Ollis Lake Fishing in Big River No. 555, Saskatchewan

• Overview

  Saskatchewan holds Ollis Lake, in Big River No. 555. The country here is taiga. This is sizeable water at about 2.59 sq km, and a boat opens up most of it. The edge covers about 9.5 km, enough to hold several distinct areas. The closest town, Meadow Lake, is 103 km distant. Further out sit Shellbrook (113 km) and Prince Albert (132 km). The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Ollis Lake

  No depth figure appears in our records, so the bank has to tell you. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Records held for Big River No. 555 cover cisco, northern pike, yellow perch, white sucker and walleye. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. The shape of Ollis Lake decides where the fish sit.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about -18°C in January to roughly 16°C in July. Ice holds for a long stretch, so the open weeks matter more here than further south. Break-up comes around late April, and the run that follows is short and strong. Averages suggest open water from about late April through to roughly early November. Early summer and early autumn carry the open-water season. At Ollis Lake the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. No launch point is recorded nearby, so this is a bank water unless you carry a boat in. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. The nearest alternative is Hide Lake, 2.1 km out. Signs at Ollis Lake carry more weight than any list.