The Complete Angler

Lake Winnipeg wins round one

2011-12-23T11:29:00.000-08:00

Leaving Winnipeg at six in the morning we were the first truck to venture out on the frozen surface of Lake Winnipeg. A group of anglers had decided to walk out but previous reports indicated a good solid base of ice, 16 inches on the average. Soon the ice was covered behind us with vehicles. Along with me this day was Steven Wintemute from Hooked Magazine and Darrin Bohonis, another friend.

I was driving with Vince D’Angelo who I had met through the Fish Futures banquet committee. The four of us headed north onto Balsam Bay to be stopped by a huge ice ridge about a mile after driving on the lake. Setting up along the ridge we decided to put up our portables to keep out of the steady rain that was falling this morning. Yes, that’s right rain in the middle of December. It would later make the roads pretty slippery, a consideration when we decided to leave a little earlier than normal at the end of the day. As Darrin showed me the new features on the GPS Unit mounted in tandem with my Ice 55, I could only marvel at the technology. With a Navionics chip of Lake Winnipeg I will be set for the winter on all my ice fishing ventures to this part of the world. Best yet the GPS unit can be popped of the ice fishing mount and put on the mount in your vehicle. I will have more on this amazing unit in another story.

My usual fishing partner Jim Price was about an hour behind us. We saw him a short time later about a quarter mile way. While I marked one nice fish on my Ice 55 to start the day, I did not get him to bite. Meantime Jim had hooked up with four fish right away. And it was to continue like that for the rest of the day even though Vince I matched Jim and his two friends spot for spot and hole for hole as we moved around the lake. Our total for the day was two perch, with Darrin and Steven catching one walleye total. Not so Jim.

My one fish, a perch came on a Live Target

Jim and his two buddies caught six walleyes at the end of the day in eight feet of water, making their total 16 for the day. Jim caught 12 of them. Part of the reason that they did so well is mobility. Drill, fish for 15 minutes and see if you are marking fish. Try and catch them two different ways. This is how Jim did it for your future reference...a still line with jig and minnow which has his flasher set up...he periodically will come over and look at the flasher and jig..if he sees a mark, he will move his jig to trigger a bite...he will move it anyway even if he doesn't.

He doesn't use a flasher on his aggressive rod..he just works the column with a longer rod, and sweeps his jigging rapala up slowly and then on a slow drop. He had a full minnow on the bottom treble. When the fish are scattered like yesterday I think this is the key... yesterday we should have started in eight feet, moved out as the day went on, and then back shallow. I won't make this mistake twice.

Okay, round one to Jim.

Merry Christmas

Now is big fish time on the Red River!

2011-12-14T11:20:00.000-08:00

Cold days and even colder nights with limited or no snow cover is making some awfully good ice. This bodes well for some great ice fishing in the province this year. I can remember in both 2007 and 2008 first ice walleye fishing on the Red River north of Selkirk was on fire. With great fall fishing this year on the Red many anglers are predicting a great ice season on the river. And guess what it is happening right now!

My first trip in December 2008 was to a section of river north of Selkirk which had extended stretches of deep water, in the twenty to thirty foot range as an average. After spending some time drilling holes and then checking it out from the boat in open water it just seemed to be a big flat at the end of a deep hole along a straight stretch of the river. If you had to pick this kind of area out of a dozen other better looking areas you would be a magician. For whatever reason though, it consistently holds big fish, really big fish. Along this day was friend Darrin Bohonis, a hardcore fisherman who also reps Minn Kota and Humminbird. We unloaded our vehicles in the early morning light, filling our two sleds with an auger along with our own portable ice shacks. We headed out to the middle of the river, careful to check for thin ice, a very real consideration at this time of the year. Soon we had our holes drilled, our two ice shacks set up twenty feet apart so we could compare notes of what was happening on the electronics. Both Darrin and I were using the Humminbird ICE 55 flasher, the most critical element in this type of fishing.

As we dropped our transducers down the hole, we adjusted the depth in the hole to make sure we could have our lures within the cone. This would allow us to watch our baits and to react to any fish that might appear below.

