Fishing Slush Lake in Thunder Bay District, Ontario

• Overview

  This water sits in Thunder Bay District, Ontario. Country round the bank runs to rolling bush. At about 25 hectares, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. Around 5.1 km of bank, which is a long day on foot. Compared with other Ontario water on our list, it sits high. You are 78 km from Atikokan. Grand Marais is 78 km away, with Neebing at 100 km. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Slush Lake

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Open biodiversity records for Thunder Bay District list cisco, blackfin cisco, rainbow smelt and bloater. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. Slush Lake responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 18°C on average, January about -16°C. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. Ice-out usually falls in late April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Ice clears near late April and comes back about mid November in a typical year. September and October fish steadily right up to the freeze. Time your trip to Slush Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. No made access appears within a short radius, so plan to park on a verge and walk. One rod, a handful of hooks and floats, and a few small lures are enough for this water. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Minute Lake at 1.5 km is the sensible second choice. Ask locally about Slush Lake if anything is unclear.