O'Keefe Lake in Thunder Bay District: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Out in Thunder Bay District, Ontario, sits O'Keefe Lake. It lies 397 metres above sea level. Surface area is around 23 hectares, which gives you real water without needing a boat. The full circuit measures close to 3.7 km on foot. 35 km away sits Nipigon, the nearest town. Further out sit Schreiber (62 km) and Terrace Bay (73 km). Rules here are straightforward: one set of provincial rules.

• Where to Fish on O'Keefe Lake

  We hold no depth figure for this one. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Across Thunder Bay District, recorded fish include cisco, blackfin cisco and rainbow smelt. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. O'Keefe Lake gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 16°C, with January the cold end at about -18°C. Cold dominates the calendar on water this far north. Look for the thaw near early May; the fishing lifts straight after. The season between ice runs from about early May to mid November. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. Plan around that when you fish O'Keefe Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. No built facilities appear in mapping around this water. Keep the gear simple: light line, small hooks, split shot and a couple of proven lures. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. For a change of water, Seahorse Lake is 2.3 km distant. Where O'Keefe Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.