Desbois Lake, Ontario: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Desbois Lake is an Algoma water, in Ontario. It sits in mixed forest country. Surface area is around 12 hectares, which gives you real water without needing a boat. Bank access stretches around 2.1 km in total. On size it sits at the modest end of our Algoma list. Nearest place of any size is Wawa, 36 km away. Further out sit Chapleau (111 km) and Sault Ste. Marie (134 km). The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Desbois Lake

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell 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 Algoma: walleye, northern pike, Iowa darter, yellow perch and white sucker. Read it as a county summary, not a water-by-water list. The shape of Desbois Lake rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about -13°C in January to roughly 16°C in July. A solid cap is the normal state through winter. Break-up comes around late April, and the run that follows is short and strong. From about late April to around late November, expect open water on the long-run figures. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. The season on Desbois Lake follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. The map shows no ramp or car park nearby, so this is a walk-in water. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Should this one be busy, Perederka Lake is 1.6 km off. Treat Desbois Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.