Stone's Lake in Manitoulin District: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Stone's Lake is set in Manitoulin District, Ontario. The ground around here is rolling bush. The water covers some 58 hectares, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. The perimeter runs near 5.0 km, so plan the walk before you start. Ground here is low by Ontario standards. Little Current is the closest town at 47 km. Greater Sudbury sits 137 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Stone's Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Fish documented in Manitoulin District include rainbow smelt, lake whitefish and cisco. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. The near bank of Stone's Lake is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 19°C at the top of summer and -9°C at the bottom of winter. Winter shuts the surface down for months. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around mid April. Averages suggest open water from about mid April through to roughly early December. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. On Stone's Lake the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. No slipway, car park or made path shows up nearby in mapping, so treat access as rough. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Parking is often the real limit rather than the bank itself. Check whether bait restrictions apply before you buy any. Should this one be busy, Lake Wolsey is 2.9 km off. Nothing on Stone's Lake should be assumed from this page alone.