Fishing at Matthews Lake, Algoma, Ontario

• Overview

  Matthews Lake falls in Algoma, part of Ontario. The water sits 345 metres up. It measures some 7.68 sq km, and wind has room to build across it. There is roughly 26 km of bank, and each arm behaves like its own water. On our Algoma list it sits near the top for size. Nearest place of any size is Hornepayne, 39 km away. Thunder Bay sits 311 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Matthews Lake

  Nothing in our records gives a depth for this one. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Public occurrence data for Algoma names walleye, northern pike and Iowa darter. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. At Matthews Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about -18°C in January to roughly 16°C in July. This far north the hard season runs and runs. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from early May. Averages place the thaw at early May and the freeze at mid November. Early summer and early autumn carry the open-water season. It holds true on Matthews Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Ownership and access are not documented in what we hold. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Public data shows nothing built here, so treat the whole approach as informal. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Ask in the nearest town if you are unsure. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. If the gate is shut, Lower Matthews Lake at 6.5 km is the nearest alternative. For Matthews Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.