Finger Lake, Ontario: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Set in Rainy River District, Ontario, this is Finger Lake. It sits at 371 metres above sea level. Roughly 1.15 sq km of surface: treat each bay as a water in its own right. At about 8.9 km of edge, most people work one arm at a time. Some 48 km away sits Ely, the nearest settlement. Atikokan lies 66 km off, Babbitt another 66 km. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Finger Lake

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Survey and observation records for Rainy River District include northern pike, smallmouth bass, yellow perch and walleye. County data is a starting point rather than a guarantee. The shape of Finger Lake rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put July at about 19°C and January near -16°C. The freeze arrives properly here and holds. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around late April. The water is typically free of ice between late April and mid November. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. On Finger Lake the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. There is camping recorded roughly 1 km off. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Failing this one, try Charm Lake, 1.5 km away. Check the position on Finger Lake before loading the car.