Northern Smallmouth

Smallmouth bass in northern Manitoba? Yes, despite the harsh winters, this adaptable species has done well in many of the lakes that they have been introduced to in this part of the world.
On a trip to four years ago to The Pas and area, not only did we catch numbers of smallmouth bass, we caught extremely large fish as well.
Bradley Lake, is one of a number of lakes in this part of the world that has seen the introduction of smallmouth by Manitoba Fisheries over the last few years. While not all of the lakes have been success stories, this one definitely has established a reputation as one of the top smallmouth lakes in Manitoba. Originally overrun by stunted northern pike, Bradley was stocked in the early 1980’s. Soon after the smallmouth introduction, the pike population stabilized with a reduction in the smaller fish, a balance that has remained over the years with a nice ratio of adult fish in this small lake.
Located on the west side of the road at Mile Nineteen on the Moose Lake Provincial Road three-eight-four, Bradley Lake is a bass anglers dream. There is no name sign on the access road, so zeroing your trip odometer at the start of the Moose Lake Road is a good thing.
Friend Rick Hubbs was along to ride shotgun, a man who counts this lake as one of his favorites. He has spent countless hours trying to outsmart these bass and probably knows them all by name by now. Also along on this bright sunny late June day was Rotary Exchange student Felipe Campos. All the way from Brazil, Felipe had just graduated from Grade Twelve in The Pas as part of a year long exchange in Canada. As a graduation gift Rick was bringing Felipe along to catch his first smallmouth bass.
Felipe was at a definite disadvantage though, he did not like putting on the ribbon leeches on the small one eight ounce jig that Rick had rigged for him.
That meant that Rick caught the first smallmouth, then the second one before Felipe even got his lure wet, a tough lesson indeed. Yet, by the end of the day, he almost had it figured out, and yes he did catch a smallmouth just two centimetres short of a master angler.
As was fitting for the day, Rick caught the largest smallmouth trolling his black one-eight ounce jig and leech combo, a nice wide forty-eight centimetre beauty that was hanging around one of the many weed beds this lake features. My jig supply did dwindle that day given that the pike were never too far away. In order to try and combat that, Rick had tied on a heavier mono leader to prevent some of the bite-offs but that wasn’t always foolproof.
Our total for the day were five smallmouth over forty five centimetres plus fish in all size ranges, an excellent indicator that the fishery is healthy.
Bradley is not the only lake in this part of the world that is producing some excellent smallmouth action, Rocky Lake has seen a resurgence of fishing in the last three years.

Northern Manitoba in April!

Planning a trip north to enjoy some spectacular trout, walleye and pike fishing during the month of April? One of my top choices at this time of year are the lakes and rivers around The Pas, Manitoba.
Four years ago I had chance to enjoy the spectacular walleye fishing in the Saskatchewan River right in the town itself. On my trip I was able to get out for an evening with local angler Dale Kerwin. We unloaded our snowmobiles right in town and headed west to the mouth of the Carrot River, one of the numerous tributaries that supply water to the Saskatchewan. After drilling a series of holes right at the mouth dropped our lines. Soon I had some activity on my stationary line. A twitch of the rod tip indicated there was some interest. Taking the rod out of the holder, quick up and down of the jig produced a viscous strike. Soon a small northern pike stuck its snout out of the hole to be quickly released. Two more and a sucker followed in succession. Later that evening we were joined by two local anglers, who took us to one of their secret spots a short distance away. Sure enough as the sun started to cast long shadows the walleye became active. Ice fishing for walleye and pike is excellent in this section of the river at this time of year as more and more fish move upstream to the Carrot River, a main spawning area. Many of the fish are coming out of Cedar Lake. Genetic sampling has proven that the walleye from The Pas, Cedar Lake and Cross Bay are from the same pool. Cross Bay remains open at this time of year and more anglers each year are heading up to try the spectacular ice fishing for both pike and walleye on this huge bay.
Barbe Lake is about seventy kilometres north of The Pas, up Highway 10, past Rocky Lake then left at the Sturgeon Landing road for about five kilometres. There if you look really hard you see a small sign peaking out of the bush on the right side of the road “Barbe Lake”. Recently friend Dave Colibaba visited this spectacular trout fishery and wasn’t disappointed.
He and a friend caught some master angler rainbow trout as well as one brook trout by just walking onto the ice by the boat launch. The southwest end of the lake has extensive weed flats while the northwest end has deep water with sharper drop-offs. The middle of the lake is a good bet at this time of the year, providing a balance in structure.
Finally, don’t forget about mighty Clearwater Lake, just a short drive north and east of The Pas. At this time of the year you can get some of the best fishing of the entire year. Last time up north on the lake I headed out by snowmachine with Rick Hubbs twenty kilometers to the northern end.We were fishing a shallow bay that averaged seven metres in deep. Hubbs said this particular bay held a wide variety of shallow forage, attracting larger lake trout to patrol the bay. Drilling off the end of a shallow reef, on this day Rick and myself caught five nice lake trout right in the middle of the day. Unfortunately I had to leave in the early afternoon to get back to Winnipeg. Hubbs says the best action for lake trout at this time of year is from 6:30 to 7:30 in the evening. We caught lake trout on a variety of techniques both with stationary lines and with jigging small spoons tipped with a minnow.

