South Ridge Lake in Thunder Bay District: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  In Ontario, South Ridge Lake falls inside Thunder Bay District. It sits in northern bush. Surface area runs to about 8 hectares — small enough to read in one session. It is one of the smaller waters we list in Thunder Bay District. Greenstone is the closest town at 65 km. The big place round here is Thunder Bay, 231 km distant. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on South Ridge Lake

  Depth remains unrecorded, so treat the first session as a survey. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Open biodiversity records for Thunder Bay District list cisco, blackfin cisco, rainbow smelt, bloater and shortjaw cisco. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. Take South Ridge Lake a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July near 16°C and January near -20°C on the long-run figures. This far north the hard season runs and runs. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around early May. Break-up sits around early May on average, with the water closing again about mid November. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. That is the shape of the year on South Ridge Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  We hold no note on access for this one. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. Keep the gear simple: light line, small hooks, split shot and a couple of proven lures. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. The nearest alternative is North Ridge Lake, 1.5 km out. Rules at South Ridge Lake are worth checking on the day.