Located just south of Lesser Slave Lake near the
town of Smith, lies Fawcett Lake. For the quality of fishing that this body of water
offers, it receives fairly light angling pressure. Its out of the way location and poor
road leading to it may account for its anonymity. There are also several hazards in this
lake in the form of submerged timber. But what Fawcett Lake lacks in
amenities, it more than makes up for in fishing. This lake consistently produces fish in
the four to five pound range but fish in excess of eight pounds have been reported. This
is another body of water that can easily produce 50 walleye per day, per angler. For their
size, these are some of the firmest and hardest fighting walleye around. Anyone that says
walleye don't fight has not caught a five pounder from Fawcett Lake.
While these fish can be taken on all standard
presentations, one of the more popular ones is using a live bait rig with one glow or
pearl bead ahead of the hook. Nightcrawlers seemed to be the preferred bait, even early in
the season. There is a bunch of submerged timber on the north shore, just east of the
narrows that really holds fish. It eats a lot of tackle but it's worth the investment. Some
of the biggest weights are caught right in and around that area.
Although
the live-bait rig is considered a finesse presentation, when the fish are active and the
weather is stable, these can be trolled or drifted fairly rapidly. A short count of five
is all that is required when these fish are feeding. Hang on for the fight of your life.
You'll swear those four pounders must weigh about ten pounds instead.
