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

• Overview

  McGregor Lake is one of the Thunder Bay District waters in Ontario. The bank is 195 metres above sea level. Roughly 13 hectares: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. Shoreline comes to about 2.6 km, small enough to learn in a day. It is a small entry by Thunder Bay District standards. Some 35 km away sits Nipigon, the nearest settlement. Thunder Bay is the closest city, 103 km away. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on McGregor Lake

  Nothing in our records gives a depth for this one. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Thunder Bay District records list cisco, blackfin cisco, rainbow smelt, bloater and shortjaw cisco among the fish reported. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. The shape of McGregor Lake rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 16°C; the cold one sits at -15°C. Little of the calendar is open water, so timing counts for everything. Once it clears, about late April, the fishing comes on quickly. The lid tends to go about late April and return around mid November. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. It holds true on McGregor Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  We hold no note on access for this one. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Nothing formal is recorded here: no ramp, no car park, no marked path. 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. Check whether bait restrictions apply before you buy any. If the gate is shut, Brook Lake at 0.5 km is the nearest alternative. Signs at McGregor Lake carry more weight than any list.