Lower Queenston Lake in Thunder Bay District: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  The Thunder Bay District end of Ontario holds Lower Queenston Lake. The land about it is spruce and muskeg. The water covers around 1.28 sq km, which puts most of it out of reach from the bank. The nearest place of any size is Longlac, 82 km away. Thunder Bay is the closest city, 300 km away. Also within reach: Queenston Lake within 3.6 km, Maytham Lake at 3.9 km, Marr Lake within 4.5 km, Trident Lake at 7.4 km and Felsen Lake within 7.7 km. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Lower Queenston Lake

  Open data we checked carries no depth for this water. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. County-wide records name cisco, blackfin cisco, rainbow smelt, bloater and shortjaw cisco. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. On Lower Queenston Lake the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate records put July near 16°C and January near -20°C. Cold dominates the calendar on water this far north. Break-up comes around early May, and the run that follows is short and strong. Climate figures give an open season running early May to mid November. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. Time your trip to Lower Queenston Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  Ownership and access are not documented in what we hold. Mapping records no facilities at all near this water. A light spinning outfit with a small box of lures and some bait covers most of what swims here. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Should this one be busy, Queenston Lake is 3.6 km off. Where Lower Queenston Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.