Emerald Lake in Thunder Bay District: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  You will find Emerald Lake in Thunder Bay District, Ontario. The bank is 321 metres above sea level. At 6 hectares it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. Our Thunder Bay District list holds plenty of bigger water. Nearest place of any size is Manitouwadge, 18 km away. Beyond it, Hornepayne at 61 km and Longlac at 97 km. No boundary runs near, so the local rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Emerald Lake

  Depth is unmeasured here, so let the shoreline guide you. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Reported across Thunder Bay District: cisco, blackfin cisco, rainbow smelt and bloater. The list covers the county rather than this water alone, so treat it as a guide. Fish Emerald Lake where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate records put July near 16°C and January near -18°C. Open water arrives late and leaves early, which concentrates the fishing. Ice-out usually falls in early May, and the weeks after it fish hardest. The season between ice runs from about early May to mid November. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. Emerald Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. Nothing is mapped in the way of a ramp or car park within a short radius. One rod, a handful of hooks and floats, and a few small lures are enough for this water. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Ice Cream Lake at 2.4 km is the sensible second choice. Check the position at Emerald Lake before loading the car.