Skidoo Lake in Sudbury: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Within Sudbury, Ontario, you have Skidoo Lake. The surface lies 381 metres up. Roughly 33 hectares: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. Roughly 2.3 km of bank means you can walk to a fresh area when one goes quiet. Capreol lies 68 km from the water. Valley East follows at 73 km, then Rayside-Balfour at 76 km. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Skidoo Lake

  No depth figure appears in our records, so the bank has to tell you. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Survey and observation records for Sudbury include smallmouth bass, northern pike, yellow perch and Iowa darter. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. The shape of Skidoo Lake decides where the fish sit.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 17°C in July and bottoms out near -16°C in January. Four clear seasons, with a proper winter at one end. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about late April. Average temperatures cross freezing around late April in spring and again near late November in autumn. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Skidoo Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Formal access is not mapped, so the last stretch is likely on foot. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. The nearest alternative is Lotus Lake, 3.6 km out. Check the position at Skidoo Lake before loading the car.