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

• Overview

  Rufus Lake is one of the Thunder Bay District listings for Ontario. The land about it is spruce and muskeg. At 4 hectares it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. It is a small entry by Thunder Bay District standards. Supplies mean a trip to Longlac, 45 km off. The nearest city of size is Thunder Bay, 272 km away. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Rufus Lake

  Nothing in our records gives a depth for this one. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Reported across Thunder Bay District: cisco, blackfin cisco, rainbow smelt and bloater. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. The shape of Rufus Lake decides where the fish sit.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 16°C and January reads -20°C. Long winters and short summers set the pattern. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around early May. Break-up sits around early May on average, with the water closing again about mid November. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. That shapes the year on Rufus Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Ownership and access are not documented in what we hold. Public data shows nothing built here, so treat the whole approach as informal. A light spinning outfit with a small box of lures and some bait covers most of what swims here. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. Should this one be busy, Rounds Lake is 3.6 km off. Where Rufus Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.