Jigging Spoons for vertical presentations

Smallmouth bass have been a fall fascination of mine for years. Great sport on the end of the line, cold October days see these aggressive predators schooled up on deepwater structure chasing down anything that moves. One key point to consider when looking for areas that are holding fish at this time of year is that all spots are not created equal. On a medium sized lake like Falcon you might have most of the large bass in the lake in three small areas. This can make finding them somewhat of a chore but when you do, look out!
One of my first experiences with fall bass came on Lake of the Woods in Ontario many years back. Trying to find some late fall walleyes, two friends and I fished a series of islands that had a variety of structures nearby. This included shallow sunken rockpiles, weedgrowth and sharp drop-offs into the deeper water of the main lake basin. Bingo! Smallmouth bass were everywhere gobbling up anything that we threw their direction.
Fall smallmouth will hit a variety of lures; jigging spoons, jigs and plastic, live bait rigs with minnows all will work, some better than others depending on activity level. All predators including pike, muskie and even walleye will use similar areas at this time of year, prime ambush spots for open water forage which could include ciscoes and whitefish that are moving up on reefs at this time of year to spawn.
Later in the fall when water temperatures drop below fifty one degrees Fahrenheit, smallmouth move even deeper, roaming sharp drops near the main lake basin. When the bass are positioned like this, I prefer vertical jigging with a jigging spoon tipped with a small plastic power minnow. The erratic swimming motion of an aggressively fished jigging spoon can solicit viscous strikes from even the most inactive smallmouth. This pattern worked on a recent trip to Tobin Lake in Saskatchewan but for a different species. We located a stack of walleye along a drop-off on a main lake island. By positioning the boat over the edge of the reef with the front electric troll motor we caught both trophy pike and walleye. This is also an excellent pattern for fall lake trout, with fish that will rip the road out of your hand.

Once fish are found, depending on depth and wind, it is usually better to anchor. This allows you to keep your lure and line as vertical as possible, a key when fish are just a little off on the bite. Sometimes, it is impossible to get an anchor to hold because of depth or bottom composition. At Tobin, the anchor would not hold, which meant precise boat control was required. Luckily for us the wind dropped and we were able to stay in a small area marked with a floating orange buoy, a key when trying to maintain your location. Areas like this are usually not close to shoreline so this becomes a critical factor in staying on fish.


With all the advances in cold weather gear, along with more reliable engines and other equipment associated with sport fishing, you no longer have to be miserable on the water in cold weather.
Gone are the days when we had wear clothing that was neither water or wind proof or would save your life if you fell overboard. Times have changed for the better. Canadian companies like Mustang and Nautilus have reintroduced comfort and safety to cold weather boating. It has been three years since I acquired a new one-piece survival suit from Nautilus. It has kept me warm and dry through sleet, driving rain and snow. They also have suspenders on the interior of the suit that allows you an extra degree of comfort. Extra insulation and floatation throughout makes the suit buoyant and incredibly warm, just the ticket for extremely cold fall days on the water.

Lightning storms, a life and death experience

Ever been caught on the water in the middle of a thunderstorm? It is not the most pleasant of experiences. In fact people in North America die every year when lighting strikes the boat while out on the water. I had a life and death experience while fishing a walleye tournament on Last Mountain Lake in Saskatchewan. It was the second day of the tournament and the forecast called for rain and wind but it seemed many of the contestants and tournament organziers were unaware that there was the possiblity of thunderstorms. Everything started okay in the morning with a little light drizzle falling as we headed south by boat from the tournament headquarters at Rowans Ravine Provincial Park. This was my 17th appearance at the tournament and you can usually count on some wild weather, at least as far as the wind is concerned. Big waves can pile up in a hurry on this body of water and a stiff 60 kilometre wind from the northeast was making life difficult

for the 109 two person teams that had paid the $400 entry fee of the Last Mountain Walleye Classic. Rollers in the two metre range were common but that was nothing compared when one of the worst storms that I have experienced hit the lake around 10 a.m in the morning. Lighting bolts were coming down the lake from the north, hitting trees along the shoreline, some narrowly missing two boats that were trying to make it to cover. A few of the anglers managed to make it back to the weigh-in site but my partner Jim Price and myself did not have the option. We were 12 kilometres south of the weigh-in site and would have to have driven right into the fury of the storm. Lighting bolts started to zip around us. What to do was the question. Both Jim and myself felt helpless, not knowing the answer. Five other boats were in the same predicament but we were the only ones to head towards shore, into a sheltered bay a short distance away. Price knew the danger involved, his boat taking a bolt of lighting two years ago on Lake of the Woods. It had come down and hit the bow plate on his boat, burning a huge hole in the metal.
Four people were in the boat at at the time, but unbelievabily no one was seriously hurt. All the electrical in his boat had been destroyed and the fuse to his big motor gone. Grabbing a couple of paddles he had managed to get the boat to an island on which there was a cabin. Luckily the cabin owner was at home. He got them all pajamas while he threw their clothes in the dryer, finding a fuse for Jim’s motor. Jim did not want a repeat of that event! After an intense hour of the worst lighting I had ever seen, the storm swept east, leaving the competitors limp, many deciding to call it a day, all knowing that it was there lucky day. No one was hit in this storm but hopefully some lessons can be learned.
Here are what the experts say when dealing with marine storms, especially those involving lightning strikes.
1) if at all possible check the local marine or weather forecast, especially the visible radar to find out if there are storm cells in the area. If there are stay at home
2) Keep a constant vigil on the sky, and be aware if a storm appears to be approaching
3) If a storm does approach, head for shore, move inland, and try to get to an area of shorter trees and spread out if you are with a group. You're not safe, but it's better than being on the water.

