Leclair Lake Fishing near Swan River, Manitoba

• Overview

  Leclair Lake sits in in Manitoba. The water sits 626 metres up. With some 16 hectares of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. About 2.0 km of bank, so nothing stays unexplored for long. On size it sits at the modest end of our Manitoba list. Swan River at 28 km is the nearest place to stop. Then Hudson Bay, 86 km, and Kamsack, 92 km. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Leclair Lake

  Depth remains unrecorded, so treat the first session as a survey. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Leclair Lake gives up its fish to patience rather than distance. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 16°C, with January the cold end at about -19°C. This far north the hard season runs and runs. 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. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. Leclair Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Nothing is listed nearby for parking or launching a boat. Ask in the nearest town if you are unsure. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Failing this one, try Winchester Lake, 1.5 km away. Treat access at Leclair Lake as something to verify.