Fishing at Pinigwim Lake, Thunder Bay District, Ontario

• Overview

  You will find Pinigwim Lake in Thunder Bay District, Ontario. The surface lies 318 metres up. It runs to roughly 79 hectares — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. The perimeter runs near 8.0 km, so plan the walk before you start. Greenstone sits 58 km from the bank. Geraldton follows at 74 km, then Nipigon at 100 km. Rules here are straightforward: one set of provincial rules.

• Where to Fish on Pinigwim Lake

  Nothing in our records gives a depth for this one. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Species logged across Thunder Bay District include cisco, blackfin cisco, rainbow smelt and bloater. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. The shape of Pinigwim Lake rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 16°C; the cold one sits at -20°C. Open water is the exception rather than the rule here. Count the season from break-up, usually early May. Climate figures give an open season running early May to mid November. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. At Pinigwim Lake the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  The access position is unclear from public sources. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Mapping records no facilities at all near this water. A light spinning outfit with a small box of lures and some bait covers most of what swims here. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Should this one be busy, Martin Lake is 2.4 km off. Where Pinigwim Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.