Amphibian Lake Lodge

A group of American anglers were lined up on the dock of Adventure Air in Lac du Bonnet, the turbo otter having just arrived to take them to an outpost camp on the east side of Lake Winnipeg.
Thousands of anglers from far and wide come every year to Manitoba to enjoy some of the incredible fly in fishing operations that this province has to offer. In conversation with this group from Minnesota and South Dakota, it was to be their first trip to this part of the world. They had heard of the great fishing in Manitoba from friends who had been previous years.
I was along for the ride, but with a different destination in mind. I was going to continue on to Amphibian Lake Lodge to meet up with U.S Outdoor writer Jim Crowley. Shaun Jackson, the owner of Amphibian was our pilot this day, one of a growing group of young Manitoba born lodge operators.

Amphibian Lake Lodge is located 150 air miles northeast of Winnipeg and 110 air miles north of the Adventure North air base in Lac du Bonnet. Amphibian Lake is a widening of the Pigeon River just a short boat ride from Shining Falls. This incredibly powerful and beautiful set of rapids is the start of one of the best whitewater rafting and kayaking rivers in this part of the world. It’s one of a chain of rivers that flow west into Lake Winnipeg from the Atikaki Wilderness Park. With great water flow all year, this river also offers fantastic fishing throughout the season. A special feature is the wide variety of fish species available, including trophy walleye and northern pike, whitefish, goldeye, sauger and perch.

I got to appreciate the ruggedness of the landscape on the flight up to the lodge; the number of rivers and lakes that dot the landscape here on the east side of the Lake Winnipeg, almost too much for a hardcore angler to stand.
It’s this diversity and limited access that makes this part of Manitoba a truly amazing fishery.
What really stumped me though, was despite the fact we flew right over the lake in order to circle and land into the wind, I never saw the lodge until we were on the water. Nestled back in the trees the tip of an island on the Pigeon River, the main lodge was only visible from the water.
It was to be home for the next two and half days as we sampled the fishing this part of the world was famous for. Since Jim Crowley and another fellow from Midwest Outdoors were on a big pike mission, I got to spend time in the boat with camp manager Omar Vincent. I had meet Omar years earlier on the Winnipeg River at Pine Falls were he makes his home. After a half-day of fishing for both pike and walleye, we decided that the walleye were “on” and the big pike were not. A definite lack of new weed growth seemed to have scattered the pike, while the walleye were almost everywhere, though we found the majority relating to rock points off of islands and moving water.
What made I even more interesting was the fact that most of the walleye and pike that we caught were no where near the bottom. The fish on this trip were actively roaming for small minnows and other invertebrates that were moving up through the water column. While it made them very aggressive, you also had to get the bait at the right level!
The only time that changed was when we took the boat ride down to Shining Falls. The walleye were in the standard early season spot, the back eddies below the main flow as it shot down the falls from Family Lake next door. While we caught numbers of fish here with a jig and powerbait, we found the larger female walleye had moved out to an adjacent bay from the rapids. By trolling shallow diving crankbaits off the bottom, we got into some beautiful fish. It was interesting how these fish were relating to the structure and the current, a pattern that can produce year round. The area we found the fish was just before another narrowing of the river into a chute; a term hardcore anglers call a flush area. By trolling before the neck down in the medium light current, we caught one fish after another with a sweep and drop of the rod to slightly change the speed and action of the crankbait. Both of us fished the lures with a small black leader, given the number of hungry pike that wanted in on the action as well. I used a shallow and medium diving Frenzy minnow depending on water depth, and Omar ran a small Shad Rap. Interestingly enough was the biggest walleye we caught on this trip, a 27 inch walleye was almost totally grey and blue in colour. I would have to say it was one of those fish you see in pictures and read about with one chromosome short of a full deck. Well maybe not, but it was sure distinctive!
After a couple of hours here, we made a trip south west off the main channel to Hangar Lake, a great early season walleye and pike factory. Given that the average depth was about four metres. Omar weaved his way expertly through weed beds and around reefs to a rock wall that had a little better average depth coupled with s sharper drop.
Casting out a small blue and white shallow running Rapala, he put on a clinic of catching one big walleye after another. Since the shoreline was one of the rockiest in the lake, these were probably post spawn fish still feeding near a shoreline spawning area. Whatever the reason it was one of the highlights of the trip.
While down in the region we checked a couple of Omar’s bear baits. After beaching the boat and investigating the barrels, there was no doubt they’d been hit by more than one visitor. The next evening Jim Crowley visited one of these baits and got his first Manitoba black bear.


