Bear Paw Lake in Manitoba: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Bear Paw Lake falls in in Manitoba. The surroundings are northern bush. It measures about 23 hectares, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. Around 2.2 km of margin, front to back. On size it sits at the modest end of our Manitoba list. The town to know is Swan River, 47 km out. Regina sits 319 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Bear Paw Lake

  No figure exists for depth, so let the water show you. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. At Bear Paw Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes. Overhanging branches shade fish that would otherwise sit deeper.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July near 16°C and January near -19°C on the long-run figures. The ice season is long here and the open one short. The lid usually goes in early May, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. On average, early May opens the water and early November closes it again. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. At Bear Paw Lake the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. There is no mapped parking or launch close by, which usually means walking in. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. The nearest alternative is Ridge Lake, 1 km out. Confirm before you fish Bear Paw Lake.