Pistol Lake, Ontario: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Pistol Lake is one of the Thunder Bay District listings for Ontario. The water sits 455 metres up. It runs to roughly 18 hectares — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. There is roughly 2.7 km of shoreline here, which is a short walk end to end. It is high ground by Ontario standards. Nearest place of any size is Lappe, 65 km away. Beyond it, Parkdale at 74 km and College Park at 74 km. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Pistol Lake

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Fish documented in Thunder Bay District include cisco, blackfin cisco and rainbow smelt. County records show what lives in the area; the local agency holds the water-by-water list. Read Pistol Lake before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about -18°C in January to roughly 17°C in July. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. Count the season from break-up, usually early May. Climate figures give an open season running early May to mid November. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. The season on Pistol Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Nothing formal is recorded here: no ramp, no car park, no marked path. A light spinning outfit with a small box of lures and some bait covers most of what swims here. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Mathe Lake at 1.2 km is the sensible second choice. Check the position on Pistol Lake before loading the car.