Fishing at Slate Lake, Alexander, Manitoba

• Overview

  Set in Alexander, Slate Lake is a Manitoba water. Height above sea level is 315 metres. With some 44 hectares of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. Lac du Bonnet sits 80 km from the bank. For a city, Winnipeg is 167 km off. Close neighbours run: Lake Bon sits 1.7 km out, Wrathall Lake a touch under 1.8 km, Banksian Lake sits 2 km out, Bud Lake a touch under 3 km and Gem Lake sits 3.1 km out. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Slate Lake

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Records held for Alexander cover smallmouth bass, northern pike, walleye and yellow perch. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. Treat Slate Lake as a water to read rather than to cover.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about -19°C in January to roughly 18°C in July. Seasons are distinct, and each one fishes differently. Ice is part of the season here, ending near late April. Going by climate averages, expect open water from about late April until roughly mid November. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. Slate Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. Nothing is mapped in the way of a ramp or car park within a short radius. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. Lake Bon at 1.7 km is the sensible second choice. Check the current arrangement for Slate Lake.