Seal Lake Fishing in Thunder Bay District, Ontario

• Overview

  Within Thunder Bay District, Ontario, you have Seal Lake. Beyond the shoreline you have spruce and muskeg. Around 20 hectares of surface means several distinct areas to work. The edge runs 2.4 km or so, easy to work in an afternoon. By elevation it is in the upper part of our Ontario listings. For a base, Nipigon sits 52 km out. Beyond it, Greenstone at 65 km and Geraldton at 79 km. No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Seal Lake

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Records held for Thunder Bay District cover cisco, blackfin cisco, rainbow smelt and bloater. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. On Seal Lake that means starting tight and working out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The seasonal spread runs -20°C to 16°C. Open water is the exception rather than the rule here. Count the season from break-up, usually early May. In an average year the thaw lands around early May and the freeze near mid November. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. It holds true on Seal Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Access is unmapped, which usually means a farm track and a walk. A light spinning outfit with a small box of lures and some bait covers most of what swims here. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Check whether bait restrictions apply before you buy any. Phantom Lake sits 1.2 km off and takes the overflow. Confirm before you fish Seal Lake.