Fishing Tablerock Lake in Kenora District, Ontario

• Overview

  Tablerock Lake sits in Kenora District, out in Ontario. The bank gives way to mixed forest. With some 26 hectares of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. A shoreline of some 2.2 km keeps the choices simple. On size it sits at the modest end of our Kenora District list. Supplies mean a trip to Dryden, 28 km off. It is 282 km to Thunder Bay, the nearest city. Rules here are straightforward: one set of provincial rules.

• Where to Fish on Tablerock Lake

  Our records hold no depth for this water. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Species logged across Kenora District include northern pike, longnose sucker, white sucker and johnny darter. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. At Tablerock Lake the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about -18°C and July at about 18°C, the water has a wide range to work through. The year splits cleanly: hard water, then open water. After late April the shallows warm and the fish move up. Break-up sits around late April on average, with the water closing again about mid November. The first weeks of open water and the last are the ones to plan for. Expect Tablerock Lake to follow that timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public data does not answer the access question here. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. There is no mapped parking or launch nearby, which keeps numbers down. Pike mean a wire trace, no exceptions; big spoons and jerkbaits do the searching. Provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. For a change of water, Tom Chief Lake is 1.3 km distant. For Tablerock Lake in particular, ask before you travel.