Phyllis Lake Fishing near Ignace, Ontario

• Overview

  Phyllis Lake lies in Kenora District, Ontario. The setting is mixed forest on every side. The water covers around 2.54 sq km, which puts most of it out of reach from the bank. At about 25 km of edge, most people work one arm at a time. By elevation it is in the upper part of our Ontario listings. 28 km away sits Ignace, the nearest town. Thunder Bay sits 184 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Phyllis Lake

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. County-wide records name northern pike, longnose sucker, white sucker, johnny darter and logperch. County records show what lives in the area; the local agency holds the water-by-water list. Phyllis Lake repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 18°C in July and bottoms out near -19°C in January. A hard winter is normal, and the thaw brings a strong few weeks. Break-up comes around late April, and the run that follows is short and strong. The season between ice runs from about late April to mid November. June through September is the settled part of the year, with the shoulders busier for fish. On Phyllis Lake that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Formal access is not mapped, so the last stretch is likely on foot. A wire trace and a big bright lure handle the pike; deep water asks for a heavier spoon. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Boulder Lake, 4.8 km away, makes the obvious fallback. Signs at Phyllis Lake carry more weight than any list.