Elbow Lake Fishing near Wawa, Ontario

• Overview

  Elbow Lake is an Algoma water, in Ontario. It lies 349 metres above sea level. Surface area runs to roughly 1.22 sq km, so plan for one area rather than the whole. At about 12 km of edge, most people work one arm at a time. Few waters listed in Algoma are bigger. Nearest place of any size is Wawa, 51 km away. After that come Hornepayne at 92 km and Chapleau at 102 km. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Elbow Lake

  No figure exists for depth, so let the water show you. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Records held for Algoma cover walleye, northern pike, Iowa darter and yellow perch. Read it as a county summary, not a water-by-water list. Take Elbow Lake a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about -16°C in January to roughly 16°C in July. Long winters and short summers set the pattern. After early May the shallows warm and the fish move up. Expect the water usable from around early May until roughly mid November. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. Plan any trip to Elbow Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. No launch point is recorded nearby, so this is a bank water unless you carry a boat in. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Rosa Lake sits 3.1 km off and takes the overflow. Where Elbow Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.