Poulin Lake Fishing near Terrace Bay, Ontario

• Overview

  Poulin Lake lies in Thunder Bay District, Ontario. Everything around it is taiga. At 10 hectares it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. Our Thunder Bay District list holds plenty of bigger water. Start from Terrace Bay, 12 km down the road. Then Schreiber, 22 km, and Manitouwadge, 88 km. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Poulin Lake

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Reported across Thunder Bay District: cisco, blackfin cisco and rainbow smelt. The county list is broader than any single water. Poulin Lake repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 16°C, the coldest about -16°C. The season is measured in weeks rather than months. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from early May. On average, early May opens the water and mid November closes it again. The first weeks of open water and the last are the ones to plan for. Poulin Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  The access position is unclear from public sources. No slipway, car park or made path shows up nearby in mapping, so treat access as rough. A light spinning outfit with a small box of lures and some bait covers most of what swims here. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Bass Lake sits 0.7 km off and takes the overflow. Check the position at Poulin Lake before loading the car.