Fishing at Frame Lake, North Slave Region, Northwest Territories

• Overview

  Frame Lake is one of the North Slave Region waters in Northwest Territories. Around the bank it is open dry country. Around 93 hectares of surface means several distinct areas to work. The edge covers about 7.9 km, enough to hold several distinct areas. On size it sits at the modest end of our North Slave Region list. 1 km away sits Yellowknife, the nearest town. Behchokǫ̀ is 93 km and Hay River 197 km. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Frame Lake

  Depth is unknown to us, and the shoreline is the better guide. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. County-wide records name Arctic grayling, lake trout and slimy sculpin. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. Treat Frame Lake as a water to read rather than to cover.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 16°C at the top of summer and -26°C at the bottom of winter. Open water is the exception rather than the rule here. Ice-out usually falls in late May, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Averages place the thaw at late May and the freeze at late October. Fishing peaks soon after break-up and again before the cold returns. The season on Frame Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Mapping shows parking within 410 m. Picnic facilities are recorded some 530 m out. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Parking is often the real limit rather than the bank itself. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. Range Lake, 1.6 km away, makes the obvious fallback. Check the position on Frame Lake before loading the car.