Fishing Prairie Lake in Thunder Bay District, Ontario

• Overview

  You will find Prairie Lake in Thunder Bay District, Ontario. The water sits 298 metres up. It measures some 1.69 sq km, and wind has room to build across it. The shoreline runs about 8.5 km, so it pays to pick a stretch and stay with it. It is among the larger waters listed here for Thunder Bay District. Terrace Bay is the closest place, 39 km off. Further out sit Schreiber (47 km) and Manitouwadge (64 km). There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Prairie Lake

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Survey and observation records for Thunder Bay District include cisco, blackfin cisco, rainbow smelt, bloater and shortjaw cisco. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. On Prairie Lake the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from -16°C in January up to 16°C in July. This is a two-season water: locked, then wide open. Expect a solid lid for months and a thaw around early May. On average, early May opens the water and mid November closes it again. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. Anyone fishing Prairie Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. No car park, ramp or path is recorded within easy reach of the shore. A light spinning outfit with a small box of lures and some bait covers most of what swims here. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. For a change of water, Ruffle Lake is 4.7 km distant. Check the current arrangement for Prairie Lake.