Fishing at Present Lake, Sudbury, Ontario

• Overview

  Sudbury, Ontario, is where Present Lake sits. It lies 401 metres above sea level. It covers about 7 hectares, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. On size it sits at the modest end of our Sudbury list. Head to Dowling, 34 km away, for anything you forgot. Further out sit Rayside-Balfour (40 km) and Azilda (51 km). It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Present Lake

  No figure exists for depth, so let the water show you. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Across Sudbury, recorded fish include smallmouth bass, northern pike, yellow perch and Iowa darter. County data is a starting point rather than a guarantee. Fish Present Lake to its features, not to its size.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 18°C in July and bottoms out near -14°C in January. Hard water is a season in its own right here. The open season starts with the thaw, near enough late April. On average, late April opens the water and late November closes it again. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. Expect Present Lake to follow that timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. Should this one be busy, Marion Lake is 1.6 km off. Nothing on Present Lake should be assumed from this page alone.