Rice Lake Fishing in Kenora District, Ontario

• Overview

  In Ontario, Rice Lake falls inside Kenora District. Everything around it is mixed forest. This is sizeable water at about 4.18 sq km, and a boat opens up most of it. There is roughly 32 km of bank, and each arm behaves like its own water. Supplies mean a trip to Kenora, 46 km off. For a city, Winnipeg is 146 km off. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Rice Lake

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Fish documented in Kenora District include northern pike, longnose sucker, white sucker and johnny darter. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. At Rice Lake the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 19°C on average, January about -19°C. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. Look for the thaw near late April; the fishing lifts straight after. On the long-run averages the water opens up around late April and starts locking again about mid November. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. The season on Rice Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Nothing is listed nearby for parking or launching a boat. A wire trace and a big bright lure handle the pike; deep water asks for a heavier spoon. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. For a change of water, McQuaker Lake is 3.5 km distant. For Rice Lake in particular, ask before you travel.