Fishing at Dave Lake, Algoma, Ontario

• Overview

  This water sits in Algoma, Ontario. This is rolling bush ground. It runs to roughly 29 hectares — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. The edge runs 3.3 km or so, easy to work in an afternoon. For a base, Elliot Lake sits 36 km out. Greater Sudbury sits 105 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Dave 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. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Algoma records list walleye, northern pike, Iowa darter, yellow perch and white sucker among the fish reported. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. The near bank of Dave Lake is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 18°C; the cold one sits at -13°C. Cold winters and warm summers give a wide working range. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around late April. From about late April to around late November, expect open water on the long-run figures. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. Time your trip to Dave Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. Failing this one, try Robert Lake, 2.6 km away. Where Dave Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.