Fishing Deer Lake in Thunder Bay District, Ontario

• Overview

  Deer Lake lies in Thunder Bay District, Ontario. Around the bank it is lake country bush. At about 30 hectares, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. About 3.6 km of bank, so nothing stays unexplored for long. It sits higher than most water we list in Ontario. For supplies, Grand Marais is 35 km out. Neebing lies 70 km off, Parkdale another 85 km. No boundary runs near, so the local rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Deer Lake

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Across Thunder Bay District, recorded fish include cisco, blackfin cisco, rainbow smelt, bloater and shortjaw cisco. Species recorded across the county may be limited to a few waters. The near bank of Deer Lake is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 17°C on average, January about -15°C. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. Expect a solid lid for months and a thaw around late April. In an average year the thaw lands around late April and the freeze near mid November. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. Plan any trip to Deer Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Overnight stays are possible 220 m away. A light spinning outfit with a small box of lures and some bait covers most of what swims here. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Moon Lake sits 0.8 km off and takes the overflow. Check the current arrangement for Deer Lake.