Dotted Lake Fishing near Manitouwadge, Ontario

• Overview

  Dotted Lake belongs to Thunder Bay District, Ontario. Around the bank it is spruce and muskeg. This is sizeable water at about 4.67 sq km, and a boat opens up most of it. At about 31 km of edge, most people fish a single area and learn it well. Few waters listed in Thunder Bay District are bigger. Manitouwadge is the closest town at 27 km. Hornepayne lies 81 km off, Terrace Bay another 99 km. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Dotted Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Records held for Thunder Bay District cover cisco, blackfin cisco and rainbow smelt. The county list is broader than any single water. On Dotted Lake a short move beats a long cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from -16°C in January up to 16°C in July. Open water is the exception rather than the rule here. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about early May. Average temperatures cross freezing around early May in spring and again near mid November in autumn. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. It holds true on Dotted Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Mapping shows an empty shoreline: no ramp, no jetty, no marked entry. One rod, a handful of hooks and floats, and a few small lures are enough for this water. Provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Should this one be busy, Lampson Lake is 1.9 km off. Confirm access to Dotted Lake locally before you travel.