Mikano Lake Fishing Guide, Thunder Bay District, Ontario

• Overview

  In Ontario, Mikano Lake falls inside Thunder Bay District. It sits in boreal forest. Roughly 1.50 sq km of surface: treat each bay as a water in its own right. Around 15 km of bank, which is a long day on foot. Size puts it in the front rank of our Thunder Bay District list. Nearest place of any size is Manitouwadge, 47 km away. Hornepayne is 58 km and Wawa 105 km. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Mikano Lake

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Records held for Thunder Bay District cover cisco, blackfin cisco, rainbow smelt, bloater and shortjaw cisco. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. At Mikano Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between -18°C in January and 16°C in July. The season is measured in weeks rather than months. Look for the thaw near early May; the fishing lifts straight after. Ice clears near early May and comes back about mid November in a typical year. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. Time your trip to Mikano Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Nothing is listed nearby for parking or launching a boat. A light spinning outfit with a small box of lures and some bait covers most of what swims here. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. Should this one be busy, Joseph Lake is 1.7 km off. Signs at Mikano Lake carry more weight than any list.