Fishing at Church Lake, Thunder Bay District, Ontario

• Overview

  Ontario holds Church Lake, in Thunder Bay District. The bank gives way to lake country bush. At about 58 hectares, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. Around 4.8 km of margin, front to back. By elevation it is in the upper part of our Ontario listings. Head to Atikokan, 82 km away, for anything you forgot. For a city, Thunder Bay is 99 km off. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Church Lake

  Nothing we hold settles how deep this runs. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Thunder Bay District records list cisco, blackfin cisco and rainbow smelt among the fish reported. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. At Church Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 17°C and January at -17°C. A full turn of seasons, with the strongest sport on either side of summer. Ice is part of the season here, ending near late April. Open water usually runs from late April until about mid November. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. That is the shape of the year on Church Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. There is no mapped parking or launch close by, which usually means walking in. A light spinning outfit with a small box of lures and some bait covers most of what swims here. Local rules can differ across the county line, so check where you stand. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Should this one be busy, Squeers Lake is 1.4 km off. Ask locally about Church Lake if anything is unclear.