Fishing at Turtle Lake, Thunder Bay District, Ontario

• Overview

  Turtle Lake is one of the Thunder Bay District listings for Ontario. The land about it is boreal forest. It runs to roughly 32 hectares — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. With about 2.9 km of edge, you can try several depths in one session. Some 52 km away sits Manitouwadge, the nearest settlement. The big place round here is Thunder Bay, 302 km distant. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Turtle Lake

  No depth figure appears in our records, so the bank has to tell you. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. County-wide records name cisco, blackfin cisco, rainbow smelt, bloater and shortjaw cisco. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. At Turtle Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July near 16°C and January near -19°C on the long-run figures. The fishing year opens late and shuts early. Firm cover through the cold months, then open water from early May. Going by climate averages, expect open water from about early May until roughly mid November. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. The season on Turtle Lake follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. No made access appears within a short radius, so plan to park on a verge and walk. A light spinning outfit with a small box of lures and some bait covers most of what swims here. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Should this one be busy, Decoy Lake is 1.5 km off. Check the position at Turtle Lake before loading the car.