Shanty Lake Fishing in Timiskaming District, Ontario

• Overview

  The Timiskaming District entry here is Shanty Lake, in Ontario. The ground round it is mixed forest. With some 26 hectares of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. The full circuit measures close to 4.5 km on foot. For supplies, Englehart is 63 km out. Greater Sudbury is the closest city, 138 km away. Rules here are straightforward: one set of provincial rules.

• Where to Fish on Shanty Lake

  Open data we checked carries no depth for this water. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Public occurrence data for Timiskaming District names brook trout, northern pike, yellow perch and Iowa darter. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Anyone new to Shanty Lake should walk it once before setting up.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is -17°C to 17°C. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. Once it clears, about late April, the fishing comes on quickly. Break-up near late April, freeze-up near mid November: that is the shape of an average year. June through September is the settled part of the year, with the shoulders busier for fish. Shanty Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. There is no recorded infrastructure here; expect to find your own way in. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. The nearest alternative is McRae Lake, 1.3 km out. Check the position at Shanty Lake before loading the car.