Marmion Lake – Atikokan

About this water

Known locally as the Floodwaters, Marmion hosts the Atikokan Bass Classic and offers outstanding smallmouth fishing around flooded timber.

Large flooded reservoir upstream of the Seine Chain, with rocky points and flooded timber structure. Stained water in the back bays. FMZ 5.

FMZ 5 regulations — Northwest Ontario — Sunset Country & Rainy River

A 44,360 km² zone in northwest Ontario with about 5,000 lakes. It stretches west to the Manitoba border, borders Quetico Provincial Park on the east, ends at the Minnesota border to the south and reaches north to Highway 17 and the Canadian National Railway.

• Walleye: check for border-water reciprocal rules with Minnesota.
• Smallmouth bass: fourth Saturday in June opener; S-4/C-2 (one over 46 cm).
• Sturgeon: catch-and-release only in most Rainy River tributaries.

Zone check: FMZ 5 confirmed from this water's coordinates against the official Ontario zone boundaries (reviewed 2026-08-12).

Summary only — always confirm current seasons and limits on the Ontario MNRF FMZ 5 page before your trip.

Seasonal availability

Open-season windows for the species found at Marmion Lake – Atikokan, taken from the FMZ 5 regulation summary. Green months are within a published open season — they are not a prediction of how well fish will bite.

No FMZ 5 season line published in our summary for: Northern Pike. Check the official page before keeping these species.

Summary only, and seasons change annually. Confirm dates on the Ontario MNRF FMZ 5 page before your trip.

Fishing tips

• Border waters have unique reciprocal licence rules — read the Ontario summary carefully.
• Rainy River sturgeon requires heavy tackle and single hooks per regulation.
• Flooded timber holds fish all summer — pitch a tube tight to the wood and be ready for the bite on the fall.
• Access: Free trailer-accessible public launch.

Gear setup

Setup:

Medium spinning for smallmouth

Rod:

6'10"–7' medium spinning rod

Reel:

Size 2500 spinning reel

Line:

10 lb braid with 8 lb fluorocarbon leader

Best bait:

Crayfish, Leeches, Minnows

Best lures:

Tube jig, Ned rig, Topwater popper, Spinnerbait