Ernie Lake, Ontario: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Ontario holds Ernie Lake, in Sudbury. It sits at 443 metres above sea level. It runs to roughly 35 hectares — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. You are looking at roughly 6.3 km of shoreline, with plenty of water between access points. It is high ground by Ontario standards. Some 69 km away sits Elliot Lake, the nearest settlement. The nearest city of size is Greater Sudbury, 98 km away. Rules here are straightforward: one set of provincial rules.

• Where to Fish on Ernie Lake

  No figure exists for depth, so let the water show you. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Records held for Sudbury cover smallmouth bass, northern pike, yellow perch, Iowa darter and walleye. County data is a starting point rather than a guarantee. The shape of Ernie Lake decides where the fish sit.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from -14°C in January up to 17°C in July. A solid cap is the normal state through winter. The lid usually goes in late April, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. Open water usually runs from late April until about late November. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. Ernie Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  Our records carry no access rule either way. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Mapping is blank for access, so scout the approach before committing the car. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. For a change of water, Shag Lake is 1.4 km distant. For Ernie Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.