Fishing Pallister Lake in Cochrane District, Ontario

• Overview

  Pallister Lake belongs to Cochrane District, Ontario. Beyond the shoreline you have taiga. Surface area runs to roughly 1.12 sq km, so plan for one area rather than the whole. The shoreline runs about 7.5 km, so it pays to pick a stretch and stay with it. It ranks high for size among our Cochrane District listings. Nearest place of any size is Longlac, 245 km away. The big place round here is Thunder Bay, 453 km distant. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Pallister Lake

  Nothing in our records gives a depth for this one. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Public occurrence data for Cochrane District names northern pike, yellow perch and white sucker. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Pallister Lake gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 16°C for July and -22°C for January. The ice season is long here and the open one short. Ice-out usually falls in mid May, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Ice clears near mid May and comes back about early November in a typical year. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. Pallister Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. No car park, ramp or path is recorded within easy reach of the shore. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Acton Lake at 8.9 km is the sensible second choice. Confirm before you fish Pallister Lake.