Potato Lake Fishing near Longlac, Ontario

• Overview

  Potato Lake is set in Thunder Bay District, Ontario. The land about it is boreal forest. With some 11 hectares of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. There is roughly 1.4 km of shoreline here, which is a short walk end to end. On size it sits at the modest end of our Thunder Bay District list. The town to know is Longlac, 8.8 km out. Geraldton lies 22 km off, Greenstone another 37 km. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Potato Lake

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Records held for Thunder Bay District cover cisco, blackfin cisco and rainbow smelt. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. Treat Potato Lake as a water to read rather than to cover.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 16°C in July and bottom out at -19°C in January. The freeze holds for the better part of the year. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around early May. Going by climate averages, expect open water from about early May until roughly mid November. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. On Potato Lake that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public data does not answer the access question here. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. No built facilities appear in mapping around this water. Keep the gear simple: light line, small hooks, split shot and a couple of proven lures. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. Heald Lake sits 1.2 km off and takes the overflow. Signs at Potato Lake carry more weight than any list.