Nicholls Lake, Ontario: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Look for Nicholls Lake in the Thunder Bay District part of Ontario. Height above sea level is 316 metres. The water covers some 64 hectares, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. You are looking at roughly 5.2 km of shoreline, with plenty of water between access points. Some 138 km away sits Greenstone, the nearest settlement. Further out sit Geraldton (152 km) and Nipigon (160 km). The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Nicholls Lake

  Depth is unknown to us, and the shoreline is the better guide. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Across Thunder Bay District, recorded fish include cisco, blackfin cisco, rainbow smelt and bloater. Read it as a county summary, not a water-by-water list. Read Nicholls Lake for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July near 17°C and January near -21°C on the long-run figures. Long winters and short summers set the pattern. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about early May. Break-up sits around early May on average, with the water closing again about mid November. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. Nicholls Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Nothing is mapped in the way of a ramp or car park within a short radius. Keep the gear simple: light line, small hooks, split shot and a couple of proven lures. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. For a change of water, Haile Lake is 2.8 km distant. None of that is settled for Nicholls Lake in what we hold.