Gurica Lake in Thunder Bay District: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Ontario holds Gurica Lake, in Thunder Bay District. The land about it is boreal forest. At about 45 hectares, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. You are looking at roughly 5.2 km of shoreline, with plenty of water between access points. Nearest town is Greenstone, 86 km off. Then Geraldton, 88 km, and Longlac, 91 km. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Gurica Lake

  Our records hold no depth for this water. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Thunder Bay District records list cisco, blackfin cisco, rainbow smelt and bloater among the fish reported. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. Gurica Lake repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July is the warm end of the year here, averaging about 16°C, while January sits near -21°C. Open water is the exception rather than the rule here. Ice-out usually falls in early May, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Averages suggest open water from about early May through to roughly early November. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. On Gurica Lake the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  Ownership and access are not documented in what we hold. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. There is no recorded infrastructure here; expect to find your own way in. One rod, a handful of hooks and floats, and a few small lures are enough for this water. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. Failing this one, try Odman Lake, 4.5 km away. Ask locally about Gurica Lake if anything is unclear.