Fishing at Closs Lake, Algoma, Ontario

• Overview

  This water sits in Algoma, Ontario. Height above sea level is 259 metres. The water covers some 25 hectares, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. The edge runs 3.2 km or so, easy to work in an afternoon. Elliot Lake is the closest town at 17 km. After that come Blind River at 43 km and Espanola at 52 km. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Closs Lake

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Species logged across Algoma include walleye, northern pike and Iowa darter. The list covers the county rather than this water alone, so treat it as a guide. Take Closs Lake a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 18°C, with January the cold end at about -11°C. The middle months are generous; the ends are demanding. Once it clears, about late April, the fishing comes on quickly. Break-up near late April, freeze-up near early December: that is the shape of an average year. Early summer and early autumn carry the open-water season. At Closs Lake the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. No launch point is recorded nearby, so this is a bank water unless you carry a boat in. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Failing this one, try McCarthy Lake, 2 km away. Rules at Closs Lake are worth checking on the day.