Fishing Cat Lake in Manitoulin District, Ontario

• Overview

  Out in Manitoulin District, Ontario, sits Cat Lake. What surrounds it is rolling bush. It runs to roughly 46 hectares — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. With 6.5 km or so of shoreline, boat anglers cover ground the bank cannot. It is low-lying compared with other Ontario water we list. You are 24 km from Espanola. The nearest city of size is Greater Sudbury, 53 km away. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Cat Lake

  Depth here is unknown, so count the lead down before committing. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Survey and observation records for Manitoulin District include rainbow smelt, lake whitefish and cisco. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. Fish Cat Lake where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The seasonal spread runs -11°C to 19°C. Spring and autumn carry the fishing; summer and winter test it. Break-up comes around late April, and the run that follows is short and strong. The open-water window runs from around late April to about early December in an average year. June through September is the settled part of the year, with the shoulders busier for fish. Anyone fishing Cat Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. No made access appears within a short radius, so plan to park on a verge and walk. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. If the gate is shut, Van Winkle Lake at 1.3 km is the nearest alternative. The position on Cat Lake is worth confirming on the day.