Burwash Lake in Kenora District: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Burwash Lake lies within the bounds of Kenora District, Ontario. Everything around it is lake country bush. It runs to roughly 50 hectares — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. With 5.3 km or so of shoreline, boat anglers cover ground the bank cannot. Lac du Bonnet at 72 km is the nearest place to stop. Winnipeg sits 158 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Burwash Lake

  Depth is unmeasured here, so let the shoreline guide you. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Records held for Kenora District cover northern pike, longnose sucker, white sucker, johnny darter and logperch. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. On Burwash Lake the first feature you find is usually worth a session.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about -19°C and July at about 19°C, the water has a wide range to work through. Hard water is a season in its own right here. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around late April. Ice clears near late April and comes back about mid November in a typical year. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. Burwash Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. The map shows no ramp or car park nearby, so this is a walk-in water. A wire trace and a big bright lure handle the pike; deep water asks for a heavier spoon. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Should this one be busy, McLaughlin Lake is 1.2 km off. The position on Burwash Lake is worth confirming on the day.