Fishing at Nibs Lake, Thunder Bay District, Ontario

• Overview

  Nibs Lake lies within the bounds of Thunder Bay District, Ontario. The surface lies 283 metres up. It runs to roughly 33 hectares — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. About 2.4 km of bank, so nothing stays unexplored for long. Nearest town is Longlac, 66 km off. Then Manitouwadge, 76 km, and Hornepayne, 88 km. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Nibs Lake

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Thunder Bay District records list cisco, blackfin cisco, rainbow smelt and bloater among the fish reported. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. On Nibs Lake the first feature you find is usually worth a session.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 16°C and January at -19°C. Winter runs most of the calendar, and everything worth doing happens in the gap. Break-up comes around early May, and the run that follows is short and strong. Ice usually gives way near early May, and forms again about mid November. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Nibs Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. No slipway, car park or made path shows up nearby in mapping, so treat access as rough. One rod, a handful of hooks and floats, and a few small lures are enough for this water. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. North Pagwachuan Lake, 4.4 km away, makes the obvious fallback. Where Nibs Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.