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Fishing Diefenbaker Lake: what the data says
49,976-acre lake near Elbow. The lake tops out around 194 ft. The contours are modeled from the water's real shoreline and maximum depth. Treat them as a rough guide, and never use them for navigation. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
Burbot fishing at Diefenbaker Lake
Start shallow in spring: burbot sit in 25 to 70 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 50 to 120 ft, and winter fish settle into 15 to 60 ft. The spot to know is Offshore hump, a offshore hump in about 20.327402577206154 ft of water that rates prime for burbot in winter. In summer the feeding windows fall in after dark and midday. Tie on a heavy jig + cut bait and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 25 to 70 ft | night & dusk | Glow jigging spoon + cut bait, Rattle bait (dark) |
| Summer | 50 to 120 ft | night & midday | Heavy jig + cut bait |
| Fall | 30 to 80 ft | night & dusk | Glow spoon + minnow head, Blade bait (slow) |
| Winter | 15 to 60 ft | night & dusk | Glow tungsten + cut bait, Rattle spoon + minnow head |
Cisco (Lake Herring) fishing at Diefenbaker Lake
In spring, cisco (lake herring) run shallow here, mostly 10 to 40 ft. By summer they slide out to 40 to 80 ft, and by winter most fish are in 20 to 60 ft. Offshore hump is the standout, a offshore hump at roughly 20.327402577206154 ft, rated prime for winter cisco (lake herring). In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning. Tie on a vertical flutter spoon (small) or a drop-shot micro plastic and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 10 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Small silver spoon, Tiny swim jig (white) |
| Summer | 40 to 80 ft | dawn | Vertical flutter spoon (small), Drop-shot micro plastic |
| Fall | 5 to 25 ft | dusk & dawn | Small casting spoon, Inline spinner (silver) |
| Winter | 20 to 60 ft | dawn | Small jigging spoon (glow/silver), Tungsten jig + minnow head |
Goldeye fishing at Diefenbaker Lake
Start shallow in spring: goldeye sit in 3 to 10 ft that time of year. Summer fish stay in 2 to 10 ft, and winter fish hold in 10 to 25 ft. In summer the feeding windows fall in the evening and early morning. Tie on a small spinner or a dry flies / foam hoppers at dusk and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 10 ft | dusk & dawn | Small jig (white/pink) under a float, Inline spinner |
| Summer | 2 to 10 ft | dusk & dawn | Small spinner, Dry flies / foam hoppers at dusk |
| Fall | 5 to 15 ft | dusk | Small jig + twister tail, Inline spinner (deeper) |
| Winter | 10 to 25 ft | midday | Small jig tipped with minnow piece |
Lake Sturgeon fishing at Diefenbaker Lake
In spring, lake sturgeon run shallow here, mostly 3 to 15 ft. By summer they slide out to 15 to 40 ft, and by winter most fish are in 20 to 60 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Rock reef: a rock pile around 9.371298678966523 ft that scores prime in spring. Plan around after dark and the evening in the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 15 ft | dusk & night | |
| Summer | 15 to 40 ft | night & dusk | |
| Fall | 15 to 45 ft | dusk | |
| Winter | 20 to 60 ft | midday |
Lake Trout fishing at Diefenbaker Lake
In spring, lake trout run shallow here, mostly 10 to 40 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 50 to 120 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 80 ft. Rock reef is the standout, a rock pile at roughly 9.371298678966523 ft, rated prime for fall lake trout. Best bite is early morning. Tie on a white tube jig (deep) or a magnum spoon on downrigger and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 10 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Casting spoon over shoals, Jerkbait (shallow) |
| Summer | 50 to 120 ft | dawn | White tube jig (deep), Magnum spoon on downrigger |
| Fall | 10 to 50 ft | dusk & dawn | Heavy casting spoon, Jigging rap over reefs |
| Winter | 20 to 80 ft | dawn | White tube jig, Airplane jig |
Lake Whitefish fishing at Diefenbaker Lake
Spring lake whitefish on Diefenbaker Lake hold shallow, usually 15 to 45 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 40 to 90 ft, and winter fish settle into 25 to 70 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Rock reef: a rock pile around 9.371298678966523 ft that scores prime in fall. Plan around early morning in the warm months. Tie on a blade bait vertical or a small jigging spoon and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 15 to 45 ft | midday & dawn | Small jig + waxworm, Blade bait (small) |
| Summer | 40 to 90 ft | dawn | Blade bait vertical, Small jigging spoon |
| Fall | 8 to 30 ft | dusk | Small spoon (gold), Jig + plastic larva |
| Winter | 25 to 70 ft | midday & dawn | Jigging spoon + bead chain, Tungsten jig + waxie |
Diefenbaker Lake also holds northern pike (8 to 20 ft in summer), rainbow trout (8 to 30 ft in summer), sauger (10 to 30 ft in summer), walleye (15 to 35 ft in summer), yellow perch (10 to 30 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 165 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 49 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 49 ft
- Deep break: drop-off, around 44 ft
- Deep break: drop-off, around 41 ft
- Deep break: drop-off, around 41 ft
- Offshore hump: offshore hump, around 22.225455900629317 ft
- Shoreline point: point, around 20.851923329635042 ft
- Offshore hump: offshore hump, around 20.327402577206154 ft
- Rock reef: rock pile, around 9.371298678966523 ft
- Shoreline point: point, around 6.451992148416641 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 6 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 6 ft
- Shallow flat: weed flat, around 6 ft
Common questions
How deep is Diefenbaker Lake?
Diefenbaker Lake is about 194 ft (59 m) deep at its deepest point. The contours here are modeled from the water's real shape and maximum depth, so treat them as a rough guide.
What fish are in Diefenbaker Lake?
Anglers target walleye, sauger, northern pike, rainbow trout, yellow perch, lake trout, lake whitefish, burbot, cisco (lake herring), lake sturgeon, goldeye on Diefenbaker Lake.
Where is the best fishing spot on Diefenbaker Lake?
Offshore hump is the top-rated area: a offshore hump in about 20.327402577206154 ft of water that rates prime for burbot in winter. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Diefenbaker Lake?
For burbot, the summer bite is best in after dark and midday. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Nearby waters
Broderick Reservoir · Brightwater Creek Reservoir · Blackstrap Reservoir · Pike Lake · Bradwell Reservoir · Braddock Reservoir
See how Diefenbaker Lake stacks up: best walleye lakes in Saskatchewan · best northern pike lakes in Saskatchewan · best rainbow trout lakes in Saskatchewan · best yellow perch lakes in Saskatchewan
Browse all Saskatchewan fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.