Hook Lake Fishing in Thunder Bay District, Ontario

• Overview

  Set in Thunder Bay District, Ontario, this is Hook Lake. Taiga runs right down to the water. It runs to roughly 37 hectares — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. Shoreline comes to about 3.9 km, small enough to learn in a day. The closest town, Greenstone, is 68 km distant. After that come Geraldton at 81 km and Longlac at 105 km. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Hook Lake

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Reported across Thunder Bay District: cisco, blackfin cisco, rainbow smelt, bloater and shortjaw cisco. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. Hook Lake gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July is the warm end of the year here, averaging about 16°C, while January sits near -20°C. Winter owns most of the year at this latitude. Expect a solid lid for months and a thaw around early May. Climate averages put the opening at about early May and the closing near mid November. Early summer and early autumn carry the open-water season. It holds true on Hook Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Nothing is listed nearby for parking or launching a boat. A light spinning outfit with a small box of lures and some bait covers most of what swims here. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. For a change of water, Chuck Lake is 0.8 km distant. Check the position at Hook Lake before loading the car.