Kawawiagamak Lake, Ontario: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Kawawiagamak Lake is a Thunder Bay District water, in Ontario. It sits at 426 metres above sea level. Roughly 2.43 sq km of surface: treat each bay as a water in its own right. There is roughly 11 km of bank, more than one visit can cover properly. Size puts it in the front rank of our Thunder Bay District list. You are 75 km from Atikokan. The big place round here is Thunder Bay, 106 km distant. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Kawawiagamak Lake

  No published figure covers depth, so learn it as you fish. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Survey and observation records for Thunder Bay District include cisco, blackfin cisco and rainbow smelt. County data is a starting point rather than a guarantee. Fish Kawawiagamak Lake where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 18°C, with January the cold end at about -17°C. Spring and autumn carry the fishing; summer and winter test it. Ice-out usually falls in late April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. In an average year the thaw lands around late April and the freeze near mid November. The first weeks of open water and the last are the ones to plan for. It holds true on Kawawiagamak Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. No car park, ramp or path is recorded within easy reach of the shore. 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. Check whether bait restrictions apply before you buy any. Should this one be busy, Hermia Lake is 3 km off. For Kawawiagamak Lake in particular, ask before you travel.