Fishing at Tophet Lake, Sudbury, Ontario

• Overview

  The Sudbury end of Ontario holds Tophet Lake. The surface lies 453 metres up. It measures some 2.89 sq km, and wind has room to build across it. There is roughly 35 km of bank, and each arm behaves like its own water. It is among the larger waters listed here for Sudbury. Chapleau sits 27 km from the bank. After that come Wawa at 126 km and Elliot Lake at 148 km. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Tophet Lake

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. 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. Open biodiversity records for Sudbury list smallmouth bass, northern pike, yellow perch and Iowa darter. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Tophet Lake gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 17°C in July and bottom out at -15°C in January. Cold dominates the calendar on water this far north. Once it clears, about late April, the fishing comes on quickly. Break-up near late April, freeze-up near mid November: that is the shape of an average year. Spring is short and heavy here; autumn is longer and steadier. Tophet Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  We hold no note on access for this one. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Mapping records no facilities at all near this water. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Failing this one, try Unit Lake, 4 km away. For Tophet Lake in particular, ask before you travel.