Fishing at Crossley Lake, Sudbury, Ontario

• Overview

  Look for Crossley Lake in Sudbury, Ontario. Country round the bank runs to taiga. This is sizeable water at about 1.73 sq km, and a boat opens up most of it. The outline measures near 21 km, so local knowledge counts. Few waters listed in Sudbury are bigger. Chapleau lies 66 km from the water. Beyond it, Timmins at 113 km and Elliot Lake at 162 km. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Crossley Lake

  No published figure covers depth, so learn it as you fish. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Species logged across Sudbury include smallmouth bass, northern pike, yellow perch and Iowa darter. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. Read Crossley Lake before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July is the warm end of the year here, averaging about 17°C, while January sits near -16°C. This far north the hard season runs and runs. Count the season from break-up, usually late April. Open water usually runs from late April until about mid November. The first weeks of open water and the last are the ones to plan for. Plan around that when you fish Crossley Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. No made access appears within a short radius, so plan to park on a verge and walk. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Failing this one, try Thedan Lake, 4.9 km away. The position on Crossley Lake is worth confirming on the day.