Fishing Rat Lake in Thunder Bay District, Ontario

• Overview

  Rat Lake is a Thunder Bay District water, Ontario side. It sits at 463 metres above sea level. Compared with other Ontario water on our list, it sits high. For a base, Grand Marais sits 41 km out. Thunder Bay is the closest city, 98 km away. Not far off: Partridge Lake out at 1.9 km, Dunn Lake the better part of 2.3 km, South Lake out at 2.5 km, Mucker Lake the better part of 2.7 km and East Otter Lake out at 2.8 km. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Rat Lake

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Survey and observation records for Thunder Bay District include cisco, blackfin cisco, rainbow smelt and bloater. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. Read Rat Lake for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 18°C in July and bottoms out near -16°C in January. Hard water is a season in its own right here. The lid arrives early and lasts until roughly late April. The season between ice runs from about late April to mid November. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. Rat Lake runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. You can camp about 410 m away, going by the mapping. One rod, a handful of hooks and floats, and a few small lures are enough for this water. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. Partridge Lake at 1.9 km is the sensible second choice. Nothing here settles the position at Rat Lake for certain.