Fishing Hoodoo Lake in Sudbury, Ontario

• Overview

  Sudbury, Ontario, is where Hoodoo Lake sits. It sits in lake country bush. It runs to roughly 27 hectares — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. A shoreline of some 4.7 km keeps the choices simple. You are 55 km from Chapleau. Wawa is 81 km away, with Sault Ste. Marie at 114 km. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Hoodoo Lake

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Across Sudbury, recorded fish include smallmouth bass, northern pike, yellow perch and Iowa darter. The county list is broader than any single water. Fish Hoodoo Lake where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 17°C for July and -15°C for January. A solid cap is the normal state through winter. Hard water holds through the cold months, breaking up near late April. The lid tends to go about late April and return around mid November. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. It holds true on Hoodoo Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Nothing is listed nearby for parking or launching a boat. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Season dates differ by species, so read the table. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Phoebe Lake at 1.3 km is the sensible second choice. Where Hoodoo Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.