Fishing at Hermit Lake, Sudbury, Ontario

• Overview

  Out in Sudbury, Ontario, sits Hermit Lake. The water sits 439 metres up. At roughly 7 hectares, the whole thing is within casting reach of a single walk. Our Sudbury list holds plenty of bigger water. Start from Chapleau, 45 km down the road. Wawa follows at 94 km, then Sault Ste. Marie at 118 km. Within a short run: Essem Lake at 1.6 km, False Lake a shade over 1.7 km, Nuthatch Lake at 2 km, Hotspot Lake a shade over 2.7 km and Alm Lake at 2.9 km. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Hermit Lake

  No published figure covers depth, so learn it as you fish. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Records held for Sudbury cover smallmouth bass, northern pike and yellow perch. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. At Hermit Lake light and wind decide more than tackle does.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 17°C and January about -15°C. A full turn of seasons, with the strongest sport on either side of summer. Expect a solid lid for months and a thaw around late April. On the long-run averages the water opens up around late April and starts locking again about mid November. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. On Hermit Lake that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. No car park, ramp or path is recorded within easy reach of the shore. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. Essem Lake sits 1.6 km off and takes the overflow. None of that is settled for Hermit Lake in what we hold.