Spook Lake, Ontario: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Spook Lake is a Kenora District water, in Ontario. The land about it is pine and birch. It runs to roughly 37 hectares — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. The edge runs 4.8 km or so, easy to work in an afternoon. By elevation it is in the upper part of our Ontario listings. Some 43 km away sits Ignace, the nearest settlement. It is 171 km to Thunder Bay, the nearest city. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Spook Lake

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Across Kenora District, recorded fish include northern pike, longnose sucker, white sucker, johnny darter and logperch. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. Spook Lake gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 18°C; by January the average is down near -18°C. A full turn of seasons, with the strongest sport on either side of summer. Break-up comes around late April, and the run that follows is short and strong. Average temperatures cross freezing around late April in spring and again near mid November in autumn. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Spook Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. There is no recorded infrastructure here; expect to find your own way in. For the pike, wire up and throw larger lures along the weed edges. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. If the gate is shut, Riverview Lake at 3 km is the nearest alternative. For Spook Lake in particular, ask before you travel.