Heart Lake, Ontario: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Heart Lake is set in Sudbury, Ontario. The bank is 415 metres above sea level. It runs to roughly 23 hectares — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. With about 2.1 km of edge, you can try several depths in one session. Chapleau at 94 km is the nearest place to stop. For a city, Greater Sudbury is 145 km off. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Heart Lake

  No figure exists for depth, so let the water show you. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. County-wide records name smallmouth bass, northern pike, yellow perch and Iowa darter. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. Heart Lake gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 17°C in July and bottoms out near -16°C in January. The season turns properly here, and fish follow it closely. Expect a solid lid for months and a thaw around late April. Ice usually gives way near late April, and forms again about mid November. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. That is the shape of the year on Heart Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Nothing built is recorded close to the bank here. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Failing this one, try Leblanc Lake, 3 km away. Where Heart Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.