Relf Lake in Thunder Bay District: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  In Ontario, Relf Lake falls inside Thunder Bay District. The surroundings are boreal forest. Roughly 42 hectares: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. The edge runs 3.2 km or so, easy to work in an afternoon. 113 km away sits Longlac, the nearest town. Geraldton is 115 km and Greenstone 115 km. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Relf Lake

  Depth here is unknown, so count the lead down before committing. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Records held for Thunder Bay District cover cisco, blackfin cisco, rainbow smelt, bloater and shortjaw cisco. County data is a starting point rather than a guarantee. Relf Lake gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July is the warm end of the year here, averaging about 16°C, while January sits near -21°C. Water stays cold even at the height of the year. The lid arrives early and lasts until roughly early May. Break-up near early May, freeze-up near early November: that is the shape of an average year. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. Plan around that when you fish Relf Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. There is no mapped parking or launch nearby, which keeps numbers down. One rod, a handful of hooks and floats, and a few small lures are enough for this water. Parking is often the real limit rather than the bank itself. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. Orviss Lake, 5.5 km away, makes the obvious fallback. Confirm before you fish Relf Lake.