Fishing Holinshead Lake in Thunder Bay District, Ontario

• Overview

  Within Thunder Bay District, Ontario, you have Holinshead Lake. The bank gives way to northern bush. Surface area runs to some 20.68 sq km, so a boat and a plan are both worth having. The perimeter is close to 68 km, and wind can be flat in one arm and rough in the next. It ranks high for size among our Thunder Bay District listings. The nearest town is Lappe, 123 km away. Nipigon lies 125 km off, Shuniah Township another 132 km. Rules here are straightforward: one set of provincial rules.

• Where to Fish on Holinshead Lake

  Nothing in our records gives a depth for this one. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Survey and observation records for Thunder Bay District include cisco, blackfin cisco and rainbow smelt. Read it as a county summary, not a water-by-water list. Read Holinshead Lake before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from -20°C in January up to 17°C in July. Open water is the exception rather than the rule here. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near early May. Climate figures give an open season running early May to mid November. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. Plan any trip to Holinshead Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. There is no mapped parking or launch nearby, which keeps numbers down. A light spinning outfit with a small box of lures and some bait covers most of what swims here. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. For a change of water, Obiscutay Lake is 3.3 km distant. Rules at Holinshead Lake are worth checking on the day.