While ice fishing, you are allowed two lines, so on my still line I put on a 3/8 ounce blue jig tipped with a big salted shiner. On my other rod I had tied on an in line swivel to prevent line twist, then a small cross lock snap so I could change baits. I decided to use something big and aggressive, a gold Hawger spoon with a rattle and a long single hook. I have found with bigger jigging spoons that if you use a single hook, your hooking percentage becomes a lot higher. It was certainly the case this day as I landed all four bites on my jigging spoon, two of which were walleye well over eight pounds. My still line didn’t disappoint this day either, landing the same number and ratio of walleye. So here’s the deal, my jigging spoon fish all came at least eight feet off the bottom while my jig fish were within a foot and a half. With limited current, you will find a lot of big fish suspended at this time of year and without electronics you won’t have a chance to catch them. This also holds true in the big lake. A large number of the walleye suspend on Lake Winnipeg as well, especially when they move out to main basin areas during the middle of the winter. Fishing out of a portable shelter with a heater allows you to focus on your electronics, the key to catching suspended walleye.

Day Four on Tobin Lake

2011-11-06T10:45:00.000-08:00

First fish of the day, off to a good start

Day Four started out warm and friendly. It was not to last though as a cold front arrived just after lunch bringing rain and sleet. Given our success the evening before trolling crankbaits, we decided to give it a hard go today just to cover water because of the lack of numbers of fish in the system. It could not have started out an better as I nailed yet another fish on my red and white Bomber Long A not five minutes into our first trolling run. This fish hit in twenty feet of water with 85 feet of line out. After a brief but intense battle Jim got the net under a nice eight pound walleye. Neither Boyd nor Jim had yet found a bait that was consistently put fish in the boat but that changed this day. Jim hit the next fish on a purple deep diving storm Thunderstick then Boyd followed that up with a nice walleye on the new Rapala Troll-To Minnow in chrome. With a good start, we gained confidence in the cranks and covered water, eventually landing eighteen nice walleye on these baits. With weather rapidly going down hill, we packed it in a little earlier this day with no bites after four p.m.

Still it was a great trip with excellent weather, good friends and beautiful surroundings.
Here are some of the most memorable catches from the last ten years at Tobin Lake during the fall run.

Day Three on Tobin Lake

2011-11-03T11:37:00.000-07:00

Traditionally Day Three on Tobin has been a big one, both for big fish and numbers. We have had by that time, time to figure out where the majority of the fish are holding in the river. Not so this year but we had only spent one day on the river though and figured we better to look around to see if we were missing anything. Captain Boyd headed upriver, past the White Rock to the stretch called Grassy. After a quick drift and no fish, we head up past the regional park at Nipawin to the old railway bridge. Here we managed to land three walleye, the biggest, about five pounds, on a live bait rig and leech, the staple of many an angler on this stretch of river. We then headed up to the dam to have a look for old times’ sake. The water was boiling pretty good so we decided to head back down river to see what was happening. Near the mouth we finally found a good school of walleye by using the electronics and we sat on them with jigs and minnows. We caught a number of nice fish in a short period of time,. We figured we would also be able to crank up some of these fish given the conditions, with a clear sky allowing the walleye to silhouette the baits. After cranking from the lake all the way up the Eaglenest we managed to land four nice walleye the biggest close to eight pounds which I once again hooked on the Bomber A with a red nose and white body. It was a good way to end a tough day.

A clear sky added up to a decent night bite

Meantime our friends Russ and Dale were finding it tough slugging as well. Last year on this day three, Russ landed a monster fifteen pound 8 ounce fish.

This is why you fish Tobn Lake!

Tobin Lake Day Two

2011-11-02T09:06:00.000-07:00

Day Two:

Jimmy with a ten

No frost on the boat this morning with a brisk wind blowing out of the northwest. After a hearty breakfast we headed west to the mouth of Saskatchewan River as it emptied into Tobin Lake. Last fall on this stretch we had some of the best walleye fishing any of us had ever experienced. What was it to be like this year? First thing on order was to use the electronics to see if we could mark any major schools of walleye in the deeper water. This turned out to be a major disappointment the whole trip as we never marked the numbers of bait or walleye the whole four days than we had last year. We decided that we had to cover a whole lot of water and our first drift from the Eaglenest to the main lake was about two miles in length. Only two small walleyes came to the boat. This was to continue on until about three in the afternoon when at the start of a drift Jim hooked into a real big fish on a pink jig tipped with a minnow.

