Sward Lake Fishing near Amethyst Harbour, Ontario

• Overview

  Sward Lake is one of the Thunder Bay District waters in Ontario. This is taiga ground. At about 40 hectares, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. The edge runs 4.0 km or so, easy to work in an afternoon. Head to Amethyst Harbour, 20 km away, for anything you forgot. After that come Shuniah Township at 36 km and Current River at 44 km. No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Sward Lake

  Nothing in our records gives a depth for this one. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Thunder Bay District records list cisco, blackfin cisco and rainbow smelt among the fish reported. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. The near bank of Sward Lake is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The seasonal spread runs -16°C to 17°C. Cold dominates the year and the fishing works around it. Winter locks it down, and early May brings it back. In an average year the thaw lands around early May and the freeze near mid November. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. It sets the rhythm of the year at Sward Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. No launch point is recorded nearby, so this is a bank water unless you carry a boat in. Keep the gear simple: light line, small hooks, split shot and a couple of proven lures. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. For a change of water, Pike Lake is 1.2 km distant. Nothing here settles the position at Sward Lake for certain.