Fishing Piasta Lake in Ethelbert, Manitoba

• Overview

  Piasta Lake is an Ethelbert water, Manitoba side. Everything around it is taiga. The water covers some 15 hectares, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. The edge runs 2.0 km or so, easy to work in an afternoon. Compared with other Manitoba water on our list, it sits high. Head to Swan River, 46 km away, for anything you forgot. Then Roblin, 70 km, and Kamsack, 76 km. No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Piasta Lake

  Depth remains unrecorded, so treat the first session as a survey. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Open biodiversity records for Ethelbert list Iowa darter, yellow perch and northern pike. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Piasta Lake fishes better once you know its edges.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is -19°C to 16°C. Ice holds for a long stretch, so the open weeks matter more here than further south. Expect a solid lid for months and a thaw around early May. Open water usually runs from early May until about early November. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Piasta Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. No launch point is recorded nearby, so this is a bank water unless you carry a boat in. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Should this one be busy, Cluff Lake is 1 km off. The position on Piasta Lake is worth confirming on the day.