Fishing Little Claw Lake in Kelsey, Manitoba

• Overview

  Little Claw Lake is a Kelsey water, Manitoba side. Around the bank it is spruce and muskeg. At 1.77 sq km this is proper open water rather than a pond. The shoreline runs about 14 km, so it pays to pick a stretch and stay with it. Nearest place of any size is Snow Lake, 50 km away. For a city, Saskatoon is 487 km off. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Little Claw Lake

  Depth is not on record here, which means reading the ground instead. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Across Kelsey, recorded fish include white sucker, johnny darter, northern pike, walleye and silver redhorse. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. On Little Claw Lake a short move beats a long cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July near 17°C and January near -22°C on the long-run figures. Little of the calendar is open water, so timing counts for everything. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from early May. The open-water window runs from around early May to about early November in an average year. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. Plan around that when you fish Little Claw Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  We hold no note on access for this one. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Mapped as intermittent, it fills after rain and shrinks between. A wire trace and a big bright lure handle the pike; deep water asks for a heavier spoon. Local rules can differ across the county line, so check where you stand. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. If the gate is shut, Eriksons Lake at 2.7 km is the nearest alternative. Nothing here settles the position at Little Claw Lake for certain.