Simon Lake, Northwest Territories: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  You will find Simon Lake in North Slave Region, Northwest Territories. Land around it is dry rangeland. About 6.91 sq km, so local knowledge or a boat saves a lot of walking. The bank runs about 34 km in total, split between open shore and sheltered corners. The nearest town is Kugluktuk, 271 km away. After that come Behchokǫ̀ at 312 km and Yellowknife at 373 km. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Simon Lake

  Depth is unmeasured here, so let the shoreline guide you. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Survey and observation records for North Slave Region include Arctic grayling, lake trout and slimy sculpin. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Treat Simon Lake as a water to read rather than to cover.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between -29°C in January and 14°C in July. This far north the hard season runs and runs. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near late May. Average temperatures cross freezing around late May in spring and again near mid October in autumn. Spring is short and heavy here; autumn is longer and steadier. The season on Simon Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Access is unmapped, which usually means a farm track and a walk. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. Lever Lake sits 17 km off and takes the overflow. Treat access at Simon Lake as something to verify.