Nichols Lake Fishing Guide, Kelsey, Manitoba

• Overview

  Nichols Lake is one of the Kelsey listings for Manitoba. Elevation runs to 196 metres. At 2.05 sq km this is proper open water rather than a pond. The margin runs to about 9.5 km in total. Ground here is low by Manitoba standards. Thompson is the closest place, 22 km off. After that come Cross Lake 19A at 101 km and Snow Lake at 151 km. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Nichols Lake

  Nothing in our records gives a depth for this one. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Open biodiversity records for Kelsey list white sucker, johnny darter, northern pike, walleye and silver redhorse. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. Take Nichols Lake a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 17°C; the cold one sits at -25°C. Little of the calendar is open water, so timing counts for everything. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around mid May. Averages place the thaw at mid May and the freeze at early November. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Nichols Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. 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. A wire trace and a big bright lure handle the pike; deep water asks for a heavier spoon. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Ospwagan Lake sits 6.1 km off and takes the overflow. What applies at Nichols Lake may have changed since it was mapped.