Fishing at Skead Lake, Timiskaming District, Ontario

• Overview

  Skead Lake falls in Timiskaming District, part of Ontario. It sits at 231 metres above sea level. It runs to roughly 83 hectares — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. There is roughly 11 km of bank, more than one visit can cover properly. Size puts it in the front rank of our Timiskaming District list. Englehart sits 20 km from the bank. Kirkland Lake follows at 37 km, then Temiskaming Shores at 49 km. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Skead Lake

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Timiskaming District records list brook trout, northern pike, yellow perch and Iowa darter among the fish reported. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. On Skead Lake a short move beats a long cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between -16°C in January and 18°C in July. The freeze arrives properly here and holds. Break-up comes around late April, and the run that follows is short and strong. Break-up near late April, freeze-up near mid November: that is the shape of an average year. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. That is the shape of the year on Skead Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Mapping records no facilities at all near this water. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Take the rules with you rather than trusting memory. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. If the gate is shut, Ginn Lake at 1.9 km is the nearest alternative. Rules at Skead Lake are worth checking on the day.