Zurbrigg Lake in Timiskaming District: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Zurbrigg Lake is a Timiskaming District water, Ontario side. It sits in pine and birch. Roughly 33 hectares: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. You are looking at roughly 6.3 km of shoreline, with plenty of water between access points. The town to know is Timmins, 64 km out. The nearest city of size is Greater Sudbury, 165 km away. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Zurbrigg Lake

  Depth here is unknown, so count the lead down before committing. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Open biodiversity records for Timiskaming District list brook trout, northern pike, yellow perch and Iowa darter. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. On Zurbrigg Lake the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 17°C on average, January about -17°C. Seasons are distinct, and each one fishes differently. Look for the thaw near early May; the fishing lifts straight after. Averages suggest open water from about early May through to roughly mid November. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. It sets the rhythm of the year at Zurbrigg Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  We hold no note on access for this one. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Access points are not mapped for this water, which suits people who like quiet. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. Charlewood Lake sits 1.2 km off and takes the overflow. What applies at Zurbrigg Lake may have changed since it was mapped.