McTavish Lake in Rossburn: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  You will find McTavish Lake in Rossburn, Manitoba. The surface lies 615 metres up. It measures about 60 hectares, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. About 4.7 km of bank, so nothing stays unexplored for long. Dauphin is the closest place, 48 km off. Further out sit Roblin (73 km) and Minnedosa (82 km). Close by you also have: Roynick Lake at 3.7 km, Gunn Lake 4 km away, Little Menzie Lake at 5.5 km, Grants Lake 5.5 km away and Hough Lake at 7 km. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on McTavish Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Survey and observation records for Rossburn include northern pike, Iowa darter, white sucker, rainbow trout and yellow perch. Species recorded across the county may be limited to a few waters. McTavish Lake gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 17°C; by January the average is down near -19°C. Expect a real winter and a strong spring after it. Ice-out usually falls in late April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Ice usually gives way near late April, and forms again about mid November. Early summer and early autumn carry the open-water season. McTavish Lake runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. There is no mapped parking or launch close by, which usually means walking in. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Ask in the nearest town if you are unsure. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. The nearest alternative is Roynick Lake, 3.7 km out. Confirm before you fish McTavish Lake.