Bigshell Lake
it lies 56 km northwest of Red Lake — the nearest road is 20 miles off — this is fly-in water, and a charted depth map is on file.
Bigshell Lake is the 237th-largest of 1,629 named lakes in Ontario Far North, with 17 miles of charted shoreline and 8 islands.
On this water
Lodges & operators 0
No lodge is based on Bigshell Lake itself. These are the closest that are — each on its own water, with the straight-line distance from here.
- Fireside Lodge✓ Verifiedlodgedrive-tohousekeeping27 mi away
Home water: Little Vermilion Lake
Drive-to lodge on Little Vermilion Lake near Sioux Lookout, the only camp on the lake, with boat and portage access to a multi-lake system (site cites both 9- and 11-lake figures) fished for walleye, northern pike, muskie, tiger muskie and smallmouth bass. Cabins are housekeeping style with fully equipped kitchens, and home-cooked meals can be pre-ordered separately. Per-person packages bundle a 16 ft Lund with a 20 hp Yamaha.
- lodgefly-inhousekeeping27 mi away
Home water: Little Vermilion Lake
Fly-in housekeeping lodge on Little Vermilion Lake north of Red Lake, reached by float plane from a base on the Chukuni River, and the only lodge on the lake. Fishing is for northern pike and walleye, with a catch-and-release policy releasing all pike over 35.5 inches. The operator also runs three fly-in outpost cabins northwest of the lodge on Hornell, Mantricia and Warrington lakes plus fly-out guided moose hunts; Warrington and Mantricia straddle the Ontario/Manitoba border and require licences for both provinces.
- Geary's Manitoba Trophy Outposts Inc.✓ Verifiedoutpost networkfly-inhousekeeping27 mi away
Home water: Little Vermilion Lake
Family-run fly-in operation north of Red Lake, Ontario, pairing a small housekeeping lodge on Little Vermilion Lake with three remote outpost camps on Warrington, Mantricia and Hornell lakes, all reached only by float plane. Trophy northern pike and walleye are the draw, with Warrington and Mantricia straddling the Ontario-Manitoba boundary and fished under Manitoba limits; fly-out moose hunts are also sold.
- Viking Island Lodge✓ Verifiedlodgefly-inhousekeeping27 mi away
Home water: Douglas Lake
Viking Island Lodge sits on an island in Douglas Lake within Woodland Caribou Provincial Park in northwestern Ontario, and is reached only by float plane from Red Lake. Accommodation is self-catered: four modernized cabins have full kitchens and 3-piece baths, while two older log cabins share a central shower house and have no kitchen of their own. The weekly Saturday-to-Saturday package covers round-trip air from Red Lake, a boat with a 9.9 hp motor and gas, a conservation fishing licence, linens and stock pantry items, with guests supplying or pre-ordering their own meat, dairy and produce. Camp occupancy is capped at 30 guests a week; nine portage-access lakes supplement Douglas Lake, and a separate fly-in outpost cabin sleeping four is available on Embryo Lake.
2026 regulations
Seasons & limitsFMZ 2
- Special limit on this water — Lake Sturgeon: Closed all year · Refer to zone-wide seasons and limits (All waters located within the portion of Zone 2 from the Ontario / Manitoba interprovincial boundary east along the line of 52°35’N. latitude, to the intersection with 93°50’W. longitude, thence south to the intersection with 52°10’N. latitude, thence east to the intersection with 92°10’W. longitude, thence south to the Zone 2 boundary, including all of the waters within Woodland Caribou Provincial Park; thence in a westerly direction to the Ontario/Manitoba interprovincial boundary, thence northerly to the intersection with 52°35’N. latitude.)
Ice-out here is typically mid May (modeled from regional ice records).
Compiled from MNRF Recreational Fishing Regulations open data (2026 season, zone-wide rules shown for this lake's species). Regulations change by variation order — confirm with the official FMZ 2 summary before you fish.
Eating what you catch
Consumption advisories
Recommended meals per month from Ontario's fish contaminant monitoring — ranges span the tested fish sizes.
| Species | General | Sensitive* |
|---|---|---|
| Lake Trout | 4–16 | 0–4 |
| Northern Pike | 0–16 | 0–8 |
Advisory cause across all species: Mercury.
*Women of child-bearing age and children under 15. Compiled from the MECP Guide to Eating Ontario Fish (2025 guide) — check the guide for size-specific advice before keeping fish.
Around this water