Den Lake Fishing Guide, Greater Sudbury, Ontario

• Overview

  Den Lake sits in Greater Sudbury, out in Ontario. The setting is rolling bush. Surface area is around 45 hectares, which gives you real water without needing a boat. The edge runs 4.8 km or so, easy to work in an afternoon. Capreol lies 32 km from the water. Further out sit Valley East (40 km) and Rayside-Balfour (51 km). The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Den Lake

  Depth is unmeasured here, so let the shoreline guide you. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Reported across Greater Sudbury: smallmouth bass, yellow perch and northern pike. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. On Den Lake the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 18°C; the cold one sits at -15°C. Winter closes the water for a while, and the reopening is worth catching. Break-up comes around late April, and the run that follows is short and strong. In an average year the thaw lands around late April and the freeze near late November. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. Den Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• 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. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. The nearest alternative is Bluff Lake, 1.3 km out. Treat access at Den Lake as something to verify.