Silva Lake in Sudbury: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  In Ontario, Silva Lake falls inside Sudbury. The setting is spruce and muskeg on every side. Small at around 8 hectares: two anglers spread out cover most of it. It is a small entry by Sudbury standards. 79 km away sits Chapleau, the nearest town. Greater Sudbury is the closest city, 162 km away. More in the same country: 2.3 km away is Crabtree Lake, Beckett Lake about 2.7 km, 3.9 km away is Elmes Lake, Mick Lake about 4.4 km and 4.4 km away is Shallow Lake. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Silva Lake

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Across Sudbury, recorded fish include smallmouth bass, northern pike, yellow perch, Iowa darter and walleye. The county list is broader than any single water. Silva Lake repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about -16°C and July at about 17°C, the water has a wide range to work through. Open water arrives late and leaves early, which concentrates the fishing. Count the season from break-up, usually late April. On average, late April opens the water and mid November closes it again. The first weeks of open water and the last are the ones to plan for. Plan around that when you fish Silva Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. No launch point is recorded nearby, so this is a bank water unless you carry a boat in. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Night access is frequently treated as a separate matter. The nearest alternative is Crabtree Lake, 2.3 km out. Signs at Silva Lake carry more weight than any list.