Fishing at Hornet Lake, Thunder Bay District, Ontario

• Overview

  Hornet Lake is a Thunder Bay District water, Ontario side. The water sits 401 metres up. Around 12 hectares of surface means several distinct areas to work. The full circuit measures close to 2.4 km on foot. Most waters listed here for Thunder Bay District are larger. Start from Shuniah Township, 12 km down the road. The big place round here is Thunder Bay, 28 km distant. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Hornet Lake

  Nothing in our records gives a depth for this one. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Public occurrence data for Thunder Bay District names cisco, blackfin cisco, rainbow smelt and bloater. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Hornet Lake gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 17°C on average, January about -17°C. The freeze holds for the better part of the year. Expect a solid lid for months and a thaw around early May. Averages place the thaw at early May and the freeze at mid November. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. At Hornet Lake the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  We hold no note on access for this one. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. There is no recorded infrastructure here; expect to find your own way in. One rod, a handful of hooks and floats, and a few small lures are enough for this water. A phone call first saves an afternoon. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Wasp Lake at 1.1 km is the sensible second choice. Confirm before you fish Hornet Lake.