Otter Lake Fishing near Oxford House, Ontario

• Overview

  Set in Kenora District, Ontario, this is Otter Lake. It lies 207 metres above sea level. At roughly 31.48 sq km it ranks among the larger waters in the region. Size puts it in the front rank of our Kenora District list. Oxford House lies 398 km from the water. Red Lake is 417 km and Golden 418 km. Also on the doorstep: Big Trout Lake 36 km and Arguing Lake within 60 km. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Otter Lake

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Open biodiversity records for Kenora District list northern pike, longnose sucker and white sucker. County records show what lives in the area; the local agency holds the water-by-water list. Otter Lake fishes better once you know its edges.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July is the warm end of the year here, averaging about 16°C, while January sits near -23°C. Water stays cold even at the height of the year. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from mid May. On average, mid May opens the water and early November closes it again. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. That is the shape of the year on Otter Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. There is no recorded infrastructure here; expect to find your own way in. Pike mean a wire trace, no exceptions; big spoons and jerkbaits do the searching. Bank access can be seasonal on ground like this. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. Should this one be busy, Big Trout Lake is 36 km off. Treat access at Otter Lake as something to verify.