Fishing at Hoppy Lake, Algoma, Ontario

• Overview

  Set in Algoma, Ontario, this is Hoppy Lake. The bank gives way to mixed forest. Surface area is around 54 hectares, which gives you real water without needing a boat. The shoreline runs about 7.7 km, so it pays to pick a stretch and stay with it. By elevation it is in the upper part of our Ontario listings. Chapleau sits 69 km from the bank. Wawa follows at 79 km, then Sault Ste. Marie at 104 km. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Hoppy Lake

  Depth here is unknown, so count the lead down before committing. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Across Algoma, recorded fish include walleye, northern pike and Iowa darter. Species recorded across the county may be limited to a few waters. Take Hoppy Lake a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 17°C at the top of summer and -14°C at the bottom of winter. A solid cap is the normal state through winter. After late April the shallows warm and the fish move up. Break-up sits around late April on average, with the water closing again about mid November. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. Hoppy Lake runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. There is no recorded infrastructure here; expect to find your own way in. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Local rules can differ across the county line, so check where you stand. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. For a change of water, Sad Lake is 2.1 km distant. None of that is settled for Hoppy Lake in what we hold.