Cross Lake Fishing near Kenora, Ontario

• Overview

  Cross Lake stands in Kenora District, Ontario. The land about it is lake country bush. This is sizeable water at about 1.08 sq km, and a boat opens up most of it. Some 9.2 km of bank gives room to move when the wind turns. Kenora at 28 km is the nearest place to stop. Then Vermilion Bay, 62 km, and Dryden, 108 km. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Cross Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Records held for Kenora District cover northern pike, longnose sucker, white sucker and johnny darter. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. At Cross Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from -18°C in January up to 19°C in July. Cold winters and warm summers give a wide working range. Firm cover through the cold months, then open water from late April. In an average year the thaw lands around late April and the freeze near mid November. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. The season on Cross Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Public mapping records no formal access here, so plan for a walk and soft ground. For the pike, wire up and throw larger lures along the weed edges. Provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. If the gate is shut, Little Caution Lake at 1.7 km is the nearest alternative. Nothing here settles the position at Cross Lake for certain.