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

• Overview

  This water sits in Thunder Bay District, Ontario. Elevation runs to 318 metres. At about 19 hectares, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. Bank access stretches around 2.8 km in total. The town to know is Westfort, 8.4 km out. Thunder Bay is the closest city, 11 km away. Not far off: Johnson Lake within 3.8 km, Loch Lomond 4.9 km away, Crescent Lake within 5.1 km, McQuaig Lake 5.2 km away and Horseshoe Lake within 6.4 km. Rules here are straightforward: one set of provincial rules.

• Where to Fish on Sawdust Lake

  We hold no depth figure for this one. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Fish documented in Thunder Bay District include cisco, blackfin cisco, rainbow smelt, bloater and shortjaw cisco. County records show what lives in the area; the local agency holds the water-by-water list. On Sawdust Lake that means starting tight and working out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 18°C and January at -14°C. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. Break-up comes around late April, and the run that follows is short and strong. Break-up near late April, freeze-up near late November: that is the shape of an average year. September and October fish steadily right up to the freeze. Sawdust Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. One rod, a handful of hooks and floats, and a few small lures are enough for this water. Season dates differ by species, so read the table. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. The nearest alternative is Johnson Lake, 3.8 km out. For Sawdust Lake in particular, ask before you travel.