Church Lake in Algoma: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Set in Algoma, Ontario, this is Church Lake. It stands 462 metres above sea level. The water covers some 18 hectares, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. The bank runs about 2.7 km all the way round, so one visit can cover most of it. It is high ground by Ontario standards. For supplies, Wawa is 51 km out. For a city, Greater Sudbury is 292 km off. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Church Lake

  No figure exists for depth, so let the water show you. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Across Algoma, recorded fish include walleye, northern pike, Iowa darter, yellow perch and white sucker. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. Fish Church Lake to its features, not to its size.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put July at about 16°C and January near -16°C. A short, intense season is the rule this far north. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about early May. On the long-run averages the water opens up around early May and starts locking again about mid November. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. The season on Church Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  We hold no note on access for this one. 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. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. For a change of water, Howland Lake is 0.8 km distant. What applies at Church Lake may have changed since it was mapped.