King Lake, Northwest Territories: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Within South Slave Region, Northwest Territories, you have King Lake. What surrounds it is open dry country. Surface area runs to some 12.55 sq km, so a boat and a plan are both worth having. The perimeter is close to 47 km, and wind can be flat in one arm and rough in the next. The closest town, Yellowknife, is 234 km distant. Edmonton sits 1148 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on King Lake

  No depth figure appears in our records, so the bank has to tell you. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Records held for South Slave Region cover Arctic grayling, lake trout and Arctic charr. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. Fish King Lake to its features, not to its size.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The seasonal spread runs -27°C to 13°C. Cold dominates the calendar on water this far north. Expect a solid lid for months and a thaw around early June. Ice clears near early June and comes back about mid October in a typical year. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. It sets the rhythm of the year at King Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Mapping is blank for access, so scout the approach before committing the car. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Failing this one, try Lake of the Enemy, 25 km away. For King Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.