Haywood Lake in South Slave Region: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Haywood Lake lies within the bounds of South Slave Region, Northwest Territories. The water sits 475 metres up. At 33.14 sq km you are fishing a fraction of it whatever you do. The perimeter is close to 79 km, and wind can be flat in one arm and rough in the next. Compared with other Northwest Territories water on our list, it sits high. Yellowknife sits 225 km from the bank. Edmonton is the closest city, 1114 km away. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Haywood Lake

  Depth is unknown to us, and the shoreline is the better guide. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. South Slave Region records list Arctic grayling, lake trout, Arctic charr and slimy sculpin among the fish reported. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. On Haywood Lake the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate records put July near 14°C and January near -28°C. Ice holds for a long stretch, so the open weeks matter more here than further south. After early June the shallows warm and the fish move up. From about early June to around mid October, expect open water on the long-run figures. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. Anyone fishing Haywood Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Nothing in the way of made access shows up nearby: no ramp, no car park, no path. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. Lac Tete d'Ours, 10 km away, makes the obvious fallback. Nothing on Haywood Lake should be assumed from this page alone.