Coughlin Lake Fishing Guide, Stony Rapids, Saskatchewan

• Overview

  Set in Stony Rapids, Coughlin Lake is a Saskatchewan water. The land about it is spruce and muskeg. It measures about 63 hectares, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. Around 6.1 km of bank, which is a long day on foot. On size it sits at the modest end of our Stony Rapids list. Fort Smith lies 359 km from the water. Further out sit Buffalo Narrows (428 km) and Fort McMurray (450 km). No boundary runs near, so the local rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Coughlin Lake

  Depth figures are not published for this one. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Records held for Stony Rapids cover cisco, northern pike, round whitefish and lake chub. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. Coughlin Lake responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about -26°C and July at about 15°C, the water has a wide range to work through. A short, intense season is the rule this far north. Ice-out usually falls in mid May, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Averages place the thaw at mid May and the freeze at late October. September and October fish steadily right up to the freeze. Coughlin Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Nothing is mapped in the way of a ramp or car park within a short radius. Pike mean a wire trace, no exceptions; big spoons and jerkbaits do the searching. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. The nearest alternative is McClelland Lake, 1.9 km out. Rules at Coughlin Lake are worth checking on the day.