Fishing at Mishionga Lake, Sudbury, Ontario

• Overview

  Mishionga Lake is set in Sudbury, Ontario. The setting is northern bush. It measures some 2.37 sq km, and wind has room to build across it. The perimeter runs near 13 km, so plan the walk before you start. On our Sudbury list it sits near the top for size. Some 74 km away sits Chapleau, the nearest settlement. Then Timmins, 104 km, and Kapuskasing, 122 km. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Mishionga Lake

  Depth is unknown to us, and the shoreline is the better guide. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Survey and observation records for Sudbury include smallmouth bass, northern pike and yellow perch. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. The shape of Mishionga Lake decides where the fish sit.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is -17°C to 17°C. The window is narrow, and fish feed hard while it lasts. The lid arrives early and lasts until roughly early May. On the long-run averages the water opens up around early May and starts locking again about mid November. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. Mishionga Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. No built facilities appear in mapping around this water. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. For a change of water, Shenango Lake is 4.8 km distant. Where Mishionga Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.