Margetts Lake Fishing Guide, Stony Rapids, Saskatchewan

• Overview

  Saskatchewan holds Margetts Lake, in Stony Rapids. The bank gives way to spruce and muskeg. This is sizeable water at about 4.06 sq km, and a boat opens up most of it. Some 41 km of shoreline means conditions can differ from one end to the other. The nearest town is Fort Smith, 333 km away. It is 810 km to Edmonton, the nearest city. No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Margetts Lake

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Species logged across Stony Rapids include cisco, northern pike, round whitefish and lake chub. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Read Margetts Lake before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 15°C at the top of summer and -27°C at the bottom of winter. A short, intense season is the rule this far north. Look for the thaw near late May; the fishing lifts straight after. Averages place the thaw at late May and the freeze at late October. June through September is the settled part of the year, with the shoulders busier for fish. It sets the rhythm of the year at Margetts Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  The access position is unclear from public sources. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Nothing built is recorded close to the bank here. For the pike, wire up and throw larger lures along the weed edges. Provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. MacGregor Lake sits 6.6 km off and takes the overflow. The position on Margetts Lake is worth confirming on the day.