Fishing at McFarlane Lake, Greater Sudbury, Ontario

• Overview

  McFarlane Lake is one of the Greater Sudbury waters in Ontario. It sits at 225 metres above sea level. At some 1.74 sq km it is far too large to cover on foot in a day. The shoreline runs about 8.3 km, so it pays to pick a stretch and stay with it. Size puts it in the front rank of our Greater Sudbury list. Greater Sudbury is the closest town at 8.5 km. Greater Sudbury is the closest city, 9 km away. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on McFarlane Lake

  Nothing we hold settles how deep this runs. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Records held for Greater Sudbury cover smallmouth bass, yellow perch, northern pike and pumpkinseed. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. The shape of McFarlane Lake decides where the fish sit.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 20°C in July and bottoms out near -13°C in January. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around late April. Going by climate averages, expect open water from about late April until roughly late November. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. The season on McFarlane Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. There is no recorded infrastructure here; expect to find your own way in. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. The nearest alternative is Raft Lake, 1.1 km out. None of that is settled for McFarlane Lake in what we hold.