Here are some lighting facts for you to consider.

There are various stages in lightning strike. Initially, something called the step leader, which is a negatively charged channel of air, propagates down toward the ground at a speed of about 200,000 miles per hour. As it approaches the ground, streamers of positive charge surge up to meet it. Once a connection is made, electrical current which causes the visible flash that we observe (called the return stroke) moves upward at a speed of about 200,000,000 miles per hour, the whole process is virtually instantaneous.
As the step leader which precedes a lightning strike propagates toward the ground, the point of contact is likely to be within a radius of about 20 metres of the step leader. So the chances of being struck in any individual storm are relatively small. However, if that step leader is coming down directly over your head, you're likely to be struck since you're the tallest object when out on a body of water.
I have had two other confrontations with lightning while fishing. One was on Mille Lacs Lake in Minnesota and the other at Knee Lake in northern Manitoba.
In both cases the electricity in the air was so intense that the graphite fishing rods we were using were humming and the fishing line was going straight out of the rod guides. The hair on the back of my neck was also lifting. In both cases we instantly made the right decision, heading quickly to shore and seeking shelter. In Mille Lacs we were able to get into an enclosed building, the best option in lighting storms.
At Knee Lake we grounded the boat on shore along a steep shoreline and hug tight to cover. In this case it could possibly have been life saving as a bolt hit a tree 200 hundred metres away.

Paddling the Parkland for big trout!

Time to get out the float tube and fly rod, fall is officially here. It’s been three years since I visited some of my favourite trout lakes in the western part of the province, way too long.
One of my top picks and probably the best place in Manitoba to catch a trophy brown trout is a small lake located north of Oakburn on Provincial road #577. Patterson Lake, is tucked down in a valley, surrounded by poplar, aspen and willows, making it a great destination for the float tuber, even when the wind is blowing. While both rainbow and brown trout exist in abundance, the brown trout have probably provided the most trophy action for the majority of anglers who have visited the lake over the last three years. Given the life cycle of these fish, this fall should provide the best opportunity to catch a massive brown, one in the twenty-nine inch range which would be the new Manitoba record. Oh by the way, there are rainbows in the lake that are probably over thirty inches! Wow.
For those who like to fly fish, biologist and avid angler Ken Kansas recommends the “Parkland four pack”. That means a collection of flies that represent the forage available to these fish; minnows, backswimmers, scuds and leeches.
On my last visit Ken was using something called a “Psychedelic p-quad, I went with a Parkland favourite, called the “Blue Ellis”.
Ken worked as a fisheries technician in the Parkland region from 1990 to 2005 and he just one of a group of individuals responsible for the success story with salmonoids in this part of the world.
“There are two kinds of trout lakes in Manitoba’s Parkland” says Kansas “and each required a different management approach.”
“The more pristine, oligotrophic lakes of the Duck Mountains are cool and clear due to elevation and semi-solitary confinement from human activity (Childs, Laurie, Gull, Glad, Perch, East and West Blue, etc.) .
The other types are the eutrophic, mountain periphery lakes south and west of the Duck and Riding Mountain escarpments (Twin, Spear, Tokaryk, Patterson, East and West Goose).
These lakes are generally shallower, warmer and subsequently more productive than the upland lakes.
What this essentially means is both kinds of lakes grow huge trout. The periphery lakes just do it faster.!”

Officially opened in October 2002 Patterson Lake has turned into a huge success story. Kansas says it highlights what can be done when individuals and organizations work together. For years anglers from all over North America have been visiting stocked trout water in the region but in recent times some of the lakes have been hit hard by winter kill and perch/pike infestations. In order to help the fishery, people like Kansas, Bob Sheedy and Free Press hunting columnist Robert Sopuck got together and formed an organization called FLIPPR. (Fisheries Lake Improvement for the Parkland Region)
They have also convinced local municipalities that their support would help local tourism. A prime example is the R.M of Rossburn, who supported the aeration of Patterson and purchased the land. FLIPPR continues to monitor the project and provide input for further use.
A lake management strategy was developed that detailed that a combination of rainbow and brown trout would be stocked on an annual basis of one hundred fish per acre. Also implemented were a one fish limit, artificial lures only and no gas powered motors in order to maintain the quality of the fishery.
Funding for FLIPPR operations comes from various sources, but primarily, when regarding capital expenditures, from governmental and heritage sources.

