Fishing at Smith Lake, Ethelbert, Manitoba

• Overview

  Out in Ethelbert, Manitoba, sits Smith Lake. The ground round it is taiga. The water measures roughly 7 hectares, so nothing here is far from anything else. Most waters listed here for Ethelbert are larger. For supplies, Swan River is 36 km out. Regina is the closest city, 297 km away. What else is close: Twin Lake at 0.9 km, Arrow Lake 1.2 km, Telephone Line Lake at 1.7 km, Egg Lake 2.3 km and Burr Lake at 2.5 km. No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Smith Lake

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Species logged across Ethelbert include Iowa darter, yellow perch, northern pike, white sucker and rainbow trout. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. Smith Lake responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 16°C in July and bottoms out near -19°C in January. Winter runs most of the calendar, and everything worth doing happens in the gap. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around early May. The water is typically free of ice between early May and early November. September and October fish steadily right up to the freeze. Smith Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing we hold confirms whether access is permitted. Mapping records no facilities at all near this water. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. For a change of water, Twin Lake is 0.9 km distant. None of that is settled for Smith Lake in what we hold.