Little Rat Lake Fishing in Kelsey, Manitoba

• Overview

  Little Rat Lake is one of the Kelsey waters in Manitoba. The ground round it is lake country bush. Surface area is around 20 hectares, which gives you real water without needing a boat. Shoreline comes to about 2.2 km, small enough to learn in a day. It is a small entry by Kelsey standards. Flin Flon lies 38 km from the water. After that come Creighton at 39 km and Snow Lake at 81 km. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Little Rat Lake

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Fish documented in Kelsey include white sucker, johnny darter, northern pike and walleye. The list covers the county rather than this water alone, so treat it as a guide. At Little Rat Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 17°C; by January the average is down near -22°C. Spring and autumn carry the fishing; summer and winter test it. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from early May. Climate averages put the opening at about early May and the closing near early November. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. Expect Little Rat Lake to follow that timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Access is unmapped, which usually means a farm track and a walk. For the pike, wire up and throw larger lures along the weed edges. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. Timber Wolf Lake sits 1 km off and takes the overflow. Confirm before you fish Little Rat Lake.