Fishing Colter Lake in Thunder Bay District, Ontario

• Overview

  The Thunder Bay District entry here is Colter Lake, in Ontario. The surroundings are taiga. Surface area is around 93 hectares, which gives you real water without needing a boat. Some 6.8 km of bank gives room to move when the wind turns. 11 km away sits Greenstone, the nearest town. Geraldton lies 26 km off, Longlac another 56 km. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Colter Lake

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Records held for Thunder Bay District cover cisco, blackfin cisco, rainbow smelt, bloater and shortjaw cisco. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. Read Colter Lake before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 16°C on average, January about -20°C. Open water arrives late and leaves early, which concentrates the fishing. Count the season from break-up, usually early May. Climate averages put the opening at about early May and the closing near mid November. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. Colter Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Mapping records no facilities at all near this water. One rod, a handful of hooks and floats, and a few small lures are enough for this water. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Check whether bait restrictions apply before you buy any. Cedargum Lake sits 2.2 km off and takes the overflow. Rules at Colter Lake are worth checking on the day.