Fishing at South Lake, Yellowhead, Manitoba

• Overview

  South Lake lies within the bounds of Yellowhead, Manitoba. It sits in mixed forest country. This is sizeable water at about 2.01 sq km, and a boat opens up most of it. Minnedosa is the closest town at 46 km. The big place round here is Winnipeg, 220 km distant. Within a short drive: Clear Lake 3.3 km off, Bottle Lake at 6.4 km, Octopus Lake 6.9 km off, Lees Lake at 7.4 km and Pudge Lake 8 km off. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on South Lake

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Open biodiversity records for Yellowhead list northern pike, yellow perch and walleye. County data is a starting point rather than a guarantee. On South Lake the first feature you find is usually worth a session.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 18°C, with January the cold end at about -20°C. The middle months are generous; the ends are demanding. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around early May. The season between ice runs from about early May to mid November. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. It holds true on South Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. No made access appears within a short radius, so plan to park on a verge and walk. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. For a change of water, Clear Lake is 3.3 km distant. Check the position at South Lake before loading the car.