Hottah Lake, Northwest Territories: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Set in North Slave Region, Northwest Territories, this is Hottah Lake. The surface lies 180 metres up. This is big water, about 950.73 sq km, and in a wind it behaves like a small sea. The bank is deeply indented, so shelter is easy to find in any wind. It is among the larger waters listed here for North Slave Region. For a base, Behchokǫ̀ sits 279 km out. Kugluktuk is 342 km away, with Yellowknife at 354 km. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Hottah Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Public occurrence data for North Slave Region names Arctic grayling, lake trout and slimy sculpin. County records show what lives in the area; the local agency holds the water-by-water list. Read Hottah Lake for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 14°C; the cold one sits at -26°C. Little of the calendar is open water, so timing counts for everything. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near late May. On average, late May opens the water and late October closes it again. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. Time your trip to Hottah Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. There is no mapped parking or launch close by, which usually means walking in. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Zebulon Lake sits 31 km off and takes the overflow. For Hottah Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.