Gordon Lake Fishing near Vermilion Bay, Ontario

• Overview

  Gordon Lake is a Kenora District water, in Ontario. The surface lies 405 metres up. This is sizeable water at about 8.92 sq km, and a boat opens up most of it. The perimeter runs near 18 km, so plan the walk before you start. On our Kenora District list it sits near the top for size. Nearest place of any size is Vermilion Bay, 23 km away. The nearest city of size is Winnipeg, 246 km away. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Gordon Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Across Kenora District, recorded fish include northern pike, longnose sucker and white sucker. The county list is broader than any single water. Treat Gordon Lake as a water to read rather than to cover.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 18°C, the coldest about -17°C. A hard winter is normal, and the thaw brings a strong few weeks. The lid arrives early and lasts until roughly late April. Expect the water usable from around late April until roughly mid November. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. It holds true on Gordon Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. There is no mapped parking or launch nearby, which keeps numbers down. Pike mean a wire trace, no exceptions; big spoons and jerkbaits do the searching. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Balmain Lake sits 3.3 km off and takes the overflow. None of that is settled for Gordon Lake in what we hold.