Fishing Patten Lake in Algoma, Ontario

• Overview

  Patten Lake lies within the bounds of Algoma, Ontario. The bank gives way to rolling bush. At 2.45 sq km this is proper open water rather than a pond. Around 10 km of bank, which is a long day on foot. It ranks high for size among our Algoma listings. Head to Thessalon, 35 km away, for anything you forgot. For a city, Greater Sudbury is 212 km off. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Patten Lake

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. County-wide records name walleye, northern pike, Iowa darter, yellow perch and white sucker. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. Take Patten Lake a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 18°C for July and -12°C for January. The middle months are generous; the ends are demanding. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about late April. Climate averages put the opening at about late April and the closing near late November. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. It holds true on Patten Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Public mapping records no formal access here, so plan for a walk and soft ground. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Parking is often the real limit rather than the bank itself. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Chipman Lake at 1.3 km is the sensible second choice. Ask locally about Patten Lake if anything is unclear.