Irish Lake, Ontario: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Kenora District, Ontario, is where Irish Lake sits. The setting is lake country bush on every side. Roughly 1.31 sq km of surface: treat each bay as a water in its own right. You are looking at roughly 8.9 km of shoreline, with plenty of water between access points. Compared with other Ontario water on our list, it sits high. Nearest place of any size is Ignace, 49 km away. Atikokan follows at 50 km, then Sioux Lookout at 122 km. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• 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. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Across Kenora District, recorded fish include northern pike, longnose sucker and white sucker. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Work Irish Lake in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 18°C, with January the cold end at about -18°C. The year splits cleanly: hard water, then open water. Firm cover through the cold months, then open water from late April. Break-up sits around late April on average, with the water closing again about mid November. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. Anyone fishing Irish Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. The map shows no ramp or car park nearby, so this is a walk-in water. For the pike, wire up and throw larger lures along the weed edges. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Benelux Lake sits 2.6 km off and takes the overflow. What applies at Irish Lake may have changed since it was mapped.