Fishing at Goodchild Lake, Thunder Bay District, Ontario

• Overview

  Set in Thunder Bay District, Goodchild Lake is an Ontario water. Everything around it is boreal forest. Around 100 hectares of surface means several distinct areas to work. You are looking at roughly 7.5 km of shoreline, with plenty of water between access points. 38 km away sits Manitouwadge, the nearest town. Further out sit Terrace Bay (67 km) and Schreiber (78 km). It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Goodchild Lake

  Our records hold no depth for this water. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. County-wide records name cisco, blackfin cisco and rainbow smelt. Read it as a county summary, not a water-by-water list. At Goodchild Lake light and wind decide more than tackle does.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 16°C and January reads -16°C. Winter runs most of the calendar, and everything worth doing happens in the gap. Count the season from break-up, usually early May. On the long-run averages the water opens up around early May and starts locking again about mid November. Early summer and early autumn carry the open-water season. Plan any trip to Goodchild Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Access points are not mapped for this water, which suits people who like quiet. One rod, a handful of hooks and floats, and a few small lures are enough for this water. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. Should this one be busy, Talus Lake is 1.1 km off. Nothing here settles the position at Goodchild Lake for certain.