Fishing Hanstead Lake in Thunder Bay District, Ontario

• Overview

  Hanstead Lake falls in Thunder Bay District, part of Ontario. Beyond the shoreline you have northern bush. This is a pocket water of some 10 hectares, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. With about 1.9 km of edge, you can try several depths in one session. Our Thunder Bay District list holds plenty of bigger water. The closest town, Longlac, is 11 km distant. For a city, Thunder Bay is 260 km off. No boundary runs near, so the local rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Hanstead Lake

  No depth figure appears in our records, so the bank has to tell you. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Survey and observation records for Thunder Bay District include cisco, blackfin cisco, rainbow smelt, bloater and shortjaw cisco. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. The near bank of Hanstead Lake is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between -19°C in January and 16°C in July. Cold dominates the year and the fishing works around it. Ice-out usually falls in early May, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Break-up sits around early May on average, with the water closing again about mid November. Late spring and early autumn carry the year between them. Plan around that when you fish Hanstead Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. The map shows no ramp or car park nearby, so this is a walk-in water. One rod, a handful of hooks and floats, and a few small lures are enough for this water. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Phipps Lake sits 0.6 km off and takes the overflow. For Hanstead Lake in particular, ask before you travel.