McKay Lake, Ontario: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Thunder Bay District, Ontario, is where McKay Lake sits. This is pine and birch country. At roughly 5 hectares, the whole thing is within casting reach of a single walk. On size it sits at the modest end of our Thunder Bay District list. Head to Schreiber, 31 km away, for anything you forgot. Then Terrace Bay, 42 km, and Nipigon, 53 km. No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on McKay Lake

  Depth figures are not published for this one. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Reported across Thunder Bay District: cisco, blackfin cisco, rainbow smelt, bloater and shortjaw cisco. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. On McKay Lake the first feature you find is usually worth a session.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about -12°C and August at about 16°C, the water has a wide range to work through. Hard water is a season in its own right here. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about late April. The season between ice runs from about late April to late November. The first weeks of open water and the last are the ones to plan for. Plan any trip to McKay Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Our records carry no access rule either way. Public data shows nothing built here, so treat the whole approach as informal. A light spinning outfit with a small box of lures and some bait covers most of what swims here. Take the rules with you rather than trusting memory. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Hiller Lake, 1.2 km away, makes the obvious fallback. Check the position on McKay Lake before loading the car.