Ivy Lake in Sudbury: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Ivy Lake is one of the Sudbury listings for Ontario. The water sits 349 metres up. It covers about 3 hectares, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. Our Sudbury list holds plenty of bigger water. The closest town, Timmins, is 75 km distant. Greater Sudbury sits 212 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Ivy Lake

  Depth is unmeasured here, so let the shoreline guide you. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Species logged across Sudbury include smallmouth bass, northern pike, yellow perch, Iowa darter and walleye. Read it as a county summary, not a water-by-water list. The shape of Ivy Lake decides where the fish sit.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 17°C in July and bottom out at -17°C in January. Open water arrives late and leaves early, which concentrates the fishing. The lid usually goes in early May, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. Average temperatures cross freezing around early May in spring and again near mid November in autumn. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. On Ivy Lake the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. Mapping records no facilities at all near this water. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. Beaverflood Lake at 1.7 km is the sensible second choice. Check the position on Ivy Lake before loading the car.