Fishing Left Lake in Timiskaming District, Ontario

• Overview

  Left Lake belongs to Timiskaming District, Ontario. The country here is northern bush. It measures about 56 hectares, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. The edge runs 4.7 km or so, easy to work in an afternoon. Timmins at 43 km is the nearest place to stop. Greater Sudbury sits 201 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Left Lake

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. County-wide records name brook trout, northern pike, yellow perch and Iowa darter. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Fish Left Lake where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 17°C and January at -17°C. The ice season is long here and the open one short. Hard water holds through the cold months, breaking up near early May. Averages place the thaw at early May and the freeze at mid November. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. Time your trip to Left Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  Ownership and access are not documented in what we hold. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Nothing is listed nearby for parking or launching a boat. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. Failing this one, try Wolf Lake, 2.9 km away. For Left Lake in particular, ask before you travel.