Fishing Sam Martin Lake in Greater Sudbury, Ontario

• Overview

  Set in Greater Sudbury, Ontario, this is Sam Martin Lake. Lake country bush runs right down to the water. This is sizeable water at about 1.60 sq km, and a boat opens up most of it. Around 18 km of bank, which is a long day on foot. Few waters listed in Greater Sudbury are bigger. For supplies, Capreol is 21 km out. Valley East follows at 30 km, then Azilda at 43 km. No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Sam Martin Lake

  Our records hold no depth for this water. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Records held for Greater Sudbury cover smallmouth bass, yellow perch, northern pike and pumpkinseed. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. On Sam Martin Lake that means starting tight and working out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 18°C, with January the cold end at about -15°C. The year runs cold to warm and back, with clear transitions. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from late April. Expect the water usable from around late April until roughly late November. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. That is the shape of the year on Sam Martin Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Night access is frequently treated as a separate matter. If the gate is shut, Mud Lake at 1.7 km is the nearest alternative. Signs at Sam Martin Lake carry more weight than any list.