Fishing at Turtle Lake, Rainy River District, Ontario

• Overview

  Turtle Lake is a Rainy River District water, in Ontario. The water sits 431 metres up. Around 12.52 sq km of open water: conditions change from one end to the other. On our Rainy River District list it sits near the top for size. Head to Atikokan, 32 km away, for anything you forgot. The big place round here is Thunder Bay, 207 km distant. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Turtle Lake

  Nothing in our records gives a depth for this one. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Records held for Rainy River District cover northern pike, smallmouth bass and yellow perch. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. Turtle Lake responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 18°C for July and -17°C for January. The middle months are generous; the ends are demanding. Expect a solid lid for months and a thaw around late April. The lid tends to go about late April and return around mid November. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. It holds true on Turtle Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. There is no recorded infrastructure here; expect to find your own way in. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. If the gate is shut, Slim Lake at 5.9 km is the nearest alternative. Treat access at Turtle Lake as something to verify.