Fishing at Crawford Lake, South Slave Region, Northwest Territories

• Overview

  The South Slave Region entry here is Crawford Lake, in Northwest Territories. Elevation runs to 313 metres. At 13.39 sq km you are fishing a fraction of it whatever you do. There is roughly 66 km of bank, and each arm behaves like its own water. You are 449 km from Baker Lake. The big place round here is Edmonton, 1111 km distant. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Crawford Lake

  Depth is unmeasured here, so let the shoreline guide you. 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. Public occurrence data for South Slave Region names Arctic grayling, lake trout, Arctic charr and slimy sculpin. Read it as a county summary, not a water-by-water list. The shape of Crawford Lake rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 14°C, the coldest about -29°C. A short, intense season is the rule this far north. Ice-out usually falls in early June, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Open water usually runs from early June until about mid October. Late spring and early autumn carry the year between them. At Crawford Lake the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. 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. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Barlow Lake at 16 km is the sensible second choice. Nothing here settles the position at Crawford Lake for certain.