Fox Lake in Thunder Bay District: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Fox Lake is set in Thunder Bay District, Ontario. This is boreal forest ground. Surface area is around 31 hectares, which gives you real water without needing a boat. The full circuit measures close to 3.3 km on foot. Manitouwadge lies 16 km from the water. Hornepayne is 69 km and Longlac 84 km. Near neighbours include: 3.8 km away is Davis Lake, Dragon Lake after 5.1 km, 5.4 km away is Jim Lake, Dead Lake after 6 km and 6.1 km away is Larry Lake. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Fox Lake

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. 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 and bloater. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. On Fox Lake the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about -18°C and July at about 16°C, the water has a wide range to work through. Cold dominates the year and the fishing works around it. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around early May. Break-up near early May, freeze-up near mid November: that is the shape of an average year. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. That is the shape of the year on Fox Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. No made access appears within a short radius, so plan to park on a verge and walk. A light spinning outfit with a small box of lures and some bait covers most of what swims here. Take the rules with you rather than trusting memory. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. If the gate is shut, Davis Lake at 3.8 km is the nearest alternative. Check the current arrangement for Fox Lake.