Loon Lake Fishing near Dowling, Ontario

• Overview

  Loon Lake falls in Sudbury, part of Ontario. Land around it is lake country bush. At 5 hectares it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. About 2.3 km of bank, so nothing stays unexplored for long. On size it sits at the modest end of our Sudbury list. Some 38 km away sits Dowling, the nearest settlement. Rayside-Balfour follows at 46 km, then Azilda at 56 km. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Loon Lake

  Depth is unmeasured here, so let the shoreline guide you. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Records held for Sudbury cover smallmouth bass, northern pike, yellow perch, Iowa darter and walleye. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. Loon Lake repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 18°C and January about -14°C. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. Firm cover through the cold months, then open water from late April. In an average year the thaw lands around late April and the freeze near late November. September and October fish steadily right up to the freeze. Expect Loon Lake to follow that timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. No launch point is recorded nearby, so this is a bank water unless you carry a boat in. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. For a change of water, Bluewater Lake is 1.3 km distant. Rules at Loon Lake are worth checking on the day.