Dismal Lake, Ontario: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Dismal Lake is one of the Algoma waters in Ontario. What surrounds it is lake country bush. It runs to roughly 50 hectares — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. The whole outline is near 4.8 km, and most of it is walkable. Nearest town is Sault Ste. Marie, 78 km off. The nearest city of size is Greater Sudbury, 240 km away. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Dismal Lake

  Depth here is unknown, so count the lead down before committing. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Open biodiversity records for Algoma list walleye, northern pike and Iowa darter. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. Read Dismal Lake before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about -14°C and July at about 17°C, the water has a wide range to work through. The season turns properly here, and fish follow it closely. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near late April. On the long-run averages the water opens up around late April and starts locking again about late November. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. It sets the rhythm of the year at Dismal Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. No launch point is recorded nearby, so this is a bank water unless you carry a boat in. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. If the gate is shut, Lucky Lake at 2.1 km is the nearest alternative. Confirm before you fish Dismal Lake.