Gar Lake Fishing Guide, North Slave Region, Northwest Territories

• Overview

  You will find Gar Lake in North Slave Region, Northwest Territories. It sits in open dry country. It measures about 33 hectares, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. The bank runs about 3.0 km all the way round, so one visit can cover most of it. On size it sits at the modest end of our North Slave Region list. Yellowknife is the closest town at 7.3 km. Then Behchokǫ̀, 91 km, and Hay River, 204 km. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Gar Lake

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Fish documented in North Slave Region include Arctic grayling, lake trout and slimy sculpin. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Gar Lake responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 16°C, with January the cold end at about -27°C. The fishing year opens late and shuts early. The lid usually goes in late May, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. On the long-run averages the water opens up around late May and starts locking again about late October. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. On Gar Lake the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. No made access is recorded, so a short walk in is the likely arrangement. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Season dates differ by species, so read the table. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Martin Lake at 3.4 km is the sensible second choice. Check the position on Gar Lake before loading the car.