Rice Lake Fishing near Lac du Bonnet, Manitoba

• Overview

  You will find Rice Lake in Alexander, Manitoba. The water sits 271 metres up. At some 4.98 sq km it is far too large to cover on foot in a day. The perimeter runs near 13 km, so plan the walk before you start. Few waters listed in Alexander are bigger. Lac du Bonnet is the closest place, 26 km off. It is 113 km to Winnipeg, the nearest city. A county line runs close by, so local bylaws can differ within a short drive.

• Where to Fish on Rice Lake

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Survey and observation records for Alexander include smallmouth bass, northern pike, walleye, yellow perch and white sucker. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. Read Rice Lake before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July is the warm end of the year here, averaging about 19°C, while January sits near -18°C. Cold winters and warm summers give a wide working range. Look for the thaw near late April; the fishing lifts straight after. The open-water window runs from around late April to about mid November in an average year. June through September is the settled part of the year, with the shoulders busier for fish. It holds true on Rice Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Access is unmapped, which usually means a farm track and a walk. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. The nearest alternative is Tar Lake, 7.7 km out. Where Rice Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.