Fishing Hill Lake in Stony Rapids, Saskatchewan

• Overview

  In Saskatchewan, Hill Lake belongs to Stony Rapids. What surrounds it is taiga. Roughly 1.50 sq km of surface: treat each bay as a water in its own right. Around 11 km of bank, which is a long day on foot. The closest town, Pelican Narrows, is 443 km distant. For a city, Saskatoon is 822 km off. Not far off: Ford Lake 4.7 km away, Gibson Lake about 5.2 km, Henderson Lake 5.6 km away, Gleason Lake about 6.9 km and Holtby Lake 8.2 km away. No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Hill Lake

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. 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. On Hill Lake the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between -27°C in January and 15°C in July. Winter owns most of the year at this latitude. After late May the shallows warm and the fish move up. The lid tends to go about late May and return around late October. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. Hill Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Nothing is listed nearby for parking or launching a boat. A wire trace and a big bright lure handle the pike; deep water asks for a heavier spoon. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Ford Lake at 4.7 km is the sensible second choice. Treat Hill Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.