Shelson Lake, Manitoba: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Shelson Lake is an Alexander water, in Manitoba. The surface lies 311 metres up. Surface area is around 36 hectares, which gives you real water without needing a boat. Shoreline comes to about 4.0 km, small enough to learn in a day. Head to Lac du Bonnet, 40 km away, for anything you forgot. Winnipeg sits 128 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Shelson Lake

  Depth is not on record here, which means reading the ground instead. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Alexander records list smallmouth bass, northern pike, walleye, yellow perch and white sucker among the fish reported. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. Fish Shelson Lake where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July near 19°C and January near -19°C on the long-run figures. Cold winters and warm summers give a wide working range. Once it clears, about late April, the fishing comes on quickly. From about late April to around mid November, expect open water on the long-run figures. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. Shelson Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. There is no mapped parking or launch close by, which usually means walking in. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. For a change of water, Keys Lake is 2.3 km distant. Check the position at Shelson Lake before loading the car.