Fishing Third Lake in Sudbury, Ontario

• Overview

  Third Lake falls in Sudbury, part of Ontario. Elevation runs to 375 metres. At about 49 hectares, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. Some 6.2 km of bank gives room to move when the wind turns. The town to know is Dowling, 79 km out. Further out sit Rayside-Balfour (83 km) and Capreol (91 km). What else is close: Second Lake lies 2.3 km on, Fifth Lake within 3.4 km, Elspie Lake lies 3.6 km on, Mudhen Lake within 4.2 km and Bat Lake lies 4.2 km on. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Third Lake

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Reported across Sudbury: smallmouth bass, northern pike and yellow perch. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. The near bank of Third Lake is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July is the warm end of the year here, averaging about 17°C, while January sits near -15°C. A solid cap is the normal state through winter. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near late April. Break-up sits around late April on average, with the water closing again about late November. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. Time your trip to Third Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Mapping shows no built access close by; expect to walk in from wherever you can leave the car. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Second Lake, 2.3 km away, makes the obvious fallback. Nothing here settles the position at Third Lake for certain.