West Mink Lake, Ontario: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  West Mink Lake is an Algoma water, in Ontario. The ground around here is pine and birch. The water covers some 40 hectares, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. The edge runs 4.9 km or so, easy to work in an afternoon. Elliot Lake sits 22 km from the bank. Further out sit Blind River (39 km) and Little Current (50 km). This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on West Mink Lake

  Our records carry no depth, so judge it from the bank. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Records held for Algoma cover walleye, northern pike, Iowa darter and yellow perch. Species recorded across the county may be limited to a few waters. On West Mink Lake a short move beats a long cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 19°C at the top of summer and -10°C at the bottom of winter. Four clear seasons, with a proper winter at one end. Break-up comes around mid April, and the run that follows is short and strong. Open water usually runs from mid April until about early December. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. The season on West Mink Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Access points are not mapped for this water, which suits people who like quiet. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Should this one be busy, Camp Lake is 1.6 km off. What applies at West Mink Lake may have changed since it was mapped.