Fishing Chickadee Lake in Sudbury, Ontario

• Overview

  This water sits in Sudbury, Ontario. What surrounds it is rolling bush. Around 20 hectares of surface means several distinct areas to work. The full circuit measures close to 1.9 km on foot. Compared with other Ontario water on our list, it sits high. For a base, Chapleau sits 53 km out. Wawa is 109 km away, with Sault Ste. Marie at 110 km. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Chickadee Lake

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Across Sudbury, recorded fish include smallmouth bass, northern pike, yellow perch and Iowa darter. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Work Chickadee Lake in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between -14°C in January and 17°C in July. Hard water is a season in its own right here. Look for the thaw near late April; the fishing lifts straight after. The open-water window runs from around late April to about mid November in an average year. June through September is the settled part of the year, with the shoulders busier for fish. Chickadee Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Nothing is mapped in the way of a ramp or car park within a short radius. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Local rules can differ across the county line, so check where you stand. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. The nearest alternative is Dud Lake, 1.8 km out. Confirm before you fish Chickadee Lake.