Fishing at Pilot Lake, Kenora District, Ontario

• Overview

  Pilot Lake is one of the Kenora District waters in Ontario. It lies 388 metres above sea level. About 5.92 sq km, so local knowledge or a boat saves a lot of walking. Shoreline length is close to 24 km, and each section fishes a little differently. It is among the larger waters listed here for Kenora District. Sioux Lookout lies 66 km from the water. Thunder Bay sits 328 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 Pilot Lake

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Survey and observation records for Kenora District include northern pike, longnose sucker, white sucker and johnny darter. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. At Pilot Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 18°C; by January the average is down near -19°C. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. Winter locks it down, and early May brings it back. Break-up sits around early May on average, with the water closing again about mid November. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. Pilot Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. 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 wire trace and a big bright lure handle the pike; deep water asks for a heavier spoon. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. The nearest alternative is Writhing Lake, 3.4 km out. Rules at Pilot Lake are worth checking on the day.