Ruston Lake Fishing Guide, Thunder Bay District, Ontario

• Overview

  In Ontario, Ruston Lake falls inside Thunder Bay District. It sits in boreal forest country. It runs to roughly 77 hectares — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. The bank runs about 4.8 km all the way round, so one visit can cover most of it. By elevation it is in the upper part of our Ontario listings. The nearest place of any size is Lappe, 71 km away. The big place round here is Thunder Bay, 93 km distant. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Ruston Lake

  Nothing we hold settles how deep this runs. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Fish documented in Thunder Bay District include cisco, blackfin cisco, rainbow smelt, bloater and shortjaw cisco. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Fish Ruston Lake where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about -20°C and July at about 17°C, the water has a wide range to work through. Winter runs most of the calendar, and everything worth doing happens in the gap. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about early May. Average temperatures cross freezing around early May in spring and again near mid November in autumn. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. Time your trip to Ruston Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. There is no mapped parking or launch nearby, which keeps numbers down. Keep the gear simple: light line, small hooks, split shot and a couple of proven lures. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. The nearest alternative is McNall Lake, 2.4 km out. Confirm before you fish Ruston Lake.