Premier Lake Fishing Guide, Rainy River District, Ontario

• Overview

  Set in Rainy River District, Ontario, this is Premier Lake. The land about it is pine and birch. Around 73 hectares of surface means several distinct areas to work. The margin runs to about 11 km in total. Compared with other Ontario water on our list, it sits high. 35 km away sits Atikokan, the nearest town. The big place round here is Thunder Bay, 165 km distant. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Premier Lake

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Open biodiversity records for Rainy River District list northern pike, smallmouth bass, yellow perch, walleye and white sucker. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Fish Premier Lake where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 18°C and January reads -18°C. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around late April. Averages suggest open water from about late April through to roughly mid November. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. Plan any trip to Premier Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Nothing built is recorded close to the bank here. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Lizard Lake sits 3.9 km off and takes the overflow. Nothing on Premier Lake should be assumed from this page alone.