Ketchikan Lake Fishing in Thunder Bay District, Ontario

• Overview

  This water sits in Thunder Bay District, Ontario. It lies 331 metres above sea level. The water covers some 96 hectares, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. With 5.2 km or so of shoreline, boat anglers cover ground the bank cannot. Greenstone lies 88 km from the water. The nearest city of size is Thunder Bay, 242 km away. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Ketchikan Lake

  Our records carry no depth, so judge it from the bank. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Thunder Bay District records list cisco, blackfin cisco, rainbow smelt, bloater and shortjaw cisco among the fish reported. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Anyone new to Ketchikan Lake should walk it once before setting up.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 16°C on average, January about -20°C. Little of the calendar is open water, so timing counts for everything. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near early May. Break-up sits around early May on average, with the water closing again about mid November. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. Plan around that when you fish Ketchikan Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Nothing built is recorded close to the bank here. Keep the gear simple: light line, small hooks, split shot and a couple of proven lures. Season dates differ by species, so read the table. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. East Ketchikan Lake, 1.7 km away, makes the obvious fallback. Check the position at Ketchikan Lake before loading the car.