Gurney Lake Fishing in Thunder Bay District, Ontario

• Overview

  Out in Thunder Bay District, Ontario, sits Gurney Lake. It sits in northern bush. At 2.59 sq km this is proper open water rather than a pond. At about 30 km of edge, most people fish a single area and learn it well. It ranks high for size among our Thunder Bay District listings. Head to Nipigon, 36 km away, for anything you forgot. For a city, Thunder Bay is 133 km off. Rules here are straightforward: one set of provincial rules.

• Where to Fish on Gurney Lake

  Depth here is unknown, so count the lead down before committing. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Fish documented in Thunder Bay District include cisco, blackfin cisco and rainbow smelt. The list covers the county rather than this water alone, so treat it as a guide. Gurney Lake fishes better once you know its edges.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 16°C; the cold one sits at -18°C. Ice holds for a long stretch, so the open weeks matter more here than further south. Count the season from break-up, usually early May. The open-water window runs from around early May to about mid November in an average year. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. That is the shape of the year on Gurney Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public data does not answer the access question here. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. There is no mapped parking or launch nearby, which keeps numbers down. Keep the gear simple: light line, small hooks, split shot and a couple of proven lures. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Should this one be busy, Goudy Lake is 2.1 km off. Treat access at Gurney Lake as something to verify.