Fishing West Blue Lake in Ethelbert, Manitoba

• Overview

  West Blue Lake stands in Ethelbert, Manitoba. Everything around it is taiga. It runs to roughly 87 hectares — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. With 9.4 km or so of shoreline, boat anglers cover ground the bank cannot. It ranks high for size among our Ethelbert listings. The closest town, Roblin, is 51 km away. Swan River is 60 km away, with Kamsack at 68 km. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on West Blue Lake

  No published figure covers depth, so learn it as you fish. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Ethelbert records list Iowa darter, yellow perch, northern pike and white sucker among the fish reported. County data is a starting point rather than a guarantee. West Blue Lake gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 16°C in July and bottom out at -19°C in January. Long winters and short summers set the pattern. Look for the thaw near early May; the fishing lifts straight after. Break-up near early May, freeze-up near early November: that is the shape of an average year. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. The season on West Blue Lake rarely departs from it.

• 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. A carry of 760 m from the nearest parking is the price of fishing here. There is a mapped landing stage 720 m away. There are toilets mapped about 710 m away. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Should this one be busy, East Blue Lake is 1.2 km off. Ask locally about West Blue Lake if anything is unclear.