Mann Lake Fishing near Manitouwadge, Ontario

• Overview

  In Ontario, Mann Lake falls inside Thunder Bay District. The water sits 290 metres up. The water covers some 83 hectares, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. The edge covers about 7.7 km, enough to hold several distinct areas. The town to know is Manitouwadge, 48 km out. It is 296 km to Thunder Bay, the nearest city. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Mann Lake

  Depth remains unrecorded, so treat the first session as a survey. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Open biodiversity records for Thunder Bay District list cisco, blackfin cisco, rainbow smelt and bloater. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Read Mann Lake before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 16°C in July and bottom out at -18°C in January. Winter runs most of the calendar, and everything worth doing happens in the gap. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from early May. Ice usually gives way near early May, and forms again about mid November. Fishing peaks soon after break-up and again before the cold returns. On Mann Lake the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Nothing in the way of made access shows up nearby: no ramp, no car park, no path. One rod, a handful of hooks and floats, and a few small lures are enough for this water. Bank access can be seasonal on ground like this. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. Waterhouse Lake sits 2 km off and takes the overflow. Check the current arrangement for Mann Lake.