Ring Lake Fishing near Timmins, Ontario

• Overview

  Ring Lake lies within the bounds of Timiskaming District, Ontario. Everything around it is pine and birch. Small at around 9 hectares: two anglers spread out cover most of it. Start from Timmins, 70 km down the road. Greater Sudbury is the closest city, 153 km away. Not far off: Winding Lake (1 km), Rhyolite Lake just 1.2 km, Belle Lake (1.3 km), Leaming Lake just 1.4 km and Audrea Lake (1.7 km). The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Ring Lake

  Depth is unknown to us, and the shoreline is the better guide. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Timiskaming District records list brook trout, northern pike, yellow perch and Iowa darter among the fish reported. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. On Ring Lake that means starting tight and working out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 17°C for July and -17°C for January. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. Once it clears, about early May, the fishing comes on quickly. Average temperatures cross freezing around early May in spring and again near mid November in autumn. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. Time your trip to Ring Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Failing this one, try Winding Lake, 1 km away. For Ring Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.