MacDonald Creek Fishing Guide, Thunder Bay District, Ontario

• Overview

  This water sits in Thunder Bay District, Ontario. Country round the bank runs to spruce and muskeg. Nearest town is Greenstone, 48 km off. It is 215 km to Thunder Bay, the nearest city. Close neighbours run: Pauloski Lake a shade over 2.6 km, Brennan Lake just 3.8 km, Braidwood Lake a shade over 5.7 km, Conglomerate Lake just 6.5 km and Todd Lake a shade over 7.9 km. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on MacDonald Creek

  Depth is not on record here, which means reading the ground instead. Flow decides everything here: read the seams before you cast. Undercut banks hold fish that the middle of the river never will. Across Thunder Bay District, recorded fish include cisco, blackfin cisco and rainbow smelt. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. MacDonald Creek gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 16°C, with January the cold end at about -20°C. Open water arrives late and leaves early, which concentrates the fishing. Winter slows the flow and edges it with ice; the open runs keep fishing where the current holds. The open-water window runs from around early May to about mid November in an average year. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. Plan around that when you fish MacDonald Creek.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. One rod, a handful of hooks and floats, and a few small lures are enough for this water. Ask in the nearest town if you are unsure. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Pauloski Lake, 2.6 km away, makes the obvious fallback. Treat access at MacDonald Creek as something to verify.