Gifford Lake
Northern Pike is open all year here — it lies 19 km northeast of Eabametoong First Nation, and a charted depth map is on file.
Gifford Lake is the 227th-largest of 1,629 named lakes in Ontario Far North, with 32 miles of charted shoreline and 22 islands.
MNRF aquatic resource surveys
Fish species
On this water
Lodges & operators 0
No lodge is based on Gifford Lake itself. These are the closest that are — each on its own water, with the straight-line distance from here.
- Makokibatan Lodge✓ Verifiedlodgefly-inamerican20 mi away
Fly-in trophy lodge on 18-mile Makokibatan Lake on the Albany River in Ontario's far north, reached by floatplane from Nakina and sold as an all-inclusive package by parent operator Wilderness North. Six full-service log cabins and a main lodge dining room serve anglers chasing trophy walleye, northern pike on the north-shore weed beds, and Albany River brook trout.
- Miminiska Lodge✓ Verifiedlodgefly-inamerican38 mi away
Home water: Miminiska Lake
Wilderness North's flagship full-service fly-in lodge, roughly 235 miles north of Thunder Bay where the Albany River widens into Miminiska Lake. Guests fly in from Thunder Bay for lake-and-river walleye and northern pike plus a well-regarded brook trout fishery, with all meals, boat and motor, and daily housekeeping included; it is also the base for the company's fly-fishing itineraries.
- Great North Fishing Company✓ Verifiedoutpost networkfly-inhousekeeping49 mi away
Home water: Sim Lake
Fly-in operation out of Armstrong Station, Ontario, running an eight-person outpost cabin on Sim Lake plus a second camp at Harvey. Sim Lake holds walleye, northern pike and whitefish, with an irregular shoreline, mid-lake islands and bays reaching 16-24 feet. Cabins are housekeeping, with solar lighting, propane fridge and stove, hot and cold running water, in-cabin shower, BBQ, fish fryer, screened porch and Starlink internet; self-guided moose hunting is offered in Wildlife Management Unit 17, where the cabin is the only one on the lake.
2026 regulations
Seasons & limitsFMZ 2
Ice-out here is typically mid May (modeled from regional ice records).
| Species | Season | Sport licence | Conservation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Pike | Open all year | S - 4, none between 70 - 90 cm (27.6 - 35.4 in.), not more than 1 greater than 90 cm (35.4 in.) | C - 2, none between 70 - 90 cm (27.6 - 35.4 in.), not more than 1 greater than 90 cm (35.4 in.) |
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* |
|---|---|---|
| Northern Pike | 4–16 | 0–4 |
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.
Comparable trips
Similar water
Same region, overlapping species, comparable size.
- Spruce Lake1 shared species · 2,640 ac
- Okanse Lake1 shared species · 2,676 ac
- Duckling Lake1 shared species · 2,595 ac
- Roseberry Lakes1 shared species · 2,564 ac
- Shamattawa Lake1 shared species · 2,778 ac
Around this water