Fishing at Eric Lake, Kenora District, Ontario

• Overview

  This water sits in Kenora District, Ontario. It sits in mixed forest. At roughly 6 hectares, the whole thing is within casting reach of a single walk. On size it sits at the modest end of our Kenora District list. The town to know is Fort Frances, 69 km out. It is 298 km to Thunder Bay, the nearest city. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Eric Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Reported across Kenora District: northern pike, longnose sucker, white sucker, johnny darter and logperch. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. Eric Lake gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 19°C on average, January about -17°C. A full turn of seasons, with the strongest sport on either side of summer. The lid arrives early and lasts until roughly late April. Averages place the thaw at late April and the freeze at mid November. Early summer and early autumn carry the open-water season. It holds true on Eric Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. There is no mapped parking or launch nearby, which keeps numbers down. Pike mean a wire trace, no exceptions; big spoons and jerkbaits do the searching. Season dates differ by species, so read the table. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. For a change of water, Flossie Lake is 2.2 km distant. Signs at Eric Lake carry more weight than any list.