Camp Lake near Ignace: Fishing Spots, Seasons and Access

• Overview

  Kenora District, Ontario, is where Camp Lake sits. This is mixed forest ground. At 1.89 sq km this is proper open water rather than a pond. Shoreline length is close to 6.9 km, and each section fishes a little differently. Nearest town is Ignace, 6.9 km off. Thunder Bay is the closest city, 217 km away. Round about: Camp Creek some 2.8 km off, Three Mile Lake at 3.5 km, Sally Lake some 4.5 km off, Michel Lake at 5.1 km and Osaquan Lake some 5.3 km off. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Camp Lake

  No published figure covers depth, so learn it as you fish. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Records held for Kenora District cover northern pike, longnose sucker, white sucker and johnny darter. County records show what lives in the area; the local agency holds the water-by-water list. The near bank of Camp Lake is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 18°C; by January the average is down near -18°C. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. After late April the shallows warm and the fish move up. Open water usually runs from late April until about mid November. Fishing peaks soon after break-up and again before the cold returns. Camp Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. Pike mean a wire trace, no exceptions; big spoons and jerkbaits do the searching. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. Camp Creek, 2.8 km away, makes the obvious fallback. Treat access at Camp Lake as something to verify.