Suckle Lake near Longlac: Fishing Spots, Seasons and Access

• Overview

  Suckle Lake is one of the Thunder Bay District listings for Ontario. The surface lies 327 metres up. It runs to roughly 65 hectares — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. Around 5.8 km of bank, which is a long day on foot. Some 7.4 km away sits Longlac, the nearest settlement. The big place round here is Thunder Bay, 245 km distant. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Suckle Lake

  No depth figure appears in our records, so the bank has to tell you. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Fish documented in Thunder Bay District include cisco, blackfin cisco, rainbow smelt and bloater. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. On Suckle Lake the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from -19°C in January up to 16°C in July. This far north the hard season runs and runs. Ice-out usually falls in early May, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Averages suggest open water from about early May through to roughly mid November. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. On Suckle Lake that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Access points are not mapped for this water, which suits people who like quiet. One rod, a handful of hooks and floats, and a few small lures are enough for this water. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. For a change of water, Potato Lake is 1.4 km distant. Check the position on Suckle Lake before loading the car.