Fishing at Gwillim Lake, Turnor Lake, Saskatchewan

• Overview

  Gwillim Lake is one of the Turnor Lake listings for Saskatchewan. It sits in taiga. At some 8.85 sq km it is far too large to cover on foot in a day. With about 26 km of shoreline, local advice saves a lot of walking. Buffalo Narrows is the closest town at 143 km. Then La Ronge, 239 km, and Fort McMurray, 252 km. Neighbouring water: Solitude Lake (11 km), Nameless Lake at 19 km, Blais Lake (19 km), Ithingo Lake at 22 km and Desnomie Lakes (29 km). There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Gwillim Lake

  Depth is unmeasured here, so let the shoreline guide you. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Open biodiversity records for Turnor Lake list walleye and spottail shiner. The county list is broader than any single water. On Gwillim Lake the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 16°C and January about -22°C. Ice holds for a long stretch, so the open weeks matter more here than further south. Ice-out usually falls in early May, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Going by climate averages, expect open water from about early May until roughly early November. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. Gwillim Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. No built facilities appear in mapping around this water. For walleye, a jig and minnow near the bottom is the standard; evenings beat middays. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Failing this one, try Solitude Lake, 11 km away. Check the position on Gwillim Lake before loading the car.