer and -21°C at the bottom of winter. Winter owns most of the year at this latitude. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from early May. Going by climate averages, expect open water from about early May until roughly early November. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. Plan any trip to Burness Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public data does not answer the access question here. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. No car park, ramp or path is recorded within easy reach of the shore. One rod, a handful of hooks and floats, and a few small lures are enough for this water. Take the rules with you rather than trusting memory. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Volks Lake at 4.2 km is the sensible second choice. What applies at Burness Lake may have changed since it was mapped.