Fishing at Shoofly Lake, Sudbury, Ontario

• Overview

  In Ontario, Shoofly Lake belongs to Sudbury. It lies 397 metres above sea level. The water covers around 1.88 sq km, which puts most of it out of reach from the bank. The margin runs to about 17 km in total. On our Sudbury list it sits near the top for size. Some 68 km away sits Capreol, the nearest settlement. Rayside-Balfour is 70 km away, with Dowling at 71 km. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Shoofly Lake

  Nothing in our records gives a depth for this one. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Public occurrence data for Sudbury names smallmouth bass, northern pike and yellow perch. Species recorded across the county may be limited to a few waters. On Shoofly Lake the first feature you find is usually worth a session.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about -16°C in January to roughly 17°C in July. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. Ice-out usually falls in late April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. The lid tends to go about late April and return around late November. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. Shoofly Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. No slipway, car park or made path shows up nearby in mapping, so treat access as rough. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Eli Lake sits 2.1 km off and takes the overflow. Ask locally about Shoofly Lake if anything is unclear.