Hughes Lake Fishing in St. Andrews, Manitoba

• Overview

  Hughes Lake is set in St. Andrews, Manitoba. Height above sea level is 216 metres. At 2.78 sq km this is proper open water rather than a pond. By elevation it sits in the lower part of our Manitoba listings. Selkirk sits 27 km from here and is the nearest stop. The big place round here is Winnipeg, 59 km distant. No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Hughes 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. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Fish documented in St. Andrews include black bullhead, common carp, freshwater drum, bigmouth buffalo and longnose dace. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. The near bank of Hughes Lake is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The seasonal spread runs -18°C to 19°C. Spring and autumn carry the fishing; summer and winter test it. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around late April. Averages suggest open water from about late April through to roughly mid November. Early summer and early autumn carry the open-water season. Plan any trip to Hughes Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. No made access appears within a short radius, so plan to park on a verge and walk. Catfish want bait on the bottom: cut bait or worms, a simple running rig, and patience after dark. Bank access can be seasonal on ground like this. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Cochrane Lake, 2.1 km away, makes the obvious fallback. None of that is settled for Hughes Lake in what we hold.