Little Dead Otter Lake Fishing Guide, Thunder Bay District, Ontario

• Overview

  Look for Little Dead Otter Lake in Thunder Bay District, Ontario. It lies 377 metres above sea level. The water covers some 25 hectares, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. Around 2.6 km of margin, front to back. For a base, Manitouwadge sits 30 km out. Hornepayne lies 85 km off, Terrace Bay another 94 km. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Little Dead Otter Lake

  No published figure covers depth, so learn it as you fish. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Across Thunder Bay District, recorded fish include cisco, blackfin cisco, rainbow smelt and bloater. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Little Dead Otter Lake repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 16°C at the top of summer and -16°C at the bottom of winter. Cold dominates the calendar on water this far north. Winter locks it down, and early May brings it back. Climate figures give an open season running early May to mid November. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. At Little Dead Otter Lake the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. No built facilities appear in mapping around this water. A light spinning outfit with a small box of lures and some bait covers most of what swims here. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. If the gate is shut, Lunny Lake at 2.7 km is the nearest alternative. Check the current arrangement for Little Dead Otter Lake.