Fishing at Crab Lake, Algoma, Ontario

• Overview

  Crab Lake belongs to Algoma, Ontario. Country round the bank runs to pine and birch. The water covers some 44 hectares, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. The shoreline runs about 5.7 km, so it pays to pick a stretch and stay with it. Nearest place of any size is Elliot Lake, 27 km away. Little Current is 44 km and Espanola 45 km. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Crab Lake

  No figure exists for depth, so let the water show you. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Records held for Algoma cover walleye, northern pike and Iowa darter. The list covers the county rather than this water alone, so treat it as a guide. Read Crab Lake for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 19°C and January about -11°C. A full turn of seasons, with the strongest sport on either side of summer. Ice-out usually falls in mid April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Climate figures give an open season running mid April to early December. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. It sets the rhythm of the year at Crab Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. 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. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. The nearest alternative is Fryer Lake, 1.5 km out. Signs at Crab Lake carry more weight than any list.