Fishing Rainy Lake in Sudbury, Ontario

• Overview

  This water sits in Sudbury, Ontario. The surface lies 378 metres up. The water covers some 35 hectares, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. The bank runs about 3.7 km all the way round, so one visit can cover most of it. The nearest place of any size is Capreol, 56 km away. For a city, Greater Sudbury is 81 km off. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Rainy Lake

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Reported across Sudbury: smallmouth bass, northern pike and yellow perch. County records show what lives in the area; the local agency holds the water-by-water list. Read Rainy Lake before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 17°C and January about -16°C. Spring and autumn carry the fishing; summer and winter test it. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around late April. Average temperatures cross freezing around late April in spring and again near late November in autumn. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. Plan any trip to Rainy Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Access is unmapped, which usually means a farm track and a walk. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Lawrence Lake at 1.5 km is the sensible second choice. The position on Rainy Lake is worth confirming on the day.