Crotch Lake Fishing near Elliot Lake, Ontario

• Overview

  Algoma, Ontario, is where Crotch Lake sits. Around the bank it is lake country bush. At some 1.55 sq km it is far too large to cover on foot in a day. Around 12 km of bank, which is a long day on foot. Few waters listed in Algoma are bigger. Elliot Lake at 5.6 km is the nearest place to stop. Further out sit Blind River (39 km) and Espanola (67 km). The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Crotch Lake

  No published figure covers depth, so learn it as you fish. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. County-wide records name walleye, northern pike, Iowa darter and yellow perch. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Work Crotch Lake in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 18°C on average, January about -12°C. Spring and autumn carry the fishing; summer and winter test it. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from late April. Ice usually gives way near late April, and forms again about late November. Fishing peaks soon after break-up and again before the cold returns. On Crotch Lake that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  Our records carry no access rule either way. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Nothing is mapped in the way of a ramp or car park within a short radius. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. Should this one be busy, Sheriff Lake is 2.5 km off. Ask locally about Crotch Lake if anything is unclear.