French Lake Fishing in Thunder Bay District, Ontario

• Overview

  French Lake is a Thunder Bay District water, Ontario side. It sits in boreal forest country. With some 54 hectares of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. The shoreline runs about 5.7 km, so it pays to pick a stretch and stay with it. The closest town, Greenstone, is 128 km distant. Thunder Bay is the closest city, 295 km away. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on French Lake

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. 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, bloater and shortjaw cisco. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. French Lake repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 16°C; the cold one sits at -21°C. The fishing year opens late and shuts early. Break-up comes around early May, and the run that follows is short and strong. The lid tends to go about early May and return around early November. Fishing peaks soon after break-up and again before the cold returns. At French Lake the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. No made access is recorded, so a short walk in is the likely arrangement. Keep the gear simple: light line, small hooks, split shot and a couple of proven lures. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. If the gate is shut, Mahamo Lake at 5.1 km is the nearest alternative. Treat access at French Lake as something to verify.