Highlander Lake Fishing near Grand Marais, Ontario

• Overview

  Highlander Lake stands in Thunder Bay District, Ontario. Around the bank it is lake country bush. It runs to roughly 11 hectares — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. Most waters listed here for Thunder Bay District are larger. The closest town, Grand Marais, is 33 km away. Thunder Bay sits 76 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Highlander Lake

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Species logged across Thunder Bay District include cisco, blackfin cisco, rainbow smelt, bloater and shortjaw cisco. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. On Highlander Lake the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 17°C, with January the cold end at about -15°C. Cold winters and warm summers give a wide working range. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around early May. Climate averages put the opening at about early May and the closing near mid November. Spring is short and heavy here; autumn is longer and steadier. It sets the rhythm of the year at Highlander Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. Mapping shows an empty shoreline: no ramp, no jetty, no marked entry. One rod, a handful of hooks and floats, and a few small lures are enough for this water. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. If the gate is shut, Devilfish Lake at 0.9 km is the nearest alternative. For Highlander Lake in particular, ask before you travel.