Melville Lake Fishing Guide, Stony Rapids, Saskatchewan

• Overview

  This water sits in Stony Rapids, Saskatchewan. Beyond the shoreline you have northern bush. About 2.42 sq km, so local knowledge or a boat saves a lot of walking. There is roughly 8.4 km of bank, more than one visit can cover properly. By elevation it sits in the lower part of our Saskatchewan listings. Fort Smith lies 192 km from the water. Beyond it, Fort McMurray at 356 km and Buffalo Narrows at 412 km. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Melville Lake

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. County-wide records name cisco, northern pike, round whitefish, lake chub and slimy sculpin. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. On Melville Lake a short move beats a long cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is -25°C to 16°C. Winter runs most of the calendar, and everything worth doing happens in the gap. Winter locks it down, and mid May brings it back. In an average year the thaw lands around mid May and the freeze near early November. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. Anyone fishing Melville Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. There is a pier recorded roughly 1.3 km away. 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. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. Boyce Lake sits 1.6 km off and takes the overflow. Treat Melville Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.