Loat Lake, Manitoba: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Within Ethelbert, Manitoba, you have Loat Lake. Beyond the shoreline you have northern bush. Surface area runs to about 9 hectares — small enough to read in one session. Compared with other Manitoba water on our list, it sits high. For a base, Swan River sits 39 km out. Roblin is 74 km away, with Kamsack at 74 km. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Loat Lake

  Our records carry no depth, so judge it from the bank. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Survey and observation records for Ethelbert include Iowa darter, yellow perch, northern pike and white sucker. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. On Loat Lake the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 16°C; by January the average is down near -19°C. Open water arrives late and leaves early, which concentrates the fishing. The open season starts with the thaw, near enough early May. Going by climate averages, expect open water from about early May until roughly early November. Fishing peaks soon after break-up and again before the cold returns. Loat Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  Ownership and access are not documented in what we hold. A picnic spot sits 520 m from the bank. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Local rules can differ across the county line, so check where you stand. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Failing this one, try Moosehorn Lake, 1.6 km away. Nothing here settles the position at Loat Lake for certain.