Fishing Skull Lake in Manitoba, Manitoba

• Overview

  Manitoba in Manitoba is where Skull Lake sits. Height above sea level is 746 metres. With some 13 hectares of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. Shoreline comes to about 1.4 km, small enough to learn in a day. On size it sits at the modest end of our Manitoba list. Swan River is the closest place, 61 km off. After that come Hudson Bay at 69 km and Preeceville at 115 km. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Skull Lake

  Depth is unmeasured here, so let the shoreline guide you. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. At Skull Lake the water rewards a slow, careful approach. Sunken timber holds fish, but costs tackle; go in prepared.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 16°C in July and bottoms out near -19°C in January. Long winters and short summers set the pattern. 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. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. Skull Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. No launch point is recorded nearby, so this is a bank water unless you carry a boat in. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Genaille Lake at 1.7 km is the sensible second choice. The position on Skull Lake is worth confirming on the day.