Fishing Landlock Lake in Kenora District, Ontario

• Overview

  Landlock Lake is one of the Kenora District listings for Ontario. The water sits 418 metres up. Around 32 hectares of surface means several distinct areas to work. The margin runs to about 5.8 km in total. It is one of the smaller waters we list in Kenora District. For a base, Sioux Lookout sits 55 km out. For a city, Thunder Bay is 226 km off. Rules here are straightforward: one set of provincial rules.

• Where to Fish on Landlock Lake

  Depth is unknown to us, and the shoreline is the better guide. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Kenora District records list northern pike, longnose sucker, white sucker and johnny darter among the fish reported. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. Treat Landlock Lake as a water to read rather than to cover.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 18°C and January about -20°C. Winter closes the water for a while, and the reopening is worth catching. Count the season from break-up, usually early May. On the long-run averages the water opens up around early May and starts locking again about mid November. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. The season on Landlock Lake follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. Pike mean a wire trace, no exceptions; big spoons and jerkbaits do the searching. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Failing this one, try Outlet Lake, 1.1 km away. The position on Landlock Lake is worth confirming on the day.