Fishing Kawakanika Lake in Thunder Bay District, Ontario

• Overview

  The Thunder Bay District entry here is Kawakanika Lake, in Ontario. The setting is boreal forest. It measures some 5.86 sq km, and wind has room to build across it. The outline measures near 28 km, so a boat opens up water the bank never reaches. On our Thunder Bay District list it sits near the top for size. Longlac at 26 km is the nearest place to stop. The big place round here is Thunder Bay, 273 km distant. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Kawakanika Lake

  Our records carry no depth, so judge it from the bank. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Species logged across Thunder Bay District include cisco, blackfin cisco, rainbow smelt, bloater and shortjaw cisco. The county list is broader than any single water. Kawakanika Lake gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate records put July near 16°C and January near -19°C. Open water arrives late and leaves early, which concentrates the fishing. Break-up comes around early May, and the run that follows is short and strong. Going by climate averages, expect open water from about early May until roughly mid November. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. The season on Kawakanika Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. There is no mapped parking or launch close by, which usually means walking in. A light spinning outfit with a small box of lures and some bait covers most of what swims here. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Should this one be busy, Truax Lake is 3.1 km off. Nothing here settles the position at Kawakanika Lake for certain.