Fishing at Willow Bunch Lake, Excel No. 71, Saskatchewan

• Overview

  Set in Excel No. 71, Saskatchewan, this is Willow Bunch Lake. Height above sea level is 662 metres. Surface area runs to some 32.93 sq km, so a boat and a plan are both worth having. At about 78 km of edge, most people fish a single area and learn it well. The town to know is Assiniboia, 44 km out. It is 126 km to Regina, the nearest city. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Willow Bunch Lake

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Read Willow Bunch Lake before you fish it and the day goes better. Cast along the margin rather than straight out from it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July is the warm end of the year here, averaging about 21°C, while January sits near -13°C. Winter closes the water for a while, and the reopening is worth catching. Break-up comes around mid April, and the run that follows is short and strong. Break-up near mid April, freeze-up near late November: that is the shape of an average year. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. On Willow Bunch Lake the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. No built facilities appear in mapping around this water. Take the rules with you rather than trusting memory. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Montague Lake sits 27 km off and takes the overflow. Confirm before you fish Willow Bunch Lake.