Fishing Harold Lake in Thunder Bay District, Ontario

• Overview

  Harold Lake belongs to Thunder Bay District, Ontario. This is mixed forest ground. Roughly 2.71 sq km of surface: treat each bay as a water in its own right. The margin runs to about 20 km in total. Few waters listed in Thunder Bay District are bigger. Sioux Lookout at 96 km is the nearest place to stop. Thunder Bay is the closest city, 238 km away. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Harold Lake

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Thunder Bay District records list cisco, blackfin cisco, rainbow smelt, bloater and shortjaw cisco among the fish reported. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Anyone new to Harold Lake should walk it once before setting up.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 17°C, with January the cold end at about -20°C. Spring and autumn carry the fishing; summer and winter test it. After early May the shallows warm and the fish move up. The water is typically free of ice between early May and mid November. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. Harold Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  We hold no note on access for this one. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. No made access is recorded, so a short walk in is the likely arrangement. One rod, a handful of hooks and floats, and a few small lures are enough for this water. Bank access can be seasonal on ground like this. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Failing this one, try Conant Lake, 4.2 km away. For Harold Lake in particular, ask before you travel.