Fishing Engler Lake in Stony Rapids, Saskatchewan

• Overview

  Look for Engler Lake in the Stony Rapids part of Saskatchewan. The water sits 232 metres up. It covers about 39.91 sq km, which means weather matters as much as tactics. The shoreline runs to about 45 km, far more than one trip can cover. On our Stony Rapids list it sits near the top for size. Fort Smith sits 299 km from the bank. It is 742 km to Edmonton, the nearest city. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Engler Lake

  Nothing in our records gives a depth for this one. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Stony Rapids records list cisco, northern pike, round whitefish, lake chub and slimy sculpin among the fish reported. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Treat Engler Lake as a water to read rather than to cover.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between -27°C in January and 16°C in July. Water stays cold even at the height of the year. Look for the thaw near mid May; the fishing lifts straight after. The lid tends to go about mid May and return around late October. Early summer and early autumn carry the open-water season. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Engler Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. No slipway, car park or made path shows up nearby in mapping, so treat access as rough. Pike mean a wire trace, no exceptions; big spoons and jerkbaits do the searching. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. For a change of water, Richards Creek is 22 km distant. Check the position at Engler Lake before loading the car.