Sinclair Lake in Sudbury: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  In Ontario, Sinclair Lake belongs to Sudbury. Land around it is taiga. At 1.90 sq km this is proper open water rather than a pond. At about 13 km of edge, most people work one arm at a time. Size puts it in the front rank of our Sudbury list. Chapleau at 8.6 km is the nearest place to stop. Wawa is 105 km and Timmins 163 km. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Sinclair Lake

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Survey and observation records for Sudbury include smallmouth bass, northern pike and yellow perch. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. On Sinclair Lake the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from -16°C in January up to 17°C in July. A short, intense season is the rule this far north. Ice-out usually falls in late April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. On the long-run averages the water opens up around late April and starts locking again about mid November. June through September is the settled part of the year, with the shoulders busier for fish. On Sinclair Lake that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Public data shows nothing built here, so treat the whole approach as informal. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Season dates differ by species, so read the table. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Stevenson Lake sits 3.7 km off and takes the overflow. Where Sinclair Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.