Sad Lake in Algoma: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Look for Sad Lake in the Algoma part of Ontario. It lies 417 metres above sea level. It runs to roughly 23 hectares — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. About 4.3 km of bank, so nothing stays unexplored for long. The nearest place of any size is Wawa, 45 km away. Manitouwadge is 106 km away, with Hornepayne at 112 km. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Sad Lake

  Nothing we hold settles how deep this runs. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Fish documented in Algoma include walleye, northern pike, Iowa darter, yellow perch and white sucker. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Read Sad Lake for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between -16°C in January and 16°C in July. Everything is compressed into the middle of the year. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around early May. Ice clears near early May and comes back about mid November in a typical year. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. Plan any trip to Sad Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. No built facilities appear in mapping around this water. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. If the gate is shut, Fly Lake at 1.8 km is the nearest alternative. Where Sad Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.