Hawkins Lake, Ontario: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Hawkins Lake is one of the Thunder Bay District listings for Ontario. Beyond the shoreline you have boreal forest. With some 39 hectares of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. Bank access stretches around 4.2 km in total. 58 km away sits Greenstone, the nearest town. Thunder Bay is the closest city, 177 km away. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Hawkins Lake

  Nothing we hold settles how deep this runs. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Open biodiversity records for Thunder Bay District list cisco, blackfin cisco, rainbow smelt, bloater and shortjaw cisco. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. The shape of Hawkins Lake rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 16°C and January about -20°C. Water stays cold even at the height of the year. Winter locks it down, and early May brings it back. Average temperatures cross freezing around early May in spring and again near mid November in autumn. June through September is the settled part of the year, with the shoulders busier for fish. Plan any trip to Hawkins Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Nothing built is recorded close to the bank here. Keep the gear simple: light line, small hooks, split shot and a couple of proven lures. Provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Little Dawson Lake, 1.3 km away, makes the obvious fallback. Where Hawkins Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.