Mary Lake, Saskatchewan: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Within Stony Rapids, Saskatchewan, you have Mary Lake. The surface lies 421 metres up. At some 3.92 sq km it is far too large to cover on foot in a day. There is roughly 25 km of bank, and each arm behaves like its own water. The closest town, Fort Smith, is 354 km distant. It is 813 km to Edmonton, the nearest city. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Mary Lake

  Our records hold no depth for this water. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Fish documented in Stony Rapids include cisco, northern pike, round whitefish, lake chub and slimy sculpin. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. The near bank of Mary Lake is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 15°C at the top of summer and -26°C at the bottom of winter. Long winters and short summers set the pattern. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about late May. On average, late May opens the water and late October closes it again. Fishing peaks soon after break-up and again before the cold returns. The season on Mary Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Nothing formal is recorded here: no ramp, no car park, no marked path. A wire trace and a big bright lure handle the pike; deep water asks for a heavier spoon. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. Failing this one, try Lindstad Lake, 5.9 km away. None of that is settled for Mary Lake in what we hold.