Fishing at Harju's Lake, Thunder Bay District, Ontario

• Overview

  Harju's Lake lies in Thunder Bay District, Ontario. Everything around it is pine and birch. At 8 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 Thunder Bay District list. 83 km away sits Lappe, the nearest town. Atikokan lies 86 km off, Parkdale another 91 km. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Harju's Lake

  Depth figures are not published for this one. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Reported across Thunder Bay District: cisco, blackfin cisco, rainbow smelt and bloater. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. At Harju's Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 18°C on average, January about -17°C. Expect a real winter and a strong spring after it. Count the season from break-up, usually early May. Break-up near early May, freeze-up near mid November: that is the shape of an average year. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. At Harju's Lake the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. Mapping records no facilities at all near this water. A light spinning outfit with a small box of lures and some bait covers most of what swims here. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Bass Lake sits 1.8 km off and takes the overflow. Nothing here settles the position at Harju's Lake for certain.