Manitounamaig Lake Fishing in Thunder Bay District, Ontario

• Overview

  Manitounamaig Lake is a Thunder Bay District water, Ontario side. Height above sea level is 318 metres. It measures some 6.49 sq km, and wind has room to build across it. The margin runs to about 23 km in total. Size puts it in the front rank of our Thunder Bay District list. The nearest place of any size is Longlac, 18 km away. Geraldton is 32 km away, with Greenstone at 44 km. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Manitounamaig Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Across Thunder Bay District, recorded fish include cisco, blackfin cisco and rainbow smelt. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. On Manitounamaig Lake the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 16°C for July and -20°C for January. The freeze holds for the better part of the year. Expect a solid lid for months and a thaw around early May. Going by climate averages, expect open water from about early May until roughly mid November. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. It sets the rhythm of the year at Manitounamaig Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Access is unmapped, which usually means a farm track and a walk. Keep the gear simple: light line, small hooks, split shot and a couple of proven lures. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. Kowka Lake sits 2.1 km off and takes the overflow. Signs at Manitounamaig Lake carry more weight than any list.