Splake fishing near Thunder Bay, ON

33 documented waters within 300 km, 27 of them with splake as the primary species.

Where they are biting today

Fishing splake around Thunder Bay

Finding splake around Thunder Bay does not have to be guesswork. This page tracks 33 documented waters in the surrounding area where splake are documented, then re-ranks them every day as conditions shift. Below is the local picture: which waters stand out right now, and how anglers actually fish for the species here.

Wawong Lake leads today's ranking at a score of 77 (about 266 km from Thunder Bay, roughly 14 m of water at its deepest). Hartley Lake (Terrace Bay) follows at 74 (about 196 km from Thunder Bay). Hoard Lake (Fort Frances), scoring 74, rounds out the current leaders (roughly 11 m of water at its deepest). Each number compresses the day's weather, modelled water temperature at depth and how well those conditions suit splake into one comparable score.

Splake are a hatchery cross between brook trout and lake trout, stocked widely because they grow faster than brook trout while staying more catchable in accessible depths than lake trout - a genuinely practical middle ground for a coldwater fishery. Splake swim in smaller lakes stocked by the Ontario MNRF, using both parent habitats: shallow fertile flats with weeds and downed trees plus nearby hard rock breaklines and boulder ledges dropping toward 25 to 30 feet. Cover water and adjust often: through the ice, jig a Williams spoon or tube while a minnow soaks on a second line; in open water, cast small in-line spinners, spoons or drift a minnow under a slip bobber.

Everything above is recomputed daily - the numbers on this page reflect September 14, 2026 - so check back before committing to a water: the leaders genuinely change as weather systems move through.

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