Ambush Lake Fishing in North Slave Region, Northwest Territories

• Overview

  You will find Ambush Lake in North Slave Region, Northwest Territories. The country round it is sage and rock from end to end. This is big water, about 15.13 sq km, and in a wind it behaves like a small sea. The perimeter is close to 43 km, and wind can be flat in one arm and rough in the next. For a base, Kugluktuk sits 241 km out. Behchokǫ̀ lies 342 km off, Yellowknife another 364 km. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Ambush Lake

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. North Slave Region records list Arctic grayling, lake trout and slimy sculpin among the fish reported. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. Fish Ambush Lake where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 12°C and January reads -30°C. Cold dominates the calendar on water this far north. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from mid June. On the long-run averages the water opens up around mid June and starts locking again about early October. June through September is the settled part of the year, with the shoulders busier for fish. It holds true on Ambush Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. No slipway, car park or made path shows up nearby in mapping, so treat access as rough. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Carousel Lake at 9.8 km is the sensible second choice. What applies at Ambush Lake may have changed since it was mapped.