Eric Lake Fishing Guide, Thunder Bay District, Ontario

• Overview

  This water sits in Thunder Bay District, Ontario. The country round it is spruce and muskeg from end to end. Roughly 23 hectares: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. The edge runs 3.1 km or so, easy to work in an afternoon. Some 16 km away sits Terrace Bay, the nearest settlement. Thunder Bay sits 179 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Eric Lake

  Depth figures are not published for this one. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Fish documented in Thunder Bay District include cisco, blackfin cisco, rainbow smelt, bloater and shortjaw cisco. The county list is broader than any single water. The shape of Eric Lake rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 16°C, with January the cold end at about -16°C. Long winters and short summers set the pattern. Break-up comes around early May, and the run that follows is short and strong. Going by climate averages, expect open water from about early May until roughly mid November. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. It holds true on Eric Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. No made access is recorded, so a short walk in is the likely arrangement. One rod, a handful of hooks and floats, and a few small lures are enough for this water. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Should this one be busy, Gordon Lake is 0.9 km off. Confirm access to Eric Lake locally before you travel.