Fishing West Ritchie Lake in Algoma, Ontario

• Overview

  West Ritchie Lake belongs to Algoma, Ontario. The ground around here is mixed forest. Around 14 hectares of surface means several distinct areas to work. The edge runs 2.2 km or so, easy to work in an afternoon. Our Algoma list holds plenty of bigger water. Elliot Lake is the closest town at 37 km. The big place round here is Greater Sudbury, 132 km distant. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on West Ritchie Lake

  Our records hold no depth for this water. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. County-wide records name walleye, northern pike and Iowa darter. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. West Ritchie Lake gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 18°C; by January the average is down near -13°C. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. Break-up comes around late April, and the run that follows is short and strong. Ice usually gives way near late April, and forms again about late November. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to West Ritchie Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Nothing is mapped in the way of a ramp or car park within a short radius. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. River Lake sits 2.5 km off and takes the overflow. Where West Ritchie Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.