Skull Lake, Ontario: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Skull Lake falls in Timiskaming District, part of Ontario. It sits at 343 metres above sea level. This is sizeable water at about 1.36 sq km, and a boat opens up most of it. Around 7.6 km of bank, which is a long day on foot. Size puts it in the front rank of our Timiskaming District list. Temiskaming Shores is the closest town at 42 km. It is 126 km to Greater Sudbury, the nearest city. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Skull Lake

  No figure exists for depth, so let the water show you. 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. Across Timiskaming District, recorded fish include brook trout, northern pike, yellow perch, Iowa darter and walleye. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Skull Lake fishes better once you know its edges.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 17°C; by January the average is down near -16°C. Hard water is a season in its own right here. Expect a solid lid for months and a thaw around late April. The lid tends to go about late April and return around mid November. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. Anyone fishing Skull Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  Our records carry no access rule either way. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Access points are not mapped for this water, which suits people who like quiet. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Little Skull Lake sits 1.3 km off and takes the overflow. Confirm before you fish Skull Lake.