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

• Overview

  The Thunder Bay District end of Ontario holds Muriel Lake. Everything around it is northern bush. Surface area is around 81 hectares, which gives you real water without needing a boat. With 7.4 km or so of shoreline, boat anglers cover ground the bank cannot. Nearest town is Longlac, 80 km off. Geraldton follows at 84 km, then Greenstone at 86 km. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Muriel Lake

  Nothing in our records gives a depth for this one. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Records held for Thunder Bay District cover cisco, blackfin cisco, rainbow smelt, bloater and shortjaw cisco. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. Treat Muriel Lake as a water to read rather than to cover.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 16°C on average, January about -20°C. Ice holds for a long stretch, so the open weeks matter more here than further south. After early May the shallows warm and the fish move up. Climate figures give an open season running early May to early November. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. Plan any trip to Muriel Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Nothing is listed nearby for parking or launching a boat. One rod, a handful of hooks and floats, and a few small lures are enough for this water. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. Night access is frequently treated as a separate matter. Walkup Lake at 4.1 km is the sensible second choice. Confirm before you fish Muriel Lake.