Bulldogging down this fish took Jim all around the boat. Finally getting the net under the fish, we celebrated our first really big fish of the day. Boyd scaled the walleye at 10 pounds, four ounces, a real nice fish in anyone’s book. Not five minutes later Jim hooked another toad on the same drift. This one didn’t quite match up, weighing 8 pounds, two ounces. Still the space of five hundred yards and ten minutes Jim had caught and landed our two largest fish of the day. We stayed until dark this day and started trolling crankbaits a half hour before sunset. It was relatively successful this day with three good fish landed, mine the largest at just less than eight pounds caught on a Bomber Long A with a red head and white body. It was the one that got away that was the real story on this day. I had a monster fish on the second pass but with three lines out you never know if you are going to get hooked up in another line.

Good friends and a nice fish!

In this case, the big fish had taken off about fifty feet of line after hookup running back into Jim’s line, who was fishing the middle of the boat. Trying to get his lure in, he wrapped around my line. I was at a standstill, I couldn’t reel in anymore and the fish was still on the end of the line. Jim held my line as he tried to cut of his lure but unfortunately slack was created when he freed his lure. The monster at other end then had slack and with barbless hooks as is the law on Tobin the fish got off. Ouch! Jim was very apologetic but such is life when you fish in the dark.

Day One on Tobin Lake

2011-11-01T19:13:00.001-07:00

Day one of our late fall adventure turned out to be just gorgeous, warm and calm. Friend Jim Price and I had arrived the day earlier from Winnipeg on our annual fall trek to Tobin Lake, Saskatchewan. On our trip last year, which you can read on this blog spot, we drove up all night on icy roads. Not this time, it was smooth sailing all the ways up to the Tobin Lake Resort were we met up with all our friends from Carrot River. Given the beautiful weather it was an easy decision to make the twenty two mile boat ride out to the main lake. As was standard procedure, we started out trolling bottom bouncers and spinners along the main lake basin. Captain Boyd Holmen was on the role to start the day, landing six of our first seven walleye. Nightcrawlers hooked behind a pink colorado blade was the ticket most of the day. By three in the afternoon though, things slowed down quite a bit and we decided to anchor up on a point that extended into the main basin. I should clarify the word anchor, because Boyd had the new I Pilot from Minnkota and all he had to do was hit the “anchor feature” on his front troll motor and the boat would stay in position. What a bonus when you are fishing in snaggy conditions or for big fish and not have to worry about an anchor rope. You can get a bit of sway when windy but on this day the boat kept positioned perfectly. We started catching fish right way with Jim hooking and landing six walleye this way. I was also into fish, setting the hook on the biggest walleye of the day, a solid nine pounder on a jig tipped with a Nipawin big chubby minnow which Boyd had brought along. The key for us this whole trip in triggering walleye bites was to hook the minnow up through the back of the head so it pointed straight towards the jig head. After landing a few more walleye and some bonus pike we headed back down the reservoir marveling at the good fortune we had with the weather this last week in October.

After cleaning the walleye we had kept it was time for a huge fish fry to celebrate another fall trip to Tobin Lake with great friends!

Tips for catching fall Red River Greenbacks

2011-10-16T08:39:00.000-07:00

By most accounts fishing has been pretty good this fall on the Red River north of Lockport Manitoba. A variety of techniques have been working, including trolling crankbaits into the current. Veteran Red River walleye fisherman say if you have an option of when to come out to fish the Red, wait for days when the north wind is blowing. It’s been proven over the years that when Lake Winnipeg flushes water into the river and backs it up to Lockport that the walleye fishing is substantially better. Given the forecast of a huge north wind for today and tomorrow, this could be the week to catch your trophy.
Anchoring in the Red is a time honoured tradition and most big walleye are caught this way. It does help to have two anchors if at all possible. Put your heavier anchor off the front and drop a lighter anchor off the back to prevent your boat from moving back and forth with the current surges. Some anglers will drop two anchors at the same time in order to get their boat sideways into the current. This allows anglers in the boat to spread out their lures,covering more area. Jig size will vary at this time of year depending on wind direction and current flow. Many veteran anglers of the Red fall walleye run will pound a heavy jig off the bottom to attract fish from a distance away. Many also bulk up their jigs with some kind of power bait over the shank of the hook, then add a couple of salted shiners over the back point of the hook. Since it is barbless your best option is to take an elastic band and cut it in short pieces. Once your bait is on your hook, add the piece of elastic over the point of the hook to keep your minnows on. I will sometimes hook my two minnows through the eyes for more action. Other times you can put the point of the hook through the mouth of the minnow, down through the gills , turning the minnow over to make sure the point of the hook then goes through the main body of the bait. This will help with short striking fish especially, eliminating the need for a trail or stinger hook. Vary your action with the jig, remembering that in heavier current conditions, fish will tight to the bottom and in shallower water. When current flow is slow, trying working deeper water along the main channel. If you can anchor on a channnel break with one angler shallower and the other deeper it will increase your odds of catching fish.
Anglers from shore are also reporting excellent success in the stretch of river between Lockport and Selkirk.

