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Fishing Riou Lake: what the data says
40,344-acre lake near Stony Rapids. The lake tops out around 115 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. Below is the species-by-species picture, pulled from the same data the map uses.
Burbot fishing at Riou Lake
In spring, burbot run shallow here, mostly 25 to 70 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 35 to 115 ft, and winter fish settle into 15 to 60 ft. Deep basin is the standout, a deep basin at roughly 98 ft, rated prime for summer burbot. Best bite is after dark and midday. Summer baits: a heavy jig + cut bait gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 25 to 70 ft | night & dusk | Glow jigging spoon + cut bait, Rattle bait (dark) |
| Summer | 35 to 115 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 Riou Lake
Start shallow in spring: cisco (lake herring) sit in 10 to 40 ft that time of year. They move out to 40 to 80 ft in summer and finish the year down in 20 to 60 ft. The spot to know is Offshore hump, a offshore hump in about 20.6094124673824 ft of water that rates prime for cisco (lake herring) in winter. Best bite is early morning. A vertical flutter spoon (small) or a drop-shot micro plastic covers the summer program.
| 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 |
Lake Trout fishing at Riou Lake
Start shallow in spring: lake trout sit in 10 to 40 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 35 to 115 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 80 ft. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 98 ft of water that rates prime for lake trout in summer. Plan around early morning in the warm months. A white tube jig (deep) or a magnum spoon on downrigger covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 10 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Casting spoon over shoals, Jerkbait (shallow) |
| Summer | 35 to 115 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 Riou Lake
Start shallow in spring: lake whitefish sit in 15 to 45 ft that time of year. They move out to 40 to 90 ft in summer and finish the year down in 25 to 70 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Rock reef: a rock pile around 7.69200678319369 ft that scores prime in fall. Plan around early morning in the warm months. A blade bait vertical or a small jigging spoon covers the summer program.
| 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 |
Northern Pike fishing at Riou Lake
Start shallow in spring: northern pike sit in 2 to 8 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 20 ft, and winter fish settle into 5 to 15 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for northern pike in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | #5 inline spinner, Spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday & dawn | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday | Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon |
Walleye fishing at Riou Lake
Start shallow in spring: walleye sit in 4 to 15 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 15 to 35 ft, and by winter most fish are in 20 to 40 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Offshore hump: a offshore hump around 20.6094124673824 ft that scores prime in summer. In summer the feeding windows fall in the evening and early morning. A crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | dusk & dawn | 1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig |
| Summer | 15 to 35 ft | dusk & dawn | Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 12 to 40 ft | dusk & night | Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | dusk & dawn | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait |
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 98 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 52 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 29 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 29 ft
- Offshore hump: offshore hump, around 20.6094124673824 ft
- Offshore hump: offshore hump, around 15.198535076209978 ft
- Rock reef: rock pile, around 7.69200678319369 ft
- Shallow flat: weed flat, around 7 ft
- Weed flat: weed flat, around 6.487268190161564 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 6 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 6 ft
- Rock reef: rock pile, around 5.997090770366746 ft
- Shoreline point: point, around 4.906465620038369 ft
- Weed flat: weed flat, around 3.1630688190289287 ft
Common questions
How deep is Riou Lake?
Riou Lake is about 115 ft (35 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 Riou Lake?
Anglers target walleye, northern pike, lake trout, lake whitefish, burbot, cisco (lake herring) on Riou Lake.
Where is the best fishing spot on Riou Lake?
Deep basin is the top-rated area: a deep basin in about 98 ft of water that rates prime for burbot in summer. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Riou 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
Fontaine Lake · Key Lake · Sawatzky Lake · Zimmer Lake · McDonald Lake · Fredette Lake
See how Riou Lake stacks up: best walleye lakes in Saskatchewan · best northern pike lakes in Saskatchewan · best lake trout lakes in Saskatchewan · best lake whitefish lakes in Saskatchewan
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