Putnam Lake Fishing in Sudbury, Ontario

• Overview

  Putnam Lake is one of the Sudbury listings for Ontario. The land about it is northern bush. Surface area is around 13 hectares, which gives you real water without needing a boat. Bank access stretches around 1.7 km in total. It is a small entry by Sudbury standards. Start from Chapleau, 65 km down the road. Elliot Lake follows at 113 km, then Blind River at 134 km. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Putnam Lake

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Survey and observation records for Sudbury include smallmouth bass, northern pike, yellow perch, Iowa darter and walleye. The county list is broader than any single water. Putnam Lake repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 17°C in July and bottom out at -15°C in January. The ice season is long here and the open one short. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around late April. Ice clears near late April and comes back about mid November in a typical year. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. Putnam Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. 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. Ask in the nearest town if you are unsure. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Failing this one, try North Embarass Lake, 3.9 km away. Check the current arrangement for Putnam Lake.