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Notes:
Amphibian Lake Lodge was constructed in 1989 and is a four-star, full-service American plan lodge. Having a capacity for sixteen, each of the four private guest rooms has four individual beds and a three-piece bathroom. The common dining area and living area is where you will enjoy delicious home cooked meals and later relax and share all of your favorite fishing tales, or enjoy your favorite sports event on the satellite TV.There is also a large outdoor gazebo where you can enjoy a mid-day shore lunch or an evening BBQ while viewing an incredible northern sunset, Never mind the incredible fishing!.

Thumping early spring walleye

I am looking forward to putting the boat in the water in the next couple of weeks. Though it has been a late thaw, frozen and open water action is improving at a rapid rate as the days get longer.
For those of you looking for open water fishing action, some of the launches on the Rainy River in Northwestern Ontario and Minnesota have cleared in the last week. If you want up-to-date information visit the www.clemenstonresort.com website. They have daily updates on ramp conditions and fishing success on the Rainy River. On a trip a few years ago I discovered that there is a first class boat launch in Fort Francis, that is the first to open on the river. It was on a Easter weekend that I headed down, launching the boat at the ramp in town. Having never fished that section of the river, a friend and I slowly headed down river a few kilometres in search of pre-spawn walleye. Using jigs and minnows we caught and released 22 walleyes that day, the largest 70 centimetres. It’s always a trip worth making but make sure you dress warm, you never know what the weather is likely to bring. I can remember on this particular trip getting a beautiful, hot sunny day the first day out, then the next morning faced with snow squalls and a nasty windchill. The forecast for next week looks great though with highs in the double digits. If the water clarity in the Rainy River stays relatively clear you can drift fish the edge of the main river channel with that jig and minnow combination. We have had some tremendous success for big fish using a Northland Whistler jig tipped with a huge live chub. A large profile bait at this time of year won’t hurt. When the fish are on, big bait will get big bites! Don’t be surprised if you hook a sturgeon while fishing for walleye in the Rainy. There is a tremendous population in the river now and if you want a break from the walleye fishing, one of the best places to try is at the dam below Fort Francis were the boat launch is. Anchor and throw down a jig or rig with some big minnows and you will get hooked up in no time. Look to mark fish on the edge of drop-offs in the main river channel. You might catch some big walleye at the same time. Anchoring and jigging is especially effective in real cold water when the weather is unstable and the bite is off a bit. It also works when the water is dirty. On another trip to Rainy a few years earlier heavy rainfall combined with a fast melt had swollen tributaries that flow into the river, making the water the colour of chocolate. The day before when the water was still a decent clarity we had been able to slow drift with the front troll motor, catching some decent walleye on a small jig and minnow. The next day with increased flow and muddy water that presentation was just not cutting it. A change in tactics was required which meant dropping the anchor on a like looking spot and making your presentation to the walleye as big as possible so the fish could find it. We decided to anchor out of the main current, on the side of a little flat area off the main river channel. I tied on a one ounce orange jig, then slid a six inch Berkley power lizard up the shaft all the way to the head of the jig. Onto this I slapped on a nice fat chub and dropped it on a short line to the bottom in some three metres of water. Thump, thump, thump went the jig. The whack came a short time later as a good walleye smashed into the jig and bent my rod over. It had taken a little time for this walleye to find the bait in the dirty water but the wait was well worth it for all as a monster Rainy River walleye came to the side of the boat and was quickly released.
While we didn’t catch huge numbers of fish that day, we did as well or better than most anglers on the river. We simply worked over the one area that was holding fish by starting on a short anchor, then letting out rope in two metre increments to cover a little bit more area. Given that I had an extremely long anchor rope we managed to cover most of the flat we were fishing without having to lift the anchor. By slamming heavy jigs on the bottom, and by using large plastic we were giving the fish a chance to find our baits. This is something to consider if you decide to fish the Red River or some other tributary on opening day and find dirty water conditions. I will certainly have some four and seven inch Berkley Gulp minnow worms in my arsenal this season when I hit the water. Their bulk and the twister style tail should provide some extra action to the bait, allowing those walleyes a little easier time to zero in.

