Fishing at Yamba Lake, North Slave Region, Northwest Territories

• Overview

  This water sits in North Slave Region, Northwest Territories. The surface lies 479 metres up. This is big water, about 334.79 sq km, and in a wind it behaves like a small sea. Its shape is complex, and the arms fish like separate waters. It ranks high for size among our North Slave Region listings. Some 317 km away sits Yellowknife, the nearest settlement. Behchokǫ̀ is 333 km away, with Kugluktuk at 359 km. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Yamba Lake

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Reported across North Slave Region: Arctic grayling, lake trout and slimy sculpin. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. At Yamba Lake the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate records put July near 12°C and January near -28°C. Little of the calendar is open water, so timing counts for everything. Hard water holds through the cold months, breaking up near mid June. The season between ice runs from about mid June to mid October. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. At Yamba Lake the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. There is no recorded infrastructure here; expect to find your own way in. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Look for a notice board at the entrance. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Daring Lake sits 20 km off and takes the overflow. Check the current arrangement for Yamba Lake.