Cross Bay is better than ever!

2011-10-02T09:23:00.000-07:00

I should know better, I really should! Blood was dripping down my wrist, making the butt of my level wind rod sticky and red. It wasn’t anybody else’s fault but my own, having forgotten to bring gloves along to handle the big stout Cross Bay pike we were catching one after another this last day of September. A gale force south wind was blowing, making boat control a challenge as we tried to find a concentration of fish in an inlet on the west side of this massive bay. After spending about half an hour drifting then back trolling we had zeroed in on a big rock pile that was surrounded by weeds and sunken timber. This spot topped at about five feet, then dropped off to about 15 feet rapidly on the deep water side. I marked the spot on my Humminbird 997c as # 18 and then slowly motored around the area, checking out the structure on both my side and bottom imaging mode. When fishing these types of spots you want to try and position the boat just far enough away from the edge of the drop so you can drift your baits quietly up through the fish zone. Moving up wind, friend Jim Price slipped the 30 pound Navy anchor over the side in 12 feet of water. Slowly letting the rope out, I waited until we reached 10 feet before telling him to tie off the rope to the front cleat. We still had plenty of rope to work with so we could either back off the structure even more if we need to or let more rope out if we need to get more on top of the structure. Rigging up small ciscoes we had bought at a tackle store in Winnipeg, we drifted these baits on quick strike rigs under a large bobber. My bait was set at about six feet below and Jim’s had his at about five feet. We wanted the baits to be slightly off the bottom so these active pike could see the baits from a distance away. One thing you have to remember about pike, is that when a bait is slightly above their head they can see the bait three dimensionally. If we were to drag them on the bottom in this particular situation, the pike would have a much harder time finding the ciscoes.
In no time at all we were into a double header and after about three hours of this type of fishing we had gone through the 28 ciscoes that we had brought along. No matter, we quickly changed over to swim baits from Berkley. Jim used a Berkley Hollow Belly Pearl five inch shad and I had something similar on. Since the pike were targeting ciscoes on this particular spot, we were offering the pike exactly what they wanted to eat. Finally around three p.m. we braved the four foot rollers back to Moak Lodge and loaded the boat back on the trailer, another unreal day had on Cross Bay.
For a great place to stay visit their website at http://www.moaklodge.ca/

Traverse Bay, Lake Winnipeg

2011-09-05T08:00:00.000-07:00

It was just another beautiful day in August, the sun once again blazing from the sky as we headed up to Pine Falls and the Winnipeg River. What was different about this trip was the time of year. Usually it occurs during the cold days of fall when the leaves have fallen off the trees. This is usually the prime time to catch the mighty Lake Winnipeg greenback walleye that have rolled into Traverse Bay, which is located where the Winnipeg River empties into Lake Winnipeg.
Friend Jim Price has an addiction to this area, spending about fifteen days a year exploring the massive bay. It was the first time either of us had been there in the middle of August.
A gentle north wind greeted us as we hit the mouth of the bay, the wind balancing the current from the river. After venturing out in the bay some three kilometres, we soon discovered that the water quality was considerably worse the further you went out. We turned around and started fishing back in the clearer water in combination with current flow.
Quickly we found a school of white bass in three metres of water. They could be seen swirling and slashing bait fish to the surface of the water. We caught the first few on jigs and Berkley power grubs, then switched over to shallow running Berkley Flicker Shads to cover more shallow water. It was non-stop action for about an hour until we scattered the school of fish. Switching back to jigs Jim moved us out off the edge of the underwater point to about four metres of water. Bingo, it was walleye time! We then landed a combination of walleye, sauger, smallmouth bass, silver bass with a northern pike thrown in for good measure, a fun day had by all.

