Cypress Lake in Thunder Bay District: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  The Thunder Bay District end of Ontario holds Cypress Lake. Height above sea level is 439 metres. Roughly 44 hectares: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. The shoreline runs about 7.1 km, so it pays to pick a stretch and stay with it. By elevation it is in the upper part of our Ontario listings. For supplies, Nipigon is 37 km out. After that come Schreiber at 51 km and Terrace Bay at 62 km. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Cypress Lake

  Depth here is unknown, so count the lead down before committing. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Public occurrence data for Thunder Bay District names cisco, blackfin cisco, rainbow smelt, bloater and shortjaw cisco. The county list is broader than any single water. Cypress Lake repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 16°C; by January the average is down near -18°C. Open water is the exception rather than the rule here. Look for the thaw near early May; the fishing lifts straight after. The season between ice runs from about early May to mid November. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. That shapes the year on Cypress Lake.

• 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. No built facilities appear in mapping around this water. One rod, a handful of hooks and floats, and a few small lures are enough for this water. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Should this one be busy, Devious Lake is 3.4 km off. Check the position on Cypress Lake before loading the car.