Fishing at Bidou Lake, Alexander, Manitoba

• Overview

  Out in Alexander, Manitoba, sits Bidou Lake. Height above sea level is 294 metres. Surface area is around 33 hectares, which gives you real water without needing a boat. Around 3.5 km of margin, front to back. The town to know is Lac du Bonnet, 85 km out. Red Lake is 108 km away, with Golden at 115 km. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Bidou Lake

  Depth is unmeasured here, so let the shoreline guide you. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Across Alexander, recorded fish include smallmouth bass, northern pike and walleye. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. The near bank of Bidou Lake is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between -19°C in January and 18°C in July. Winter closes the water for a while, and the reopening is worth catching. After late April the shallows warm and the fish move up. On average, late April opens the water and mid November closes it again. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. Anyone fishing Bidou Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  Our records carry no access rule either way. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. The nearest alternative is Dove Lake, 2.8 km out. Where Bidou Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.