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

• Overview

  Salmi Lake sits in Thunder Bay District, out in Ontario. The land about it is northern bush. Roughly 33 hectares: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. The edge runs 3.2 km or so, easy to work in an afternoon. It sits higher than most water we list in Ontario. Head to Lappe, 70 km away, for anything you forgot. Beyond it, Shuniah Township at 78 km and Current River at 83 km. No boundary runs near, so the local rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Salmi Lake

  Open data we checked carries no depth for this water. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Public occurrence data for Thunder Bay District names cisco, blackfin cisco, rainbow smelt and bloater. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Work Salmi Lake in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 17°C and January at -20°C. Open water is the exception rather than the rule here. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about early May. Break-up sits around early May on average, with the water closing again about mid November. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. Plan any trip to Salmi Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Nothing in the way of made access shows up nearby: no ramp, no car park, no path. One rod, a handful of hooks and floats, and a few small lures are enough for this water. Take the rules with you rather than trusting memory. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. Should this one be busy, Saunby Lake is 2.2 km off. Ask locally about Salmi Lake if anything is unclear.