Missibay Lake in Sudbury: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Missibay Lake is one of the Sudbury listings for Ontario. It stands 333 metres above sea level. With some 24 hectares of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. The edge runs 2.8 km or so, easy to work in an afternoon. Head to Chapleau, 62 km away, for anything you forgot. Then Wawa, 78 km, and Hornepayne, 121 km. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Missibay Lake

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Sudbury records list smallmouth bass, northern pike and yellow perch among the fish reported. The county list is broader than any single water. Fish Missibay Lake where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from -16°C in January up to 16°C in July. The year here is short and sharp: a long lid, then a burst of open water. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from early May. Going by climate averages, expect open water from about early May until roughly mid November. Spring is short and heavy here; autumn is longer and steadier. Missibay Lake runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. There is a campsite 1.4 km from the water. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Should this one be busy, Crooked Lake is 1.7 km off. For Missibay Lake in particular, ask before you travel.