Fishing Little Sawbill Lake in Rainy River District, Ontario

• Overview

  The Rainy River District end of Ontario holds Little Sawbill Lake. Height above sea level is 347 metres. At 6.41 sq km this is proper open water rather than a pond. The shoreline runs about 25 km, so it pays to pick a stretch and stay with it. Few waters listed in Rainy River District are bigger. Some 39 km away sits Fort Frances, the nearest settlement. It is 278 km to Thunder Bay, the nearest city. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Little Sawbill Lake

  Nothing in our records gives a depth for this one. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Rainy River District records list northern pike, smallmouth bass and yellow perch among the fish reported. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. On Little Sawbill Lake that means starting tight and working out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 19°C and January at -17°C. A full turn of seasons, with the strongest sport on either side of summer. Count the season from break-up, usually late April. Ice clears near late April and comes back about mid November in a typical year. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. Plan any trip to Little Sawbill Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Access is unmapped, which usually means a farm track and a walk. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. For a change of water, McTaggart Lake is 5.1 km distant. Treat Little Sawbill Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.