Fishing at Moosehead Lake, Kelsey, Manitoba

• Overview

  Look for Moosehead Lake in the Kelsey part of Manitoba. The water sits 328 metres up. The water covers some 44 hectares, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. Shoreline length is close to 5.4 km, and each section fishes a little differently. Flin Flon at 37 km is the nearest place to stop. Further out sit Creighton (39 km) and Snow Lake (81 km). No boundary runs near, so the local rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Moosehead Lake

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. 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. Species logged across Kelsey include white sucker, johnny darter, northern pike, walleye and silver redhorse. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. Anyone new to Moosehead Lake should walk it once before setting up.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about -22°C in January to roughly 17°C in July. The year splits cleanly: hard water, then open water. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about early May. Averages place the thaw at early May and the freeze at early November. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. Plan around that when you fish Moosehead Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  We hold no note on access for this one. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Access points are not mapped for this water, which suits people who like quiet. Pike mean a wire trace, no exceptions; big spoons and jerkbaits do the searching. Provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. The nearest alternative is Little Rat Lake, 1.5 km out. Rules at Moosehead Lake are worth checking on the day.