Fishing Ritchie Bay in Kelsey, Manitoba

• Overview

  Look for Ritchie Bay in the Kelsey part of Manitoba. Land around it is boreal forest. Surface area runs to some 111.43 sq km, so a boat and a plan are both worth having. Its shape is complex, and the arms fish like separate waters. It is among the larger waters listed here for Kelsey. Snow Lake lies 73 km from the water. Beyond it, Flin Flon at 115 km and Creighton at 117 km. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Ritchie Bay

  No depth figure appears in our records, so the bank has to tell you. Slack water is dead water on a place like this. Oyster and old piling give the only hard structure in sight. Public occurrence data for Kelsey names white sucker, johnny darter, northern pike and walleye. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. The shape of Ritchie Bay rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 17°C, with January the cold end at about -24°C. Long winters and short summers set the pattern. Ice-out usually falls in early May, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Averages place the thaw at early May and the freeze at early November. Fishing peaks soon after break-up and again before the cold returns. Ritchie Bay runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing we hold confirms whether access is permitted. Nothing built is recorded close to the bank here. For the pike, wire up and throw larger lures along the weed edges. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Should this one be busy, Wyton Lake is 8.5 km off. Where Ritchie Bay is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.