Fishing Desbarats Lake in Algoma, Ontario

• Overview

  Out in Algoma, Ontario, sits Desbarats Lake. The setting is lake country bush on every side. Surface area runs to roughly 3.92 sq km, so plan for one area rather than the whole. Shoreline length is close to 17 km, and each section fishes a little differently. Size puts it in the front rank of our Algoma list. Start from Thessalon, 32 km down the road. Greater Sudbury is the closest city, 226 km away. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Desbarats Lake

  Depth is not on record here, which means reading the ground instead. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Algoma records list walleye, northern pike, Iowa darter and yellow perch among the fish reported. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. The shape of Desbarats Lake rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 18°C; the cold one sits at -11°C. Expect a real winter and a strong spring after it. Hard water holds through the cold months, breaking up near mid April. Break-up sits around mid April on average, with the water closing again about early December. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. The season on Desbarats Lake follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Nothing built is recorded close to the bank here. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. Check whether bait restrictions apply before you buy any. Failing this one, try Bog Lake, 2.6 km away. Confirm before you fish Desbarats Lake.