McKinnon Lake in McCreary: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  McKinnon Lake lies in McCreary, in Manitoba. The bank is 712 metres above sea level. With some 16 hectares of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. Bank access stretches around 1.6 km in total. Compared with other Manitoba water on our list, it sits high. Supplies mean a trip to Minnedosa, 49 km off. Further out sit Neepawa (50 km) and Dauphin (61 km). No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on McKinnon Lake

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Reported across McCreary: white sucker, northern pike and Iowa darter. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. McKinnon Lake responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is -19°C to 17°C. A solid cap is the normal state through winter. Hard water holds through the cold months, breaking up near early May. Averages place the thaw at early May and the freeze at mid November. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. McKinnon Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Expect 1.5 km away in from where the car goes. A picnic site 1.4 km off makes this workable with family in tow. Toilets are 1.5 km away, which matters on a long session. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. For a change of water, Rowland Lake is 3.8 km distant. Treat access at McKinnon Lake as something to verify.