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Rating depth structure for walleye.
Shared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.
40,344-acre lake near Stony Rapids. The lake tops out around 115 ft. Depth here is modeled from the true shoreline and max depth rather than surveyed; use it to plan, not to navigate. Below is the species-by-species picture, pulled from the same data the map uses.
Riou Lake maps at 40,247 acres behind 164.4 miles of shoreline, with 61 islands in the mix. A development index of 5.8 means a maze of bays and points: far more casting targets than a round bowl of the same size. About 58% of the surface sits shallower than 15 ft on the modeled chart — that's the weed-and-bait zone. Call it 18.4 mi long by 6.8 mi wide at the broadest reach. It sits in Division No. 18. If the bite dies, Fontaine Lake is 39 mi to the north.
When the water first warms, burbot slide up into 25 to 70 ft. By summer they slide out to 35 to 115 ft, and by winter most fish are in 15 to 60 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Deep basin: a deep basin around 98 ft that scores prime in summer. In summer the feeding windows fall in after dark and midday. Keep a heavy jig + cut bait rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 25 to 70 ft | night & dusk | Break off the point (52 ft) | Glow jigging spoon + cut bait, Rattle bait (dark) |
| Summer | 35 to 115 ft | night & midday | Deep basin (98 ft) | Heavy jig + cut bait |
| Fall | 30 to 80 ft | night & dusk | Break off the point (52 ft) | Glow spoon + minnow head, Blade bait (slow) |
| Winter | 15 to 60 ft | night & dusk | Offshore hump (21 ft) | Glow tungsten + cut bait, Rattle spoon + minnow head |
Start shallow in spring: cisco (lake herring) sit in 10 to 40 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 40 to 80 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 60 ft. The spot to know is Offshore hump, an offshore hump in about 21 ft of water that rates prime for cisco (lake herring) in winter. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning. Throw a vertical flutter spoon (small) or a drop-shot micro plastic until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 10 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Offshore hump (21 ft) | Small silver spoon, Tiny swim jig (white) |
| Summer | 40 to 80 ft | dawn | Break off the point (52 ft) | Vertical flutter spoon (small), Drop-shot micro plastic |
| Fall | 5 to 25 ft | dusk & dawn | Rock reef (6 ft) | Small casting spoon, Inline spinner (silver) |
| Winter | 20 to 60 ft | dawn | Offshore hump (21 ft) | Small jigging spoon (glow/silver), Tungsten jig + minnow head |
When the water first warms, lake trout slide up into 10 to 40 ft. By summer they slide out to 35 to 115 ft, and by winter most fish are in 20 to 80 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Deep basin: a deep basin around 98 ft that scores prime in summer. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning. Keep a white tube jig (deep) or a magnum spoon on downrigger rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 10 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (29 ft) | Casting spoon over shoals, Jerkbait (shallow) |
| Summer | 35 to 115 ft | dawn | Deep basin (98 ft) | White tube jig (deep), Magnum spoon on downrigger |
| Fall | 10 to 50 ft | dusk & dawn | Rock reef (8 ft) | Heavy casting spoon, Jigging rap over reefs |
| Winter | 20 to 80 ft | dawn | Offshore hump (21 ft) | White tube jig, Airplane jig |
Start shallow in spring: lake whitefish sit in 15 to 45 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 40 to 90 ft, and winter fish settle into 25 to 70 ft. The spot to know is Rock reef, a rock pile in about 8 ft of water that rates prime for lake whitefish in fall. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning. Throw a blade bait vertical or a small jigging spoon until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 15 to 45 ft | midday & dawn | Offshore hump (21 ft) | Small jig + waxworm, Blade bait (small) |
| Summer | 40 to 90 ft | dawn | Deep basin (98 ft) | Blade bait vertical, Small jigging spoon |
| Fall | 8 to 30 ft | dusk | Rock reef (8 ft) | Small spoon (gold), Jig + plastic larva |
| Winter | 25 to 70 ft | midday & dawn | Break off the point (52 ft) | Jigging spoon + bead chain, Tungsten jig + waxie |
When the water first warms, northern pike slide up into 2 to 8 ft. Summer is an 8 to 20 ft game here, winter a 5 to 15 ft one. Start at Shallow bay flat. It's a weed flat holding about 6 ft of water and rates prime come spring. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. Keep a bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | #5 inline spinner, Spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow flat (7 ft) | Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon |
In spring, walleye run shallow here, mostly 4 to 15 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 15 to 35 ft before dropping to 20 to 40 ft for winter. Summer walleye concentrate at Offshore hump, a prime-rated offshore hump around 21 ft. Fish it in the evening and early morning and you'll meet the bite. You won't need more than a crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled) most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | dusk & dawn | Rock reef (6 ft) | 1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig |
| Summer | 15 to 35 ft | dusk & dawn | Offshore hump (21 ft) | Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 12 to 40 ft | dusk & night | Main-lake point (29 ft) | Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | dusk & dawn | Offshore hump (21 ft) | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait |
Riou Lake carries 15 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at Deep basin, about 98 ft down.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Saskatchewan waters are set by the Saskatchewan anglers' guide — and special regulations can apply to Riou Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Saskatchewan fishing regulations →
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.
Anglers target burbot, cisco (lake herring), lake trout, lake whitefish, northern pike, walleye 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. The interactive chart above rates every spot for each species and season.
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.
Fishing on Riou Lake is regulated by the Saskatchewan anglers' guide. Check the official Saskatchewan regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Fontaine Lake 39 mi · Beaverlodge Lake 81 mi · Martin Lake 83 mi · Fredette Lake 83 mi · Milliken Lake 86 mi · Henday Lake 97 mi · Sawatzky Lake 98 mi · Mcmahon Lake 100 mi · Torwalt Lake 107 mi · Vulture Lake 108 mi · Sink Lake 109 mi · Moffatt Lake 109 mi
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
More water nearby: Division No. 18 fishing maps (166 charts). Browse all Saskatchewan fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. Fish here with a sonar unit that logs? Send us your depth data and we'll improve this chart, credited to you. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.