Schelling Lake Fishing in Thunder Bay District, Ontario

• Overview

  Schelling Lake is one of the Thunder Bay District listings for Ontario. Beyond the shoreline you have pine and birch. The water covers some 19 hectares, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. Bank access stretches around 4.0 km in total. By elevation it sits in the lower part of our Ontario listings. Nipigon is the closest place, 36 km off. Further out sit Schreiber (57 km) and Amethyst Harbour (65 km). The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Schelling Lake

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. County-wide records name cisco, blackfin cisco and rainbow smelt. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. Schelling Lake gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 16°C on average, January about -14°C. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. The lid arrives early and lasts until roughly late April. Break-up near late April, freeze-up near late November: that is the shape of an average year. Fishing peaks soon after break-up and again before the cold returns. Expect Schelling Lake to follow that timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  Our records carry no access rule either way. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Nothing is mapped in the way of a ramp or car park within a short radius. A light spinning outfit with a small box of lures and some bait covers most of what swims here. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. Should this one be busy, Iron Lake is 1.6 km off. Confirm before you fish Schelling Lake.