Fishing Neault Lake in Sudbury, Ontario

• Overview

  Neault Lake sits within Sudbury in Ontario. Around the bank it is mixed forest. Surface area is around 98 hectares, which gives you real water without needing a boat. Shoreline length is close to 10 km, and each section fishes a little differently. Size puts it in the front rank of our Sudbury list. Nearest place of any size is Capreol, 56 km away. Beyond it, Valley East at 63 km and Rayside-Balfour at 69 km. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Neault Lake

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. County-wide records name smallmouth bass, northern pike and yellow perch. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. On Neault Lake that means starting tight and working out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is -16°C to 17°C. Four clear seasons, with a proper winter at one end. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from late April. Ice usually gives way near late April, and forms again about late November. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. It holds true on Neault Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. No slipway, car park or made path shows up nearby in mapping, so treat access as rough. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. If the gate is shut, Shiner Lake at 1.7 km is the nearest alternative. Where Neault Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.