Retto Lake near Shuniah Township: Fishing Spots, Seasons and Access

• Overview

  You will find Retto Lake in Thunder Bay District, Ontario. Height above sea level is 440 metres. It measures about 63 hectares, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. The edge runs 4.7 km or so, easy to work in an afternoon. By elevation it is in the upper part of our Ontario listings. 14 km away sits Shuniah Township, the nearest town. Thunder Bay sits 32 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Retto Lake

  Depth is unmeasured here, so let the shoreline guide you. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Records held for Thunder Bay District cover cisco, blackfin cisco, rainbow smelt and bloater. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. Retto Lake gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put July at about 17°C and January near -17°C. The freeze holds for the better part of the year. Ice-out usually falls in early May, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Ice usually gives way near early May, and forms again about mid November. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. Plan any trip to Retto Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. No built facilities appear in mapping around this water. Keep the gear simple: light line, small hooks, split shot and a couple of proven lures. Take the rules with you rather than trusting memory. Night access is frequently treated as a separate matter. Beaverlodge Lake, 1.3 km away, makes the obvious fallback. For Retto Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.