Fishing Burns Lake in Algoma, Ontario

• Overview

  Out in Algoma, Ontario, sits Burns Lake. The setting is spruce and muskeg on every side. The water covers some 10 hectares, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. The bank runs about 2.4 km all the way round, so one visit can cover most of it. On size it sits at the modest end of our Algoma list. For a base, Wawa sits 56 km out. Greater Sudbury is the closest city, 319 km away. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Burns Lake

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Open biodiversity records for Algoma list walleye, northern pike, Iowa darter, yellow perch and white sucker. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. Work Burns Lake in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 16°C at the top of summer and -16°C at the bottom of winter. Cold dominates the year and the fishing works around it. Ice-out usually falls in early May, and the weeks after it fish hardest. The water is typically free of ice between early May and mid November. September and October fish steadily right up to the freeze. Burns Lake runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  Our records carry no access rule either way. 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. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. Should this one be busy, Joan Lake is 0.4 km off. Check the current arrangement for Burns Lake.