Last Ice on Lake Winnipeg

The sun was beating down on the surface of mighty Lake Winnipeg, trying to penetrate the four feet of ice and snow that covered this immense body of water. Across this section of lake near Hecla Island, vehicles, snow machines, and ATV’s were scattered everywhere, a testament to both the quality of the fishing and the beautiful weather. It didn’t hurt that conditions allowed anglers to drive pretty much to any location they wanted to without fear of getting stuck. As the ice fishing season drew to a close on the southern section of the province (with a general closure until the tenth of May), people wanted one last shot at a fresh feed of walleye. I was out this past Monday with friends Bryan Gray and Phil Brake, both of whom were enjoying some time off due to mid-term break. Phil is an art teacher and Bryan was supposed to be on holiday in Minnesota but flood conditions had put a damper on that trip. So what better way to celebrate than to enjoy the tremendous fishery that has been fueling the dramatic resurgence of the ice fishing industry in this province. Families were evident everywhere this particular day, and the sounds of happy whoops and hollers made us so appreciate what this fishery has meant to both the commercial and sport fisherman who fish this incredible lake.

The last two years has been the golden era for walleye harvest on this lake. Nobody knows how long it can last but many have come to appreciate the bounty and the benefits it has provided to the province. Lee Nolden owns Gods Lake Lodge on Gods Lake in northern Manitoba. In the wintertime he and his family live in East St Paul. For years Lee guided in the north until he was able to purchase the lodge a few years ago. During the winter Lee spends a hundred days ice fishing on Lake Winnipeg. Lee was along with us this day and in conversation about the lake, he mentioned that he himself had landed twenty two Master Angler length fish this winter. He also had a personal best walleye this year, a fish that weighed in at fifteen pounds. Lee has certain theories about the fishery, believing that to consistently catch those large fish, you need to be out in a bit deeper water, somewhere in the fourteen to fifteen foot depth. His favourite baits for big fish are Buckshot Rattle Jig from Northland, Jiggin Rapala and Rattlin Raps, all of which are tipped with a bit of shiner minnow on the bottom or trailer hook. While Lee has fished many sections of the south basin of Lake Winnipeg, all his trophies the last two years have come out from the mouth of the Red River at the southern end.

Plannng makes economic sense

Rising fuel costs are having a fairly significant impact on the sport fishing industry in Manitoba. From the angler who wants to hook up the boat to head out to his or her favourite fishing hole to the company that wants to plan a corporate fishing adventure, people are being much more selective in their travels. They also are much more reluctant to head some where if they don’t think the fish are biting or the weather is going to be lousy!
Anglers are also making sure they don’t head out alone if they can help it. Long trips are being planned with a couple of friends to share the rising costs. Day trips are now closer to home with shore fishing as a popular alternative.
I am very thankful I downsized my fishing boat and motor a few years back, making it much more economical to travel and fish once I arrive.
My four stroke Yamaha outboard is a miser on gas, with a full tank of gas lasting me a whole week of almost constant use on our family vacation every year. In fact with all the fishing I do, my gas bill dropped dramatically when I starting using a four stroke outboard. My eighteen foot boat is also fairly easy to trail behind the vehicle with a cover on the boat and the box on my truck again increasing that fuel efficiency. I also rely a lot on my cheapest source of energy, my gel cell trolling batteries. They will last a solid two days of constant use before they need to be recharged. Here is something else to consider, on long trips to drive-to lodges that rent boats, it might be cheaper alternative rather than trailering your own boat. Fishing from a float tube can also be a lot of fun and it is a pretty darn inexpensive way to go. I own a couple of these cool little crafts so I can bring a friend along. Insulated waders keep the cold water at bay and allow you to fish in almost any weather on smaller bodies of water.
FLY IN TRIPS
Of course on fly-in adventures the equipment is there for you to use, a consideration that is making these kind of adventures more attractive than they have for years. In conversation with some lodge owners in the province, they are seeing a fairly dramatic rise in Canadian clientele.
This is also the case with drive-to lodges close to Winnipeg. More and more people are booking in for three or four day trips, easing the cost of getting to and from their destination by increasing the length of their stay. This is especially true for families who have been saving for one such trip each summer. Our family time spent at the lake the same week each year is special, something that we plan and save for.