Fishing at Dunne Lake, Thunder Bay District, Ontario

• Overview

  Dunne Lake sits in Thunder Bay District, out in Ontario. Height above sea level is 432 metres. The water covers some 42 hectares, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. The full circuit measures close to 4.3 km on foot. Schreiber is the closest town at 50 km. Beyond it, Nipigon at 58 km and Terrace Bay at 58 km. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Dunne Lake

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Records held for Thunder Bay District cover cisco, blackfin cisco, rainbow smelt, bloater and shortjaw cisco. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. The near bank of Dunne Lake is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 16°C for July and -18°C for January. Open water is the exception rather than the rule here. After early May the shallows warm and the fish move up. Climate figures give an open season running early May to mid November. June through September is the settled part of the year, with the shoulders busier for fish. Dunne Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. No launch point is recorded nearby, so this is a bank water unless you carry a boat in. Keep the gear simple: light line, small hooks, split shot and a couple of proven lures. Provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Klersy Lake sits 2.7 km off and takes the overflow. For Dunne Lake in particular, ask before you travel.