Fishing at Bagshaw Lakes, Air Ronge, Saskatchewan

• Overview

  Bagshaw Lakes falls in Air Ronge, part of Saskatchewan. It stands 390 metres above sea level. With some 27 hectares of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. The whole outline is near 3.6 km, and most of it is walkable. On size it sits at the modest end of our Air Ronge list. La Ronge lies 52 km from the water. Pelican Narrows is 106 km and Creighton 184 km. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Bagshaw Lakes

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Survey and observation records for Air Ronge include lake trout, northern pike, white sucker and walleye. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. Bagshaw Lakes repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 17°C and January at -21°C. The season is measured in weeks rather than months. Count the season from break-up, usually early May. Ice clears near early May and comes back about early November in a typical year. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. Bagshaw Lakes fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. Public mapping records no formal access here, so plan for a walk and soft ground. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Iskwatikan Lake sits 12 km off and takes the overflow. Treat Bagshaw Lakes as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.