Portage Lakes in Kelsey: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  In Manitoba, Portage Lakes falls inside Kelsey. It stands 298 metres above sea level. Around 26 hectares of surface means several distinct areas to work. There is little indentation to the bank, so wind hits most of it the same way. It is a small entry by Kelsey standards. Flin Flon lies 58 km from the water. Then Creighton, 59 km, and Snow Lake, 64 km. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Portage Lakes

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Survey and observation records for Kelsey include white sucker, johnny darter, northern pike, walleye and silver redhorse. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. On Portage Lakes the first feature you find is usually worth a session.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 17°C in July and bottom out at -22°C in January. The middle months are generous; the ends are demanding. Look for the thaw near early May; the fishing lifts straight after. The lid tends to go about early May and return around early November. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. It holds true on Portage Lakes more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. No slipway, car park or made path shows up nearby in mapping, so treat access as rough. A wire trace and a big bright lure handle the pike; deep water asks for a heavier spoon. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. Third Cranberry Lake at 5.1 km is the sensible second choice. The position on Portage Lakes is worth confirming on the day.