Fishing at Rushbay Lake, Thunder Bay District, Ontario

• Overview

  Set in Thunder Bay District, Ontario, this is Rushbay Lake. The water sits 353 metres up. Surface area runs to roughly 2.45 sq km, so plan for one area rather than the whole. The margin runs to about 19 km in total. Few waters listed in Thunder Bay District are bigger. Nipigon is the closest town at 156 km. Thunder Bay is the closest city, 206 km away. No boundary runs near, so the local rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Rushbay Lake

  Nothing in our records gives a depth for this one. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Fish documented in Thunder Bay District include cisco, blackfin cisco, rainbow smelt, bloater and shortjaw cisco. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Rushbay Lake gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July near 17°C and January near -21°C on the long-run figures. The fishing year opens late and shuts early. Break-up comes around early May, and the run that follows is short and strong. Climate averages put the opening at about early May and the closing near mid November. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. On Rushbay Lake the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. There is no mapped parking or launch nearby, which keeps numbers down. A light spinning outfit with a small box of lures and some bait covers most of what swims here. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. McAuley Lake, 3.8 km away, makes the obvious fallback. Rules at Rushbay Lake are worth checking on the day.