Gallagher Lake Fishing Guide, Sudbury, Ontario

• Overview

  Set in Sudbury, Gallagher Lake is an Ontario water. Height above sea level is 439 metres. The water covers some 48 hectares, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. Some 10 km of bank gives room to move when the wind turns. Compared with other Ontario water on our list, it sits high. Nearest place of any size is Chapleau, 11 km away. Greater Sudbury is the closest city, 227 km away. No boundary runs near, so the local rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Gallagher Lake

  No published figure covers depth, so learn it as you fish. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Sudbury records list smallmouth bass, northern pike, yellow perch, Iowa darter and walleye among the fish reported. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. On Gallagher Lake the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 17°C in July and bottom out at -16°C in January. Long winters and short summers set the pattern. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around late April. Climate figures give an open season running late April to mid November. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. Anyone fishing Gallagher Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. No made access is recorded, so a short walk in is the likely arrangement. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Slipper Lake sits 2.3 km off and takes the overflow. For Gallagher Lake in particular, ask before you travel.