Fishing at Robinson Lake, Thunder Bay District, Ontario

• Overview

  Within Thunder Bay District, Ontario, you have Robinson Lake. The land about it is boreal forest. Surface area runs to roughly 2.09 sq km, so plan for one area rather than the whole. With 11 km or so of shoreline, boat anglers cover ground the bank cannot. Few waters listed in Thunder Bay District are bigger. Greenstone sits 69 km from here and is the nearest stop. Thunder Bay sits 232 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Robinson Lake

  Nothing in our records gives a depth for this one. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Thunder Bay District records list cisco, blackfin cisco, rainbow smelt, bloater and shortjaw cisco among the fish reported. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Take Robinson Lake a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 16°C at the top of summer and -20°C at the bottom of winter. The season is measured in weeks rather than months. Hard water holds through the cold months, breaking up near early May. Averages place the thaw at early May and the freeze at mid November. June through September is the settled part of the year, with the shoulders busier for fish. Expect Robinson Lake to follow that timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Access points are not mapped for this water, which suits people who like quiet. A light spinning outfit with a small box of lures and some bait covers most of what swims here. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. If the gate is shut, Spree Lake at 2 km is the nearest alternative. Check the current arrangement for Robinson Lake.