Fishing Groom Lake in Sudbury, Ontario

• Overview

  This water sits in Sudbury, Ontario. It sits in lake country bush country. At 6 hectares it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. On size it sits at the modest end of our Sudbury list. The nearest place of any size is Capreol, 54 km away. The nearest city of size is Greater Sudbury, 73 km away. Rules here are straightforward: one set of provincial rules.

• Where to Fish on Groom Lake

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. County-wide records name smallmouth bass, northern pike, yellow perch and Iowa darter. The county list is broader than any single water. Groom Lake fishes better once you know its edges.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 17°C on average, January about -16°C. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. Ice-out usually falls in late April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Break-up near late April, freeze-up near late November: that is the shape of an average year. Spring is short and heavy here; autumn is longer and steadier. Groom Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. Mapping shows an empty shoreline: no ramp, no jetty, no marked entry. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Camp Lake sits 0.4 km off and takes the overflow. The position on Groom Lake is worth confirming on the day.