Franks Lake Fishing in Algoma, Ontario

• Overview

  Ontario holds Franks Lake, in Algoma. The water sits 489 metres up. The water measures roughly 10 hectares, so nothing here is far from anything else. Shoreline comes to about 2.8 km, small enough to learn in a day. It is a small entry by Algoma standards. Thessalon lies 72 km from the water. It is 197 km to Greater Sudbury, the nearest city. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Franks Lake

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Across Algoma, recorded fish include walleye, northern pike and Iowa darter. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Fish Franks Lake to its features, not to its size.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 17°C, with January the cold end at about -13°C. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. The lid usually goes in late April, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. The season between ice runs from about late April to late November. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. It holds true on Franks Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing we hold confirms whether access is permitted. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Nothing is listed nearby for parking or launching a boat. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. Laurence Lake sits 1.5 km off and takes the overflow. Rules at Franks Lake are worth checking on the day.