Summertime on Lake Winnipeg

2011-08-11T07:45:00.000-07:00

Great weather doesn’t always mean that the fishing will be the same. It does offer a stable environment for fish though, and you add some moving water and the fishing can be spectacular. Some our family weekends are spent at Gimli on the shores of Lake Winnipeg. This year the water clarity has been excellent, providing some good angling in many sections of the lake. Friend Jim Price and I decided to head out on the big lake a couple of weeks ago from the Winnipeg Beach Harbor. Unfortunately a couple of days of windy weather had resulted in a reduction in water clarity. Still we had a beautiful day with a northeast wind providing a nice chop on the water. While we caught six species of fish, we only managed one small walleye and one small sauger. Most of the time was spent trolling, first shallow water, then gradually deeper. We didn’t mark very many fish on our sonar, but the majority we did catch this day was by slowly drifting with a jig and and power gulp minnow.
Meantime another friend of mine headed out to Traverse Bay, catching a limit of nice walleye as well as a variety of other species. He anchored out in the main bay off one of the rock piles in fourteen feet of water. Using jigs tipped with salted shiners, he had non-stop action for walleye until about noon, then after that perch and saugers.
Since many of the tributaries are still emptying a lot of water in the big lake, this current is holding fish all summer long. Baitfish will hang around these areas and walleye and other species are not far behind. The Saskatchewan River at Grand Rapids has also been very good all summer for walleye that hold below the power dam before the river empties into Lake Winnipeg.
Sections of the Winnipeg River that combine current with rock rip rap also hold large schools of walleye. Off to the edges you will find smallmouth bass and other species. If you are looking for pike, the warmer water temperatures drive them down to deep water as they suspend near the thermocline, which usually forms in about thirty feet of water. For those of you who are camping or staying at a friends cabin for some summer relaxation, you might want to consider getting up early in the morning or staying out late in the evening if you want to catch fish on our natural lakes. Fish, especially walleye, will move shallower in low light conditions.
We have some great walleye fishing during the evening just before the sun sets around shallow rock reefs or sunken islands. Walleye will move in from the depths to ambush their prey, using their excellent low light vision.

Summertime is here!

2011-07-18T09:58:00.001-07:00

It had been a few years since I had hooked up the boat to try some summertime walleye on Lake of the Woods. If past experience could be counted on, I figured the chances were pretty good that the fishing would be good. As it turned out it would be hard to imagine that the fishing could get any better. Yes, it is summer time and the fish are hungry, ready to make up for a cool spring. Walleyes have moved out to main lake basin areas, and on this day we found them in a number of different locales but sunken islands that topped off in the four metre range were really good. Friend Jim Price and I caught them a couple of different ways, either by vertical jigging with a Berkley five inch Jerk Shad or by trolling a Berkley six centimeter Flicker Shad over the top of the structure. This of course, was dependent on the size of the structure. While we would catch two or three walleye on the top or side of each sunken structure the real fun was trolling deeper shoreline areas for both walleye and pike. These areas were once again located near deep water, adjacent to the main lake basin. A prime ambush spot for open water forage, these spots also allow both species access to deeper, cooler, oxygenated water. Twice this day we had on double headers, with one pike and one walleye. Pike will also be out adjacent to the sunken islands but tend to suspend off the side of this structure and are bit tougher to locate. I have had some great success over the years by running crankbaits off the side in open water at about the seven metre depth. If you have good electronics, you will be able to spot these fish underneath pods of baitfish. This is where a line counter reel and 14 pound test Berkley Fireline come into play. With the line counter reel, you know exactly the amount of line you have let out so once you contact fish you can get that lure back to the same depth. As for the Fireline, that pound line diameter allows the crankbait to dive quickly to the depths required, yet is strong enough to fight the big fish you will encounter.
If you really want to catch big walleye, trolling crankbaits in low light conditions or at nighttime over sunken islands during the heat of July will produce the largest fish of the year. Ciscoes and in the case of Lake of the Woods, smelt, will rise up in the water column to feed in the low light conditions. Any large minnow style crankbait that runs in the top four metres of the water column will usually work. Of course you will need some bug spray for this type of fishing and a good knowledge of the lake. It will, however, make your heart beat awfully fast when a huge walleye stops your lure dead in its tracks and heads off in the other direction.
Smallmouth bass on Lake of the Woods have moved up on rocky shoreline areas to feed on the crayfish that make their homes here. Firing out a crankbait or a soft plastic imitation will produce some excellent fishing for this species as well. Are you ready to go fishing yet?
Anglers Notes:
Walleye fishing remains very good in many parts of the province. Lake of the Prairies has returned to its earlier glory days and anglers are catching walleye in all sections of this reservoir. Clear Lake, in Riding Mountain National Park has also been excellent as has Traverse Bay on Lake Winnipeg. Now is the time to load up the family and enjoy the great fishing that Manitoba and Northwest Ontario has to offer.