Pike fishing on Cross Bay

When people ask me about a great drive to place for big pike I mention Cross Bay and portions of Cedar Lake. This fishery is located above the dam at Grand Rapids. The Grand Rapids Generating Station was built between the years of 1960 and 1968, and this huge structure was the first major hydro-electric project in northern Manitoba. Grand Rapids was the logical spot to put the dam because of a series of natural waterfalls along this stretch of river that formed a total drop of thirty five point six metres. Alexander Mackenzie, first traveled this route in July of seventeen ninety three and in his journals described the area as abundant with wildlife and its waters rich with fish, especially sturgeon. As the dam was built, a large reservoir was created above the dam in Cedar Lake. Its water level was raised three point five metres, flooding a large tract of land, making it now cover an area of close to thirty five hundred kilometres. Cross Bay is on the east end of the lake were the reservoir drains into Lake Winnipeg. It is closed to commercial activity and produces huge walleye and pike .
I spend a fair amount of time chasing big pike and Cross Bay is as good a drive to pike fishery has I have been on. Four falls ago at Cross Bay discovered that unstable weather had made the pike very lethargic. Switching over to cisco rigs turned the trick, triggering inactive pike to strike. Consisting of a single hook on the front of a piece of wire leader material and a treble a few centimetres back, we add a small rubbercore sinker up the line a short distance to get the bait to the bottom. Using the front troll motor to slowly work the baits (cisco’s, herrings) we started trolling across a huge bay that was noted for it’s large pike population. After taking a couple of turns around the bay, we discovered that one section of the large bay had a fairly extensive rockpile. On one side, the reef dropped sharply into deeper water with scattered clumps of weeds along that same side. This proved to be the most productive part of the bay and by trolling our rigs right at the edge of the break we had constant action. As for equipment we used a baitcast rod and reel setup rigged with twenty pound test flame green fireline. With the bail constantly open, we would thumb the inner spool to keep tension. If the water got deeper, we just eased the tension off the inner spool and let the bait drop. If we moved shallower, you would have to engage the spool by cranking the handle.
If you felt a fish hitting your bait, in this case a big ciscoe, we would give the fish a little line and time to turn with the bait. As the pike moved away with the bait, we would engage the spool and sweep set the hook. In almost every case this would get the pike in the corner of the mouth, making these fish very easy to release. We caught a number of large pike using this technique including friend Boyd Holmen’s forty three inch pike.
Cross Bay is also famous among walleye anglers in the know here in Manitoba. That is another story for another time.

Footrpint Lake

I am not sure why it is called Footprint Lake. Maybe if I was to see this body of water from the air, it would become clear. One thing I do know, is that this small lake is absolutely full of big, hungry rainbow trout.
It was a crisp cloudy late August day when two friends and I drove into the boat launch area, just ten kilometres north of Grand Rapids off of Highway Number Six.
Once again we had the lake to ourselves, with just a loon family and one real hungry cormorant for company. Hopefully, this greedy fish eater was only after minnows in the shallows, not fingerling rainbow trout, seven thousand of which are stocked in Footprint each year.
As is usually the case on a new lake, it pays to cover some water to find out what area of the lake the fish are feeding. On this day though, we never got the boat out of the south end of the lake. Trolling back and forth in front of a huge weed bed was all that was needed as one rainbow after another took turns attacking our lures. Friends Dan MaCrae and Jim Price had on small silver two inch original floating Rapalas tied with a swivel on eight pound monofilament line. On more than one occasion both were down to the last few feet of line on their spools as big rainbows smoked line and broke the surface of the lake with acrobatic leaps that pumped adrenaline to a new level.
I had full sink line on my eight weight fly rod to get the combination of flies I was using down a couple of feet on the troll. When the boat slowed or when Jim or Dan had a fish on, I would quickly strip my line in and cast to the side or in front. One time, the quick strip solicited a vicious hit from a big fish that liked the change in speed. On another cast with the boat stopped, a huge rainbow smashed my olive damsel ten feet from the boat. This twenty two inch fish took a bee line south, then north, making sure that I had use all nineteen feet of Jim’s boat to fight it. Now that’s my definition of fun!
When all the smoke had cleared we caught and released six master angler rainbow in five hours of fishing. Dan had the biggest fish, a bright shiny twenty four inch trophy. This, by the way, didn’t come close to some of the other monsters we saw in the lake, huge fish pushing the thirty inch envelope with massive girths.
In fact, according to fisheries personnel, a twenty-four inch fish is only two years old while those big boys are the three year olds.
Footprint is a shallow lake, twelve feet at the deepest and is subject to winter kill. Fortunately for the last five years, this has not happened, thus producing some huge trout that are waiting a visit from you. They can be caught a variety of different ways and even a novice angler should be able to trick a fish or two into biting on this particular lake. Just for the record, we kept a couple of smaller rainbow for the table. Unfortunately these fish were full of parasites, making them all but inedible. Catch and release is the way to go on this body of water.