Fishing at Upper Windigo Lake, Kenora District, Ontario

• Overview

  Set in Kenora District, Upper Windigo Lake is an Ontario water. The water sits 340 metres up. This is big water, about 56.23 sq km, and in a wind it behaves like a small sea. The outline is heavily broken, with arms and bays reaching well back from the main body. It is among the larger waters listed here for Kenora District. Red Lake is the closest place, 217 km off. The nearest city of size is Winnipeg, 484 km away. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Upper Windigo Lake

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Records held for Kenora District cover northern pike, longnose sucker, white sucker, johnny darter and logperch. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Upper Windigo Lake responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 17°C, with January the cold end at about -22°C. The fishing year opens late and shuts early. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about early May. Ice usually gives way near early May, and forms again about early November. Fishing peaks soon after break-up and again before the cold returns. That shapes the year on Upper Windigo Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. No made access is recorded, so a short walk in is the likely arrangement. For the pike, wire up and throw larger lures along the weed edges. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. The nearest alternative is Windigo Lake, 11 km out. Check the position at Upper Windigo Lake before loading the car.