Fishing at Henhawk Lake, Thunder Bay District, Ontario

• Overview

  Thunder Bay District in Ontario is where Henhawk Lake sits. It sits in rolling bush country. It runs to roughly 22 hectares — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. Shoreline comes to about 3.3 km, small enough to learn in a day. Compared with other Ontario water on our list, it sits high. Grand Marais at 59 km is the nearest place to stop. Neebing is 69 km and Parkdale 77 km. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Henhawk Lake

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. County-wide records name cisco, blackfin cisco and rainbow smelt. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. Henhawk Lake gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put July at about 18°C and January near -16°C. The middle months are generous; the ends are demanding. Count the season from break-up, usually late April. The lid tends to go about late April and return around mid November. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. That is the shape of the year on Henhawk Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. 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. Provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. Jar Lake at 3.9 km is the sensible second choice. Treat Henhawk Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.