Fishing Summit Lake in Sudbury, Ontario

• Overview

  Summit Lake is a Sudbury water, Ontario side. It sits at 352 metres above sea level. Around 19 hectares of surface means several distinct areas to work. Shoreline comes to about 3.5 km, small enough to learn in a day. For a base, Chapleau sits 82 km out. Timmins is 102 km and Kapuskasing 112 km. Water in the same corner: Shiners Lake 3.6 km off, Shenango Lake 5.6 km, Ochik Lake 8 km off, Hospital Lake 8.1 km and Kyushk Lake 9.6 km off. No boundary runs near, so the local rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Summit Lake

  Depth figures are not published for this one. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Sudbury records list smallmouth bass, northern pike, yellow perch, Iowa darter and walleye among the fish reported. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. The shape of Summit Lake rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from -17°C in January up to 17°C in July. Open water is the exception rather than the rule here. Once it clears, about early May, the fishing comes on quickly. The season between ice runs from about early May to mid November. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. Plan around that when you fish Summit Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. 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. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Should this one be busy, Shiners Lake is 3.6 km off. For Summit Lake in particular, ask before you travel.