Rathwell Lake in Algoma: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Rathwell Lake sits within Algoma in Ontario. The country round it is lake country bush from end to end. The water covers some 20 hectares, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. Bank access stretches around 2.0 km in total. Wawa lies 31 km from the water. The nearest city of size is Greater Sudbury, 326 km away. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Rathwell Lake

  We hold no depth figure for this one. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Public occurrence data for Algoma names walleye, northern pike and Iowa darter. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. On Rathwell Lake the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 16°C and January at -13°C. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around late April. On the long-run averages the water opens up around late April and starts locking again about late November. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. On Rathwell Lake that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Mapping shows a campsite some 1.2 km from the water. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. Surf Lake, 1.2 km away, makes the obvious fallback. Nothing here settles the position at Rathwell Lake for certain.