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

• Overview

  Set in Thunder Bay District, Ontario, this is North Brennan Lake. The bank is 326 metres above sea level. It runs to roughly 16 hectares — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. Around 1.9 km of margin, front to back. It is a small entry by Thunder Bay District standards. The nearest town is Greenstone, 59 km away. Thunder Bay sits 227 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on North Brennan Lake

  No published figure covers depth, so learn it as you fish. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Survey and observation records for Thunder Bay District include cisco, blackfin cisco, rainbow smelt, bloater and shortjaw cisco. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. At North Brennan Lake the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 16°C and January at -20°C. Water stays cold even at the height of the year. Winter locks it down, and early May brings it back. The lid tends to go about early May and return around mid November. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. At North Brennan Lake the season follows that pattern closely.

• 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. One rod, a handful of hooks and floats, and a few small lures are enough for this water. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. If the gate is shut, Dyer Lake at 1.5 km is the nearest alternative. Signs at North Brennan Lake carry more weight than any list.