Crowduck Lake Camp

2011-06-19T09:52:00.000-07:00

After arriving home to Winnipeg from that memorable trip to Gunisao Lake, I got a call from friend Jim Price. He had made arrangements for us to get into Crowduck Lake on Sunday. I am not sure that my walleye jigging arm could handle any more fish but I was sure prepared to try.
After leaving my house in Winnipeg for the two hour drive to the pickup point at Big Whiteshell Lake, memories of master angler walleye danced in my head. It was in 1995 that I filmed a show in Crowduck for “The Complete Angler” television series with Mitch Dorge, who at the time, was the drummer for The Crash Test Dummies.

Mitch had never fished before and after landing a Master Angler walleye that day, along with about thirty other fish, he probably never ever understood how good the fishing was on this body of water. While the numbers of trophy sized fish have since gone down, on this particular day we caught about a hundred fish between Jim and myself. Most of the walleye were between eighteen and twenty one inches, chunky fighters that made us forget the miserable morning that had us shivering in our rain suits. In fact, when we got checked out on the lake by Manitoba Conservation officers around 11 a.m. the sight of these two made us feel warm. One had his teeth chattering and was on the verge of hypothermia. After a quick check for barbless hooks, fish, and a license, they were on their way to lodge for a hot drink. Shortly thereafter the sun broke through the clouds, with the temperature rising dramatically in a very short period of time. By one in the afternoon we were down to our shirtsleeves, catching walleye like crazy and enjoying every moment. We started out in “Dark Bottom Bay” pitching small jigs rigged with Berkley two inch Gulp minnows in five feet of water. Jim had two walleye in the boat before I even picked my rod up. ( I was driving) After catching about twenty walleye in no time flat, we moved out to the shorelines to see if we could catch some smallmouth- (no, just more eighteen inch walleye.)
Jim then suggested we head out to Gull Island, a spot on the lake renowned for trophy walleye. Back when we filmed the show in 1995, we sent down our underwater cameraman. He came back with some incredible footage of huge walleye cruising the rock piles below. It was here that Mitch caught his master angler fish. On this day the fish were still here, just a bit smaller. I let the boat drift over the corner of the island in about ten feet of water. Using an orange ¼ ounce jig with a large dead shiner minnow threaded up the shank, I immediately had on a good fish. In a short period of time we caught and landed a number of good solid walleye between eighteen and twenty one inches. As the sun got hotter and the wind died down, Jim and I decided to do some power trolling with heavy bottom bouncers and spinners. While we didn’t catch the numbers we had been getting with jigs earlier when it was overcast, we triggered some really good fish to hit these rigs. All in all it was another spectacular day on this great walleye fishery.
About seven o’clock Jim and I headed back to camp, just in time to see Nick Kolanski, Bill’s dad feed a raven on the front steps of the main lodge. Nick and the raven had become friends over the last year. Bill has taken over running the lodge and has he drove us out of camp and across Big Whiteshell in one of the four big yawls he owns, he told me it has been 28 years since he started working for his dad at the camp. Bill puts in a long day, up at four in the summer and driving the last guests out at sunset. While his U.S. business and dropped off a bit because of the economy, more and more Canadians are coming to his camp. A lot of anglers from southern Manitoba also come in the for the day trips he offers. Just a note, if you plan on renting a boat from the camp, your need to bring in your own electronics.
Also while the boats are in great shape, they only have 25 HP motors, so you are way better off to keep two anglers to a boat, at least if you want to explore. Believe me there is plenty to see and catch!
For more information on the camp, visit their website at www.crowducklakecamp.com

