Fishing at Legault Lake, Thunder Bay District, Ontario

• Overview

  Ontario holds Legault Lake, in Thunder Bay District. Land around it is taiga. With some 55 hectares of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. The margin runs to about 5.6 km in total. The nearest town is Greenstone, 19 km away. For a city, Thunder Bay is 198 km off. Within easy reach: Patsy Lake at 2.6 km, Partridge Lake just 3.7 km, Vezina Lake at 4.4 km, Wichu Lake just 5.2 km and Kinghorn Lake at 5.6 km. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Legault Lake

  Open data we checked carries no depth for this water. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Across Thunder Bay District, recorded fish include cisco, blackfin cisco, rainbow smelt and bloater. County records show what lives in the area; the local agency holds the water-by-water list. On Legault Lake the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 16°C; the cold one sits at -20°C. Water stays cold even at the height of the year. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from early May. Break-up near early May, freeze-up near mid November: that is the shape of an average year. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. Legault Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. 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. Take the rules with you rather than trusting memory. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. For a change of water, Patsy Lake is 2.6 km distant. The position on Legault Lake is worth confirming on the day.