Ekal Lake Fishing near Ignace, Ontario

• Overview

  Ekal Lake sits in Kenora District, out in Ontario. Elevation runs to 456 metres. At about 54 hectares, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. Roughly 4.6 km of bank means you can walk to a fresh area when one goes quiet. By elevation it is in the upper part of our Ontario listings. Ignace is the closest place, 12 km off. Beyond it, Atikokan at 63 km and Sioux Lookout at 88 km. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Ekal Lake

  Depth here is unknown, so count the lead down before committing. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Open biodiversity records for Kenora District list northern pike, longnose sucker, white sucker, johnny darter and logperch. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Work Ekal Lake in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 18°C, the coldest about -19°C. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. Break-up comes around late April, and the run that follows is short and strong. On the long-run averages the water opens up around late April and starts locking again about mid November. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. Plan any trip to Ekal Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Access points are not mapped for this water, which suits people who like quiet. For the pike, wire up and throw larger lures along the weed edges. Season dates differ by species, so read the table. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. West Grit Lake sits 2.1 km off and takes the overflow. Ask locally about Ekal Lake if anything is unclear.