Fishing Shaw Lake in North Slave Region, Northwest Territories

• Overview

  North Slave Region, Northwest Territories, is where Shaw Lake sits. What surrounds it is dry open country. Roughly 5.00 sq km of surface: treat each bay as a water in its own right. You have roughly 26 km of edge to choose from, which rewards a scouting trip. It sits higher than most water we list in Northwest Territories. Yellowknife lies 253 km from the water. Edmonton sits 1231 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Shaw Lake

  Depth figures are not published for this one. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Fish documented in North Slave Region include Arctic grayling, lake trout and slimy sculpin. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. Fish Shaw Lake to its features, not to its size.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 13°C and January about -29°C. Winter owns most of the year at this latitude. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around early June. On the long-run averages the water opens up around early June and starts locking again about mid October. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. That is the shape of the year on Shaw Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. There is no mapped parking or launch close by, which usually means walking in. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. Failing this one, try Credit Lake, 13 km away. Nothing here settles the position at Shaw Lake for certain.