Emil Lake in Algoma: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Emil Lake is listed under Algoma, Ontario. The setting is pine and birch. With some 52 hectares of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. Roughly 4.5 km of bank means you can walk to a fresh area when one goes quiet. Supplies mean a trip to Elliot Lake, 75 km off. Blind River is 92 km and Thessalon 96 km. In the same area: Dusky Lake (1.2 km), Elf Lake 4.5 km away, Maskuti Lake (4.7 km), Nigick Lake 5.4 km away and Club Lake (5.4 km). No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Emil Lake

  Depth is unknown to us, and the shoreline is the better guide. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Records held for Algoma cover walleye, northern pike, Iowa darter, yellow perch and white sucker. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. The shape of Emil Lake decides where the fish sit.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is -14°C to 17°C. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. The lid usually goes in late April, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. The lid tends to go about late April and return around late November. September and October fish steadily right up to the freeze. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Emil Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Nothing in the way of made access shows up nearby: no ramp, no car park, no path. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. Failing this one, try Dusky Lake, 1.2 km away. Where Emil Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.