Fishing at Beirnes Lake, South Slave Region, Northwest Territories

• Overview

  Beirnes Lake is one of the South Slave Region waters in Northwest Territories. It stands 421 metres above sea level. Around 20.02 sq km of open water: conditions change from one end to the other. You have roughly 86 km of edge to choose from, which rewards a scouting trip. For supplies, Yellowknife is 242 km out. Behchokǫ̀ is 309 km and Fort Smith 386 km. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Beirnes Lake

  Depth remains unrecorded, so treat the first session as a survey. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Across South Slave Region, recorded fish include Arctic grayling, lake trout, Arctic charr and slimy sculpin. Species recorded across the county may be limited to a few waters. Beirnes Lake repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 14°C in July and bottoms out near -28°C in January. This is a two-season water: locked, then wide open. Hard water holds through the cold months, breaking up near early June. On the long-run averages the water opens up around early June and starts locking again about mid October. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. On Beirnes Lake that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. 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. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Papanakies Lake, 20 km away, makes the obvious fallback. None of that is settled for Beirnes Lake in what we hold.