Dismal Lake Fishing Guide, Manitoba, Manitoba

• Overview

  This water sits in Manitoba. This is northern bush country. It measures some 1.27 sq km, and wind has room to build across it. The perimeter runs near 11 km, so plan the walk before you start. 32 km away sits Flin Flon, the nearest town. Creighton is 34 km away, with Snow Lake at 92 km. Within easy reach: Kotyk Lake just 3.4 km, Ham Lake at 3.6 km, Blueberry Lake just 3.9 km, Fahrni Lake at 4.5 km and Loughnan Lake just 6.3 km. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Dismal Lake

  We hold no depth figure for this one. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Dismal Lake gives up its fish to patience rather than distance. If a spot has produced once, it will produce again in similar conditions.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between -22°C in January and 17°C in July. This is a two-season water: locked, then wide open. Hard water holds through the cold months, breaking up near early May. Ice usually gives way near early May, and forms again about early November. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. The season on Dismal Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. 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. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. Failing this one, try Kotyk Lake, 3.4 km away. Check the position on Dismal Lake before loading the car.