Fishing at Redhat Lake, Kenora District, Ontario

• Overview

  Out in Kenora District, Ontario, sits Redhat Lake. The ground round it is mixed forest. With some 37 hectares of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. There is roughly 2.8 km of shoreline here, which is a short walk end to end. Nearest place of any size is Dryden, 33 km away. The big place round here is Thunder Bay, 292 km distant. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Redhat Lake

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Survey and observation records for Kenora District include northern pike, longnose sucker, white sucker, johnny darter and logperch. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. Take Redhat Lake a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 18°C; by January the average is down near -18°C. The year splits cleanly: hard water, then open water. The lid arrives early and lasts until roughly late April. Ice clears near late April and comes back about mid November in a typical year. The first weeks of open water and the last are the ones to plan for. The season on Redhat Lake follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  We hold no note on access for this one. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Nothing built is recorded close to the bank here. A wire trace and a big bright lure handle the pike; deep water asks for a heavier spoon. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. For a change of water, Centrefire Lake is 4.1 km distant. Signs at Redhat Lake carry more weight than any list.