Fishing at Sceptre Lake, Thunder Bay District, Ontario

• Overview

  In Ontario, Sceptre Lake belongs to Thunder Bay District. It stands 342 metres above sea level. With some 27 hectares of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. With 5.0 km or so of shoreline, boat anglers cover ground the bank cannot. 60 km away sits Greenstone, the nearest town. Geraldton is 69 km and Longlac 87 km. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Sceptre Lake

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Across Thunder Bay District, recorded fish include cisco, blackfin cisco, rainbow smelt and bloater. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. Sceptre Lake repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 16°C on average, January about -20°C. Open water is the exception rather than the rule here. Count the season from break-up, usually early May. Break-up near early May, freeze-up near mid November: that is the shape of an average year. September and October fish steadily right up to the freeze. Plan any trip to Sceptre Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. No built facilities appear in mapping around this water. One rod, a handful of hooks and floats, and a few small lures are enough for this water. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. The nearest alternative is Lone Loon Lake, 2.4 km out. The position on Sceptre Lake is worth confirming on the day.