Friendly Lake, Ontario: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Friendly Lake belongs to Algoma, Ontario. It stands 447 metres above sea level. The water covers some 43 hectares, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. The whole outline is near 3.3 km, and most of it is walkable. It is high ground by Ontario standards. For supplies, Sault Ste. Marie is 83 km out. The nearest city of size is Greater Sudbury, 203 km away. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Friendly Lake

  Depth figures are not published for this one. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Algoma records list walleye, northern pike and Iowa darter among the fish reported. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. Fish Friendly Lake to its features, not to its size.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate records put July near 17°C and January near -14°C. The freeze arrives properly here and holds. Break-up comes around late April, and the run that follows is short and strong. From about late April to around late November, expect open water on the long-run figures. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. Friendly Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Nothing built is recorded close to the bank here. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Island Lake, 2.1 km away, makes the obvious fallback. Where Friendly Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.