Van Scoy Lake Fishing in Perdue No. 346, Saskatchewan

• Overview

  Van Scoy Lake lies within the bounds of Perdue No. 346, Saskatchewan. The bank is 541 metres above sea level. At some 4.65 sq km it is far too large to cover on foot in a day. The shoreline runs about 12 km, so it pays to pick a stretch and stay with it. You are 30 km from Biggar. Saskatoon is the closest city, 60 km away. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Van Scoy Lake

  Our records carry no depth, so judge it from the bank. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Van Scoy Lake repays a walk before the first cast. The first hour after arriving is often the quietest; settle and wait.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 18°C in July and bottom out at -15°C in January. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. The open season starts with the thaw, near enough mid April. Break-up near mid April, freeze-up near mid November: that is the shape of an average year. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. Anyone fishing Van Scoy Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Mapping flags this water as intermittent: it can be dry for part of the year, so check before travelling. No car park, ramp or path is recorded within easy reach of the shore. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. For a change of water, Hicks Lake is 3.2 km distant. Nothing here settles the position at Van Scoy Lake for certain.