Fishing at Little Wawa Lake, Sudbury, Ontario

• Overview

  Little Wawa Lake belongs to Sudbury, Ontario. Elevation runs to 443 metres. At 5.30 sq km this is proper open water rather than a pond. At about 24 km of edge, most people work one arm at a time. On our Sudbury list it sits near the top for size. You are 32 km from Chapleau. Wawa follows at 72 km, then Sault Ste. Marie at 153 km. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Little Wawa Lake

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Reported across Sudbury: smallmouth bass, northern pike, yellow perch, Iowa darter and walleye. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Little Wawa Lake gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is -16°C to 16°C. A short, intense season is the rule this far north. Break-up comes around early May, and the run that follows is short and strong. From about early May to around mid November, expect open water on the long-run figures. The first weeks of open water and the last are the ones to plan for. Little Wawa Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Nothing is mapped in the way of a ramp or car park within a short radius. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. For a change of water, Oxygen Lake is 1.7 km distant. For Little Wawa Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.