Wilder Lake Fishing Guide, Algoma, Ontario

• Overview

  Ontario holds Wilder Lake, in Algoma. Height above sea level is 488 metres. Roughly 22 hectares: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. The full circuit measures close to 2.9 km on foot. Compared with other Ontario water on our list, it sits high. The nearest place of any size is Chapleau, 73 km away. The big place round here is Greater Sudbury, 201 km distant. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Wilder Lake

  Depth here is unknown, so count the lead down before committing. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Records held for Algoma cover walleye, northern pike, Iowa darter, yellow perch and white sucker. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. On Wilder Lake a short move beats a long cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 17°C; by January the average is down near -14°C. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. Ice is part of the season here, ending near late April. Averages place the thaw at late April and the freeze at mid November. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Wilder Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. There is no mapped parking or launch close by, which usually means walking in. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Ask in the nearest town if you are unsure. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. For a change of water, Sari Lake is 4.7 km distant. Treat Wilder Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.