Fishing Bench Lake in Thunder Bay District, Ontario

• Overview

  Set in Thunder Bay District, Bench Lake is an Ontario water. This is pine and birch country. The water covers some 12 hectares, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. Around 1.5 km of margin, front to back. Most waters listed here for Thunder Bay District are larger. Grand Marais lies 35 km from the water. The big place round here is Thunder Bay, 82 km distant. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Bench Lake

  Our records hold no depth for this water. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Across Thunder Bay District, recorded fish include cisco, blackfin cisco, rainbow smelt, bloater and shortjaw cisco. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. At Bench Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 17°C and January reads -15°C. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. Winter locks it down, and early May brings it back. Break-up near early May, freeze-up near mid November: that is the shape of an average year. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. The season on Bench Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. A campsite lies 1.2 km away for anyone staying over. One rod, a handful of hooks and floats, and a few small lures are enough for this water. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Table Lake sits 0.6 km off and takes the overflow. For Bench Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.