Clifton Lake Fishing in Sudbury, Ontario

• Overview

  Clifton Lake sits within Sudbury in Ontario. The bank is 366 metres above sea level. It runs to roughly 55 hectares — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. The shoreline runs about 6.8 km, so it pays to pick a stretch and stay with it. The closest town, Chapleau, is 41 km away. Greater Sudbury sits 269 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Clifton Lake

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Fish documented in Sudbury include smallmouth bass, northern pike, yellow perch and Iowa darter. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. On Clifton Lake the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 17°C for July and -16°C for January. Little of the calendar is open water, so timing counts for everything. Look for the thaw near early May; the fishing lifts straight after. Climate figures give an open season running early May to mid November. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. Clifton Lake runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. No made access is recorded, so a short walk in is the likely arrangement. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Stump Lake at 2.3 km is the sensible second choice. For Clifton Lake in particular, ask before you travel.