Malone Lake Fishing near Atikokan, Ontario

• Overview

  Look for Malone Lake in the Rainy River District part of Ontario. The water sits 402 metres up. It runs to roughly 48 hectares — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. Roughly 4.2 km of bank means you can walk to a fresh area when one goes quiet. Atikokan lies 16 km from the water. Ely follows at 81 km, then Ignace at 89 km. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Malone Lake

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Records held for Rainy River District cover northern pike, smallmouth bass, yellow perch and walleye. County records show what lives in the area; the local agency holds the water-by-water list. On Malone Lake the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about -17°C and July at about 18°C, the water has a wide range to work through. The year runs cold to warm and back, with clear transitions. Break-up comes around late April, and the run that follows is short and strong. Break-up near late April, freeze-up near mid November: that is the shape of an average year. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. That shapes the year on Malone Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. There is no recorded infrastructure here; expect to find your own way in. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. Check whether bait restrictions apply before you buy any. For a change of water, Hamburg Lake is 2.7 km distant. Rules at Malone Lake are worth checking on the day.