Fishing at Irish Lake, Sudbury, Ontario

• Overview

  Set in Sudbury, Ontario, this is Irish Lake. What surrounds it is northern bush. It measures about 17 hectares, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. The edge runs 2.7 km or so, easy to work in an afternoon. The nearest town is Chapleau, 48 km away. The nearest city of size is Greater Sudbury, 272 km away. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Irish Lake

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Reported across Sudbury: smallmouth bass, northern pike, yellow perch, Iowa darter and walleye. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. On Irish Lake the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 17°C and January at -17°C. Open water is the exception rather than the rule here. The lid usually goes in early May, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. Ice clears near early May and comes back about mid November in a typical year. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. Time your trip to Irish Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Nothing formal is recorded here: no ramp, no car park, no marked path. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Should this one be busy, Grenadier Lake is 1.1 km off. Rules at Irish Lake are worth checking on the day.