Fishing at Gunnar Lake, Sudbury, Ontario

• Overview

  This water sits in Sudbury, Ontario. The bank gives way to pine and birch. It measures about 15 hectares, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. About 2.1 km of bank, so nothing stays unexplored for long. It is one of the smaller waters we list in Sudbury. Chapleau sits 71 km from the bank. Greater Sudbury sits 254 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. Rules here are straightforward: one set of provincial rules.

• Where to Fish on Gunnar Lake

  Depth is unknown to us, and the shoreline is the better guide. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Open biodiversity records for Sudbury list smallmouth bass, northern pike and yellow perch. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. On Gunnar Lake that means starting tight and working out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 17°C and January reads -14°C. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. Expect a solid lid for months and a thaw around late April. In an average year the thaw lands around late April and the freeze near late November. Early summer and early autumn carry the open-water season. That is the shape of the year on Gunnar Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Nothing is listed nearby for parking or launching a boat. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Take the rules with you rather than trusting memory. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. Bunny Lake at 1.1 km is the sensible second choice. Confirm before you fish Gunnar Lake.