Fishing at Pelican Lake, Manitoba, Manitoba

• Overview

  Set in Manitoba, Pelican Lake is a Manitoba water. Country round the bank runs to mixed forest. This is big water, about 153.87 sq km, and in a wind it behaves like a small sea. Long inlets mean the far ends can be calm while the main body is rough. On our Manitoba list it sits near the top for size. Swan River sits 75 km from here and is the nearest stop. It is 363 km to Winnipeg, the nearest city. No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Pelican Lake

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. The near bank of Pelican Lake is often the one people ignore. A gravel patch among silt is worth several casts.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July is the warm end of the year here, averaging about 18°C, while January sits near -18°C. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near early May. The open-water window runs from around early May to about mid November in an average year. The first weeks of open water and the last are the ones to plan for. Pelican Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Mapping records no facilities at all near this water. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. If the gate is shut, Atwins Lake at 13 km is the nearest alternative. Where Pelican Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.