Five Cross Lake Fishing Guide, Thunder Bay District, Ontario

• Overview

  Five Cross Lake falls in Thunder Bay District, part of Ontario. Elevation runs to 285 metres. The water covers some 48 hectares, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. There is roughly 3.2 km of shoreline here, which is a short walk end to end. Head to Longlac, 100 km away, for anything you forgot. Geraldton follows at 103 km, then Greenstone at 103 km. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Five Cross Lake

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Species logged across Thunder Bay District include cisco, blackfin cisco, rainbow smelt, bloater and shortjaw cisco. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. Take Five Cross Lake a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is -21°C to 16°C. Open water is the exception rather than the rule here. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near early May. Averages place the thaw at early May and the freeze at early November. September and October fish steadily right up to the freeze. That shapes the year on Five Cross Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Access points are not mapped for this water, which suits people who like quiet. One rod, a handful of hooks and floats, and a few small lures are enough for this water. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Night access is frequently treated as a separate matter. Airport Lake, 1.4 km away, makes the obvious fallback. Confirm access to Five Cross Lake locally before you travel.