Molly Lake in Kelsey: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Molly Lake is one of the Kelsey listings for Manitoba. The setting is northern bush on every side. About 1.95 sq km, so local knowledge or a boat saves a lot of walking. The margin runs to about 13 km in total. Supplies mean a trip to Flin Flon, 66 km off. Saskatoon is the closest city, 497 km away. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Molly Lake

  Depth is unknown to us, and the shoreline is the better guide. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Records held for Kelsey cover white sucker, johnny darter, northern pike, walleye and silver redhorse. County data is a starting point rather than a guarantee. On Molly Lake a short move beats a long cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 17°C in July and bottoms out near -23°C in January. Winter owns most of the year at this latitude. Winter locks it down, and early May brings it back. In an average year the thaw lands around early May and the freeze near early November. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. That shapes the year on Molly Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. No car park, ramp or path is recorded within easy reach of the shore. Pike mean a wire trace, no exceptions; big spoons and jerkbaits do the searching. Ask in the nearest town if you are unsure. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. South Loon Lake sits 0.9 km off and takes the overflow. Treat Molly Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.