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

• Overview

  Ontario holds Pagan Lake, in Thunder Bay District. Land around it is taiga. Surface area runs to roughly 2.72 sq km, so plan for one area rather than the whole. The margin runs to about 7.6 km in total. Size puts it in the front rank of our Thunder Bay District list. The nearest place of any size is Greenstone, 126 km away. It is 311 km to Thunder Bay, the nearest city. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Pagan Lake

  No figure exists for depth, so let the water show you. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Thunder Bay District records list cisco, blackfin cisco and rainbow smelt among the fish reported. Species recorded across the county may be limited to a few waters. On Pagan Lake a short move beats a long cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 16°C; by January the average is down near -21°C. The year here is short and sharp: a long lid, then a burst of open water. The lid usually goes in early May, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. On average, early May opens the water and early November closes it again. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. Time your trip to Pagan Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Mapping shows an empty shoreline: no ramp, no jetty, no marked entry. One rod, a handful of hooks and floats, and a few small lures are enough for this water. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. For a change of water, Sketch Lake is 3.7 km distant. Where Pagan Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.