Dixon Lake, Ontario: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  This water sits in Sudbury, Ontario. The water sits 430 metres up. Roughly 24 hectares: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. There is roughly 3.3 km of shoreline here, which is a short walk end to end. The closest town, Chapleau, is 79 km distant. The nearest city of size is Greater Sudbury, 242 km away. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Dixon Lake

  Depth figures are not published for this one. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. County-wide records name smallmouth bass, northern pike, yellow perch and Iowa darter. County records show what lives in the area; the local agency holds the water-by-water list. Fish Dixon Lake to its features, not to its size.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between -14°C in January and 17°C in July. The season turns properly here, and fish follow it closely. Ice-out usually falls in late April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Ice usually gives way near late April, and forms again about late November. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. Time your trip to Dixon Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Nothing built is recorded close to the bank here. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Should this one be busy, Hodgson Lake is 1.6 km off. Where Dixon Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.