Fishing Tea Lake in Algoma, Ontario

• Overview

  In Ontario, Tea Lake belongs to Algoma. It sits at 403 metres above sea level. It runs to roughly 25 hectares — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. The bank runs about 4.5 km all the way round, so one visit can cover most of it. Wawa is the closest town at 33 km. It is 326 km to Thunder Bay, the nearest city. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Tea Lake

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Survey and observation records for Algoma include walleye, northern pike and Iowa darter. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. At Tea Lake the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put July at about 16°C and January near -16°C. Open water is the exception rather than the rule here. Once it clears, about early May, the fishing comes on quickly. From about early May to around mid November, expect open water on the long-run figures. Early summer and early autumn carry the open-water season. At Tea Lake the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Nothing built is recorded close to the bank here. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Night access is frequently treated as a separate matter. Failing this one, try Radford Lake, 3.3 km away. Where Tea Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.