Porteous Lake, Ontario: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  You will find Porteous Lake in Thunder Bay District, Ontario. This is taiga ground. With some 75 hectares of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. Roughly 3.5 km of bank means you can walk to a fresh area when one goes quiet. Greenstone at 113 km is the nearest place to stop. The big place round here is Thunder Bay, 303 km distant. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Porteous Lake

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Species logged across Thunder Bay District include cisco, blackfin cisco and rainbow smelt. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. At Porteous Lake light and wind decide more than tackle does.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 16°C in July and bottoms out near -21°C in January. This is a two-season water: locked, then wide open. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about early May. Ice clears near early May and comes back about early November in a typical year. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. That is the shape of the year on Porteous Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Nothing is listed nearby for parking or launching a boat. Keep the gear simple: light line, small hooks, split shot and a couple of proven lures. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Check whether bait restrictions apply before you buy any. Tennant Lake, 4.6 km away, makes the obvious fallback. Rules at Porteous Lake are worth checking on the day.