Wabatong Lake Fishing in Thunder Bay District, Ontario

• Overview

  Set in Thunder Bay District, Ontario, this is Wabatong Lake. It stands 344 metres above sea level. Start from Manitouwadge, 30 km down the road. Hornepayne is 48 km away, with Longlac at 107 km. Near neighbours include: Monetoues Lake at about 1.2 km, Bissonnette Lake 1.8 km away, Nega Lake at about 2.7 km, Ice Lake 2.8 km away and Longnega Lake at about 3.2 km. Rules here are straightforward: one set of provincial rules.

• Where to Fish on Wabatong Lake

  Depth is not on record here, which means reading the ground instead. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Records held for Thunder Bay District cover cisco, blackfin cisco and rainbow smelt. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. Wabatong Lake repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 16°C, with January the cold end at about -18°C. Little of the calendar is open water, so timing counts for everything. Expect a solid lid for months and a thaw around early May. Break-up near early May, freeze-up near mid November: that is the shape of an average year. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. It sets the rhythm of the year at Wabatong Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. The map shows no ramp or car park nearby, so this is a walk-in water. Keep the gear simple: light line, small hooks, split shot and a couple of proven lures. Take the rules with you rather than trusting memory. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Should this one be busy, Monetoues Lake is 1.2 km off. For Wabatong Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.