Chief Lake Fishing Guide, Greater Sudbury, Ontario

• Overview

  Ontario holds Chief Lake, in Greater Sudbury. The ground round it is lake country bush. The water covers around 1.13 sq km, which puts most of it out of reach from the bank. Shoreline length is close to 14 km, and each section fishes a little differently. On our Greater Sudbury list it sits near the top for size. Some 13 km away sits Lively, the nearest settlement. The big place round here is Greater Sudbury, 14 km distant. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Chief Lake

  Open data we checked carries no depth for this water. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Fish documented in Greater Sudbury include smallmouth bass, yellow perch and northern pike. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. The shape of Chief Lake decides where the fish sit.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 19°C; the cold one sits at -13°C. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near late April. Break-up near late April, freeze-up near late November: that is the shape of an average year. September and October fish steadily right up to the freeze. At Chief Lake the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Mapping records no facilities at all near this water. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. If the gate is shut, Little Chief Lake at 1.7 km is the nearest alternative. Nothing here settles the position at Chief Lake for certain.