Cloutier Lake, Ontario: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  You will find Cloutier Lake in Thunder Bay District, Ontario. The ground around here is spruce and muskeg. Roughly 75 hectares: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. The margin runs to about 7.6 km in total. It sits higher than most water we list in Ontario. Schreiber lies 38 km from the water. The big place round here is Thunder Bay, 145 km distant. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Cloutier 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. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Across Thunder Bay District, recorded fish include cisco, blackfin cisco, rainbow smelt, bloater and shortjaw cisco. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. Take Cloutier Lake a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about -17°C and July at about 16°C, the water has a wide range to work through. Open water is the exception rather than the rule here. After early May the shallows warm and the fish move up. Climate figures give an open season running early May to mid November. September and October fish steadily right up to the freeze. Time your trip to Cloutier Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Nothing formal is recorded here: no ramp, no car park, no marked path. A light spinning outfit with a small box of lures and some bait covers most of what swims here. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. The nearest alternative is Kaylyn Lake, 3.2 km out. Confirm access to Cloutier Lake locally before you travel.