Fishing at Gutray Lake, Kelsey, Manitoba

• Overview

  Gutray Lake is set in Kelsey, Manitoba. It lies 310 metres above sea level. The water covers some 21 hectares, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. There is roughly 2.7 km of shoreline here, which is a short walk end to end. Our Kelsey list holds plenty of bigger water. You are 9.1 km from Snow Lake. After that come Flin Flon at 110 km and Creighton at 112 km. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Gutray Lake

  Depth is unmeasured here, so let the shoreline guide you. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Open biodiversity records for Kelsey list white sucker, johnny darter, northern pike, walleye and silver redhorse. Species recorded across the county may be limited to a few waters. On Gutray Lake that means starting tight and working out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 17°C for July and -23°C for January. Ice holds for a long stretch, so the open weeks matter more here than further south. Ice-out usually falls in early May, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Averages suggest open water from about early May through to roughly early November. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. Plan any trip to Gutray Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Formal access is not mapped, so the last stretch is likely on foot. Pike mean a wire trace, no exceptions; big spoons and jerkbaits do the searching. Parking is often the real limit rather than the bank itself. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. For a change of water, Jog Lake is 0.7 km distant. Rules at Gutray Lake are worth checking on the day.