Marline Lake, Ontario: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Marline Lake sits in Thunder Bay District, out in Ontario. The ground round it is spruce and muskeg. It measures about 38 hectares, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. Shoreline comes to about 4.2 km, small enough to learn in a day. Supplies mean a trip to Greenstone, 16 km off. Thunder Bay sits 204 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Marline Lake

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. County-wide records name cisco, blackfin cisco, rainbow smelt, bloater and shortjaw cisco. The list covers the county rather than this water alone, so treat it as a guide. The near bank of Marline Lake is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 16°C and January at -20°C. Little of the calendar is open water, so timing counts for everything. The lid usually goes in early May, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. Ice usually gives way near early May, and forms again about mid November. Spring is short and heavy here; autumn is longer and steadier. It holds true on Marline Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. No made access is recorded, so a short walk in is the likely arrangement. One rod, a handful of hooks and floats, and a few small lures are enough for this water. Provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Delisle Lake sits 1.4 km off and takes the overflow. For Marline Lake in particular, ask before you travel.