Dona Lake in Kenora District: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Kenora District in Ontario is where Dona Lake sits. It sits at 368 metres above sea level. Surface area runs to roughly 2.50 sq km, so plan for one area rather than the whole. There is roughly 10 km of bank, more than one visit can cover properly. For supplies, Sioux Lookout is 192 km out. For a city, Thunder Bay is 345 km off. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Dona Lake

  No depth figure appears in our records, so the bank has to tell you. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Kenora District records list northern pike, longnose sucker and white sucker among the fish reported. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. At Dona Lake the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 17°C; the cold one sits at -21°C. Everything is compressed into the middle of the year. Once it clears, about early May, the fishing comes on quickly. On the long-run averages the water opens up around early May and starts locking again about early November. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. That is the shape of the year on Dona Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. There is no mapped parking or launch close by, which usually means walking in. For the pike, wire up and throw larger lures along the weed edges. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. If the gate is shut, Graveyard Lake at 3.5 km is the nearest alternative. Where Dona Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.