Valley River Lake Fishing Guide, Ethelbert, Manitoba

• Overview

  In Manitoba, Valley River Lake belongs to Ethelbert. Land around it is taiga. It runs to roughly 25 hectares — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. Bank access stretches around 1.9 km in total. It is high ground by Manitoba standards. For a base, Swan River sits 59 km out. Roblin is 60 km and Kamsack 75 km. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Valley River Lake

  No depth figure appears in our records, so the bank has to tell you. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Reported across Ethelbert: 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. Valley River Lake responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 16°C and January at -19°C. A short, intense season is the rule this far north. Count the season from break-up, usually early May. Ice usually gives way near early May, and forms again about early November. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Valley River Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Nothing in the way of made access shows up nearby: no ramp, no car park, no path. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Should this one be busy, Blind Lake is 1.8 km off. Confirm before you fish Valley River Lake.