Fishing at Side Lake, Kenora District, Ontario

• Overview

  Out in Kenora District, Ontario, sits Side Lake. Height above sea level is 397 metres. With some 93 hectares of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. The outline measures near 6.3 km, so local knowledge counts. Ignace is the closest place, 53 km off. For a city, Thunder Bay is 237 km off. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Side Lake

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Records held for Kenora District cover northern pike, longnose sucker, white sucker, johnny darter and logperch. County data is a starting point rather than a guarantee. On Side Lake the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 18°C; the cold one sits at -17°C. Four clear seasons, with a proper winter at one end. The lid usually goes in late April, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. Averages suggest open water from about late April through to roughly mid November. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. Side Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  The access position is unclear from public sources. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. For the pike, wire up and throw larger lures along the weed edges. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. For a change of water, Pekagoning Lake is 5.4 km distant. Nothing on Side Lake should be assumed from this page alone.