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

• Overview

  In Ontario, McNall Lake belongs to Thunder Bay District. Beyond the shoreline you have boreal forest. It measures about 38 hectares, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. Bank access stretches around 4.7 km in total. It is high ground by Ontario standards. 69 km away sits Lappe, the nearest town. The nearest city of size is Thunder Bay, 91 km away. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on McNall Lake

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Survey and observation records for Thunder Bay District include cisco, blackfin cisco, rainbow smelt, bloater and shortjaw cisco. Species recorded across the county may be limited to a few waters. Take McNall Lake a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about -20°C and July at about 17°C, the water has a wide range to work through. Water stays cold even at the height of the year. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near early May. Ice clears near early May and comes back about mid November in a typical year. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. Time your trip to McNall Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  Ownership and access are not documented in what we hold. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. There is no recorded infrastructure here; expect to find your own way in. A light spinning outfit with a small box of lures and some bait covers most of what swims here. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. Combe Lake, 1.1 km away, makes the obvious fallback. None of that is settled for McNall Lake in what we hold.