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

• Overview

  Mantan Lake lies in Thunder Bay District, Ontario. The bank is 427 metres above sea level. Roughly 16 hectares: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. Around 2.6 km of margin, front to back. On size it sits at the modest end of our Thunder Bay District list. Nipigon at 70 km is the nearest place to stop. Thunder Bay is the closest city, 91 km away. Rules here are straightforward: one set of provincial rules.

• Where to Fish on Mantan Lake

  Depth figures are not published for this one. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Records held for Thunder Bay District cover cisco, blackfin cisco and rainbow smelt. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. The shape of Mantan Lake decides where the fish sit.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July near 17°C and January near -20°C on the long-run figures. The fishing year opens late and shuts early. Expect a solid lid for months and a thaw around early May. Ice usually gives way near early May, and forms again about mid November. Spring is short and heavy here; autumn is longer and steadier. On Mantan Lake the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. No launch point is recorded nearby, so this is a bank water unless you carry a boat in. Keep the gear simple: light line, small hooks, split shot and a couple of proven lures. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. The nearest alternative is Kelter Lake, 1.5 km out. Check the position on Mantan Lake before loading the car.