Fishing Chedabucto Lake in North Slave Region, Northwest Territories

• Overview

  Look for Chedabucto Lake in the North Slave Region part of Northwest Territories. What surrounds it is sage and rock. This is big water, about 42.98 sq km, and in a wind it behaves like a small sea. There is roughly 59 km of bank, and each arm behaves like its own water. On our North Slave Region list it sits near the top for size. Supplies mean a trip to Behchokǫ̀, 53 km off. Further out sit Yellowknife (60 km) and Hay River (175 km). This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Chedabucto Lake

  Our records hold no depth for this water. 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. County-wide records name Arctic grayling, lake trout and slimy sculpin. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. Fish Chedabucto Lake where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 16°C, with January the cold end at about -26°C. Ice holds for a long stretch, so the open weeks matter more here than further south. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near mid May. The lid tends to go about mid May and return around late October. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. On Chedabucto Lake that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Nothing is mapped in the way of a ramp or car park within a short radius. 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, Bras d'Or Lake is 10 km off. For Chedabucto Lake in particular, ask before you travel.