Fault Lake Fishing Guide, Kelsey, Manitoba

• Overview

  The Kelsey end of Manitoba holds Fault Lake. Elevation runs to 286 metres. With some 14 hectares of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. The edge runs 2.1 km or so, easy to work in an afternoon. It is one of the smaller waters we list in Kelsey. For a base, Snow Lake sits 8.7 km out. The big place round here is Saskatoon, 540 km distant. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Fault Lake

  Depth figures are not published for this one. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Species logged across Kelsey include white sucker, johnny darter, northern pike, walleye and silver redhorse. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. The shape of Fault Lake rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 17°C in July and bottoms out near -23°C in January. Ice holds for a long stretch, so the open weeks matter more here than further south. Count the season from break-up, usually early May. Expect the water usable from around early May until roughly early November. Late spring and early autumn carry the year between them. It sets the rhythm of the year at Fault Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Nothing in the way of made access shows up nearby: no ramp, no car park, no path. For the pike, wire up and throw larger lures along the weed edges. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. McLeod Lake, 1.7 km away, makes the obvious fallback. Nothing here settles the position at Fault Lake for certain.