Chain Lake Fishing near Lively, Ontario

• Overview

  Chain Lake is a Sudbury water, in Ontario. The surroundings are rolling bush. Surface area runs to about 9 hectares — small enough to read in one session. A shoreline of some 2.7 km keeps the choices simple. On size it sits at the modest end of our Sudbury list. Lively sits 32 km from here and is the nearest stop. For a city, Greater Sudbury is 42 km off. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Chain Lake

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. County-wide records name smallmouth bass, northern pike, yellow perch, Iowa darter and walleye. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Read Chain Lake for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 19°C in July and bottom out at -11°C in January. The year runs cold to warm and back, with clear transitions. Hard water holds through the cold months, breaking up near late April. Expect the water usable from around late April until roughly early December. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. Chain Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing we hold confirms whether access is permitted. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Public mapping records no formal access here, so plan for a walk and soft ground. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Night access is frequently treated as a separate matter. Little Bell Lake at 1 km is the sensible second choice. Treat access at Chain Lake as something to verify.