PERCH PARADISE
LAKE MANITOBA , LAKE WINNIPEGOSIS and PELICAN LAKE

LAKE WINNIPEGOSIS

When I got a phone call from Wayne Lytwyn, a cattle rancher and lodge owner from central Manitoba, I wondered if he had ESP. You see for the last two years I had been trying to get together with my friend Jim Price from Portage La Prairie to do a family ice fishing show. Something had always come up to prevent us from going but this year, we were determined to get it done. After the phone call from Wayne and his offer to stay up at his lodge and experience some hot perch fishing I figured it was now or never.

I loaded up my family the second weekend in March, met up with Jim Price, and friends, then headed north. Three hours later we pulled up to Twin Spruce Lodge, a beautiful three bedroom house located near the south end of Lake Winnipegois.

Wayne and Jim Lytwyn gave us a quick tour of this impressive facility, which included an eight person hot tub on the deck. In talking to Wayne, he assured me the perch fishing was hot and heavy and we all looked forward to getting out on the ice.

It was a short 15 minute drive from the lodge to the ice road on the very south tip of the lake. From there it was another five minute drive to the mouth of a feeder creek that had perch stacked up at itıs entrance. Wayne had checked out the huge bay extensively, finding the bigger perch in this one particular area. In fact his daughter Taylor, had caught a 13 inch Master Angler perch the week before we had arrived. Well after catching once fish after another over the two days we were there, it made a believer out of me and the rest of the crew that was there. The biggest perch we landed during our trip was 12 inches but there were numerous in the 11 inch range. We were fishing in about 6 feet of water with small jigs tipped with Berkley one and two inch Power Grubs..All colours worked, but red and the white one inch models seemed the best. Jim Price and myself also worked a jigging spoon to good effect. On the second day of the trip we moved out a little deeper in the bay, off a rock point that dropped into 12 feet of water. We found a huge school of perch here, with non-stop action. During our time we used the Aqua-Vu underwater camera and in the second location there was constantly 10 to 25 perch at a time around the lure.

You can get a hold of Jim and Wayne by calling 1-204-656-4765.to find out about a wide range of vacation opportunities including fishing, hunting, accommodation and eco-tourism. They are currently in the process of getting a web site.

Their address is : TWIN SPRUCE LODGE BOX 203, WINNIPEGOSIS MANITOBA, CANADA R0L 2G0

Email: slytwyn@mb.sympatico.ca

For more information on fishing in Manitoba vist the Travel Manitoba website at www.travelmanitoba.com

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