Akaiyesseh Lake, Northwest Territories: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Akaiyesseh Lake is a North Slave Region water, in Northwest Territories. The bank is 513 metres above sea level. It is high ground by Northwest Territories standards. The town to know is Behchokǫ̀, 256 km out. The big place round here is Edmonton, 1251 km distant. If this one is busy: Humpy Lake 15 km off, Long Legs Lake a touch under 16 km, Angelique Lake 19 km off, Baldhead Lake a touch under 22 km and Big Lake 23 km off. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Akaiyesseh Lake

  Our records carry no depth, so judge it from the bank. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. County-wide records name Arctic grayling, lake trout and slimy sculpin. Read it as a county summary, not a water-by-water list. Take Akaiyesseh Lake a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 13°C and January reads -29°C. Open water is the exception rather than the rule here. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near early June. Averages place the thaw at early June and the freeze at mid October. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. Plan around that when you fish Akaiyesseh Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. There is no recorded infrastructure here; expect to find your own way in. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Failing this one, try Humpy Lake, 15 km away. The position on Akaiyesseh Lake is worth confirming on the day.