Fishing at Potts Lake, Oakview, Manitoba

• Overview

  Potts Lake lies in Oakview, Manitoba. Pine and birch runs right down to the water. With some 18 hectares of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. 11 km away sits Minnedosa, the nearest town. For a city, Winnipeg is 205 km off. Water in the same corner: Gourlay Lake about 2.9 km, Tomlinson Lake near enough 3.6 km, Jacksons Lake about 4.7 km, Cameron Lake near enough 4.8 km and Firby Lake about 5 km. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Potts Lake

  Our records hold no depth for this water. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Oakview records list northern pike, walleye, johnny darter and white sucker among the fish reported. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. Potts Lake fishes better once you know its edges.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 18°C in July and bottom out at -19°C in January. A solid cap is the normal state through winter. The lid usually goes in late April, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. Open water usually runs from late April until about mid November. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. Anyone fishing Potts Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. Mapped as intermittent, it fills after rain and shrinks between. There is no mapped parking or launch close by, which usually means walking in. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. Gourlay Lake at 2.9 km is the sensible second choice. Rules at Potts Lake are worth checking on the day.