Rawn Lake in Rainy River District: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Rawn Lake lies in Rainy River District, in Ontario. This is pine and birch ground. The water covers around 3.22 sq km, which puts most of it out of reach from the bank. With 17 km or so of shoreline, boat anglers cover ground the bank cannot. Supplies mean a trip to Atikokan, 35 km off. Further out sit Ely (87 km) and Ignace (99 km). It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Rawn Lake

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Species logged across Rainy River District include northern pike, smallmouth bass, yellow perch and walleye. County records show what lives in the area; the local agency holds the water-by-water list. At Rawn Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 18°C; the cold one sits at -17°C. Cold winters and warm summers give a wide working range. After late April the shallows warm and the fish move up. Averages suggest open water from about late April through to roughly mid November. The first weeks of open water and the last are the ones to plan for. Plan any trip to Rawn Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Buckingham Lake at 2.4 km is the sensible second choice. Treat Rawn Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.