Fishing Shaggy Lake in Thunder Bay District, Ontario

• Overview

  This water sits in Thunder Bay District, Ontario. The water sits 321 metres up. Roughly 53 hectares: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. Around 5.7 km of bank, which is a long day on foot. Some 75 km away sits Greenstone, the nearest settlement. Geraldton is 85 km and Longlac 104 km. Neighbouring water: Beta Lake after 2 km, Alpha Lake at 2.9 km, Hall Lake after 3.4 km, Willet Lake at 5.5 km and Scotch Lake after 6.3 km. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Shaggy Lake

  Our records carry no depth, so judge it from the bank. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Records held for Thunder Bay District cover cisco, blackfin cisco, rainbow smelt and bloater. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. At Shaggy Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July is the warm end of the year here, averaging about 16°C, while January sits near -20°C. Water stays cold even at the height of the year. After early May the shallows warm and the fish move up. Averages suggest open water from about early May through to roughly mid November. Spring is short and heavy here; autumn is longer and steadier. The season on Shaggy Lake follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public data does not answer the access question here. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Access is unmapped, which usually means a farm track and a walk. Keep the gear simple: light line, small hooks, split shot and a couple of proven lures. Bank access can be seasonal on ground like this. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. For a change of water, Beta Lake is 2 km distant. Ask locally about Shaggy Lake if anything is unclear.