Fishing Zdan Lake in Kelsey, Manitoba

• Overview

  The Kelsey end of Manitoba holds Zdan Lake. The surface lies 283 metres up. Roughly 60 hectares: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. Shoreline length is close to 5.8 km, and each section fishes a little differently. For supplies, Snow Lake is 45 km out. Flin Flon lies 87 km off, Creighton another 89 km. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Zdan Lake

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Open biodiversity records for Kelsey list white sucker, johnny darter and northern pike. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. Read Zdan Lake for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from -23°C in January up to 17°C in July. This far north the hard season runs and runs. Break-up comes around early May, and the run that follows is short and strong. Break-up near early May, freeze-up near early November: that is the shape of an average year. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. Plan around that when you fish Zdan Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing we hold confirms whether access is permitted. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Mapping records no facilities at all near this water. Pike mean a wire trace, no exceptions; big spoons and jerkbaits do the searching. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. The nearest alternative is Dutka Lake, 3.1 km out. Check the position on Zdan Lake before loading the car.