Canoe Lake Fishing in Thunder Bay District, Ontario

• Overview

  Canoe Lake is one of the Thunder Bay District waters in Ontario. The surface lies 421 metres up. It measures about 62 hectares, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. Shoreline length is close to 8.2 km, and each section fishes a little differently. Sioux Lookout is the closest town at 80 km. Thunder Bay sits 235 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Canoe Lake

  Nothing in our records gives a depth for this one. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Survey and observation records for Thunder Bay District include cisco, blackfin cisco and rainbow smelt. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. Take Canoe Lake a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 17°C, with January the cold end at about -20°C. Winter shuts the surface down for months. The open season starts with the thaw, near enough early May. In an average year the thaw lands around early May and the freeze near mid November. September and October fish steadily right up to the freeze. That is the shape of the year on Canoe Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Access points are not mapped for this water, which suits people who like quiet. A light spinning outfit with a small box of lures and some bait covers most of what swims here. Take the rules with you rather than trusting memory. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. The nearest alternative is Fly Lake, 4.3 km out. Where Canoe Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.