Maw Lake, Manitoba: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  The Kelsey entry here is Maw Lake, in Manitoba. Height above sea level is 297 metres. The water covers some 14 hectares, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. The bank runs about 1.5 km all the way round, so one visit can cover most of it. On size it sits at the modest end of our Kelsey list. The nearest place of any size is Snow Lake, 7.8 km away. The big place round here is Saskatoon, 528 km distant. No boundary runs near, so the local rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Maw Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Kelsey records list white sucker, johnny darter and northern pike among the fish reported. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. Anyone new to Maw Lake should walk it once before setting up.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 17°C and January reads -23°C. The season is measured in weeks rather than months. After early May the shallows warm and the fish move up. The water is typically free of ice between early May and early November. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. On Maw Lake that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Nothing is listed nearby for parking or launching a boat. For the pike, wire up and throw larger lures along the weed edges. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Should this one be busy, Iverach Lake is 0.9 km off. Treat Maw Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.