Burton Lake Fishing near Atikokan, Ontario

• Overview

  Within Rainy River District, Ontario, you have Burton Lake. The ground around here is mixed forest. It runs to roughly 89 hectares — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. At about 6.5 km of edge, most people work one arm at a time. Some 46 km away sits Atikokan, the nearest settlement. The big place round here is Thunder Bay, 222 km distant. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Burton Lake

  No published figure covers depth, so learn it as you fish. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Public occurrence data for Rainy River District names northern pike, smallmouth bass and yellow perch. County data is a starting point rather than a guarantee. Burton Lake gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put July at about 18°C and January near -16°C. Seasons are distinct, and each one fishes differently. Break-up comes around late April, and the run that follows is short and strong. The season between ice runs from about late April to mid November. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. That is the shape of the year on Burton Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Mapping shows no built access close by; expect to walk in from wherever you can leave the car. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Pipe Lake, 2.6 km away, makes the obvious fallback. Ask locally about Burton Lake if anything is unclear.