Piccolo Lake, Ontario: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  The Thunder Bay District entry here is Piccolo Lake, in Ontario. Around the bank it is taiga. Roughly 43 hectares: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. With about 3.9 km of edge, you can try several depths in one session. Greenstone at 21 km is the nearest place to stop. Thunder Bay sits 217 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Piccolo Lake

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Open biodiversity records for Thunder Bay District list cisco, blackfin cisco and rainbow smelt. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. At Piccolo Lake the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 16°C and January at -20°C. Cold dominates the calendar on water this far north. The lid arrives early and lasts until roughly early May. Averages suggest open water from about early May through to roughly mid November. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. Expect Piccolo Lake to follow that timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. No car park, ramp or path is recorded within easy reach of the shore. Keep the gear simple: light line, small hooks, split shot and a couple of proven lures. Take the rules with you rather than trusting memory. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. If the gate is shut, Flute Lake at 1 km is the nearest alternative. None of that is settled for Piccolo Lake in what we hold.