Footprint Lake in Algoma: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  You will find Footprint Lake in Algoma, Ontario. It lies 360 metres above sea level. It covers about 9 hectares, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. Our Algoma list holds plenty of bigger water. For supplies, Thessalon is 30 km out. Beyond it, Blind River at 52 km and Elliot Lake at 63 km. No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Footprint Lake

  Nothing we hold settles how deep this runs. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Records held for Algoma cover walleye, northern pike and Iowa darter. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. Take Footprint Lake a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 18°C at the top of summer and -12°C at the bottom of winter. A hard winter is normal, and the thaw brings a strong few weeks. The open season starts with the thaw, near enough late April. Ice usually gives way near late April, and forms again about late November. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Footprint Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. No car park, ramp or path is recorded within easy reach of the shore. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. Huston Lake, 1.4 km away, makes the obvious fallback. What applies at Footprint Lake may have changed since it was mapped.