Fishing at Rea Lake, Kenora District, Ontario

• Overview

  Rea Lake stands in Kenora District, Ontario. It stands 464 metres above sea level. It runs to roughly 47 hectares — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. Some 5.7 km of bank gives room to move when the wind turns. It is high ground by Ontario standards. The town to know is Atikokan, 42 km out. Ignace is 49 km and Sioux Lookout 124 km. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Rea Lake

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. County-wide records name northern pike, longnose sucker and white sucker. The list covers the county rather than this water alone, so treat it as a guide. Rea Lake gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 18°C at the top of summer and -18°C at the bottom of winter. Four clear seasons, with a proper winter at one end. Ice-out usually falls in late April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. The water is typically free of ice between late April and mid November. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. Rea Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. No built facilities appear in mapping around this water. Pike mean a wire trace, no exceptions; big spoons and jerkbaits do the searching. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. Theron Lake at 1.3 km is the sensible second choice. For Rea Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.