Soot Lake Fishing Guide, Timiskaming District, Ontario

• Overview

  Soot Lake lies in Timiskaming District, Ontario. The ground round it is pine and birch. About 1.36 sq km, so local knowledge or a boat saves a lot of walking. There is roughly 9.6 km of bank, more than one visit can cover properly. Size puts it in the front rank of our Timiskaming District list. The closest town, Englehart, is 88 km distant. Kirkland Lake is 96 km away, with Temiskaming Shores at 97 km. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Soot Lake

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Species logged across Timiskaming District include brook trout, northern pike and yellow perch. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. On Soot Lake the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 17°C; the cold one sits at -16°C. Winter shuts the surface down for months. Ice is part of the season here, ending near late April. Ice usually gives way near late April, and forms again about mid November. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. That is the shape of the year on Soot Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Mapping shows no built access close by; expect to walk in from wherever you can leave the car. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. For a change of water, Spider Lake is 2 km distant. Where Soot Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.