Fishing at Thistle Lake, Nipissing District, Ontario

• Overview

  Thistle Lake is a Nipissing District water, Ontario side. The bank is 270 metres above sea level. Roughly 3.00 sq km of surface: treat each bay as a water in its own right. The shoreline runs to about 29 km, far more than one trip can cover. Few waters listed in Nipissing District are bigger. The closest town, West Nipissing, is 34 km distant. It is 77 km to Greater Sudbury, the nearest city. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Thistle Lake

  Depth here is unknown, so count the lead down before committing. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Nipissing District records list smallmouth bass, cisco and yellow perch among the fish reported. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. On Thistle Lake the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 18°C, the coldest about -14°C. Winter shuts the surface down for months. Winter locks it down, and late April brings it back. On average, late April opens the water and late November closes it again. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. Thistle Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Nothing is listed nearby for parking or launching a boat. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. For a change of water, Lynn Lake is 4.9 km distant. Treat access at Thistle Lake as something to verify.