Caribou Lake in Thunder Bay District: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Caribou Lake belongs to Thunder Bay District, Ontario. Pine and birch runs right down to the water. It measures some 1.83 sq km, and wind has room to build across it. Some 12 km of bank gives room to move when the wind turns. On our Thunder Bay District list it sits near the top for size. Start from Grand Marais, 35 km down the road. Beyond it, Neebing at 68 km and Parkdale at 83 km. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Caribou Lake

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Reported across Thunder Bay District: cisco, blackfin cisco, rainbow smelt and bloater. County records show what lives in the area; the local agency holds the water-by-water list. At Caribou Lake the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 17°C, with January the cold end at about -15°C. A solid cap is the normal state through winter. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around early May. On the long-run averages the water opens up around early May and starts locking again about mid November. June through September is the settled part of the year, with the shoulders busier for fish. That is the shape of the year on Caribou Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. You can camp about 650 m away, going by the mapping. A light spinning outfit with a small box of lures and some bait covers most of what swims here. Take the rules with you rather than trusting memory. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Ivory Lake sits 0.9 km off and takes the overflow. Where Caribou Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.