Fishing Bigstick Lake in Big Stick No. 141, Saskatchewan

• Overview

  Look for Bigstick Lake in Big Stick No. 141, Saskatchewan. Elevation runs to 702 metres. At 17.20 sq km you are fishing a fraction of it whatever you do. There is roughly 18 km of bank, more than one visit can cover properly. Start from Maple Creek, 41 km down the road. Shaunavon is 95 km and Dunmore 96 km. Other water within reach: Ingebrigt Lake some 11 km off, Freefight Lake 21 km off, Crane Lake some 27 km off, Andrews Lake 35 km off and Hay Lake some 35 km off. No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Bigstick Lake

  Our records hold no depth for this water. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Treat Bigstick Lake as a water to read rather than to cover. If a spot has produced once, it will produce again in similar conditions.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 19°C and January about -13°C. A full turn of seasons, with the strongest sport on either side of summer. Ice-out usually falls in mid April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Climate averages put the opening at about mid April and the closing near late November. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. At Bigstick Lake the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Mapping flags this water as intermittent: it can be dry for part of the year, so check before travelling. There is no mapped parking or launch close by, which usually means walking in. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. Should this one be busy, Ingebrigt Lake is 11 km off. Signs at Bigstick Lake carry more weight than any list.