Bob Lake in Kelsey: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Within Kelsey, Manitoba, you have Bob Lake. Everything around it is spruce and muskeg. At 3 hectares it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. On size it sits at the modest end of our Kelsey list. Nearest place of any size is Snow Lake, 24 km away. Saskatoon sits 548 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Bob Lake

  Depth is unmeasured here, so let the shoreline guide you. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Records held for Kelsey cover white sucker, johnny darter and northern pike. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. On Bob Lake the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 17°C and January at -23°C. Winter owns most of the year at this latitude. Break-up comes around early May, and the run that follows is short and strong. Climate figures give an open season running early May to early November. Early summer and early autumn carry the open-water season. That is the shape of the year on Bob Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. Nothing built is recorded close to the bank here. For the pike, wire up and throw larger lures along the weed edges. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. For a change of water, Mary Lake is 1.5 km distant. Check the position on Bob Lake before loading the car.