Budd's Gunisao Lake Lodge

2011-06-15T13:56:00.000-07:00

I couldn’t imagine a week that could be any better for a hardcore walleye angler. First on the fishing agenda was a three day trip to Budd’s Gunisao Lake Lodge. Budd’s registers about a thousand master angler walleye each year. That was to be followed by a one day adventure to Crowduck Lake in the Whiteshell Provincial Park. Crowduck Lake has long been famous for its 100 to 200 walleye days per boat. Wow, are you ready to catch some fish!
I had been dreaming for years to return to Gunisao Lake in east central Manitoba, world renowned as the home of Manitoba Master Angler walleye. I had first visited Gunisao in 1992 when Dr. Jim Budd asked me to come up at film an episode of “The Complete Angler” television series there. Dr Jim had only had the lodge for five years and he felt it was time to let the rest of the world know just how good the walleye fishing was on this pristine, mesotrophic lake located 250 air miles north of Winnipeg. (www.buddsgunisaolakelodge.com)
It was Tuesday at five a.m. when I met up with John Toone , his son John Jr. and Vic Mann at the Esso Avitat hanger on the east side of the Winnipeg airport. We hauled in our luggage and shared stories of fishing trips gone past as we waited for the pilots and ground crew to load our gear on the three Keystone charter airplanes that would fly the eighteen guests up this particular morning. Gunisao has a 3600 foot all weather airstrip that is one of the finest all weather landing strips in Manitoba.

It took us less than an hour in the air and we were on the ground meeting up with friends Karen and Glen Smith in the lodge’s main dining room. Karen and Glen, who reside in Winnipeg, have been going to the lodge for the last four years. Owners of Priority Restoration, they are avid anglers, travelling across Manitoba to enjoy the great lodges and fishing this province has to offer. They had already been in camp four days and had three more to go. Checking out the Master Angler board in the main dining room, we saw that Karen and Glen had already landed six trophy fish during their stay, the biggest a 31 ½ inch fish. I should mention that in order to qualify for a Master Angler Award from Travel Manitoba, walleye have measure at least 28 inches. That is a pretty nice walleye in any ones book. Karen and Glen were to finish with 14 Master Angler Walleye before they were done!
What makes this lake produce so many big fish? Dusty Budd says the lake was commercially fished for lake trout for years until the trout fishery collapsed. After anglers discovered how great the walleye fishing was a lodge was established on the lake. Dusty’s dad, Dr Jim Budd purchased the lodge in 1987. Since that time the Budd’s concentrated their fishing efforts on the walleye that had filled the niche left by the lake trout. They soon discovered that the walleye grew to trophy sized by chasing down ciscoes that had once been the primary forage of the lake trout. Gunisao Lake itself is sixteen miles long by four miles wide and holds abundant spawning grounds. On our trip the big walleye were just staging outside the spawning areas and could be caught using a vertical jigging presentation. Karen and Glen fished one small area in “walleye hole” with orange ¼ ounce jigs tipped with a dead shiner minnows. Glen said the key to get the big post spawn females to bite was to the let the jig sit on the bottom for about five seconds, then slowly lift it six inches. Almost all the bites were extremely subtle in nature, requiring a slight lift on the rod tip to make the walleye commit to the bait.
While the Smiths stayed in a few areas, we travelled all over the lake in search of both walleye and pike. While our group caught three Master Angler fish we certainly enjoyed the outstanding fishing for both walleye and pike. In fact, despite only fishing for pike for three hours I managed to land a 40 inch fish, one short of Master Angler length.
Dusty Budd runs a first class operation with experienced guides, many of whom have been guiding for the Budd’s for years. We had Wally Bailey from Norway House for two of our days. He had learned the trade from his father before him and knew every inch of the lake. Just to give you an idea of how good the walleye fishing was, the average guest at the lodge while we were there caught at least one hundred fish a day.
TACKLE: While the Smiths had all their luck for post spawn walleye using jigs, we tried a variety of different presentations. We had great luck trolling crankbaits, in particular the shallow running Berkley Frenzy in a perch pattern. We used them on the Daniels River for about an hour and had numerous triple headers. Out in Daniels Bay switched over to Live Bait rigs with spin and glows hooked with a dead shiner minnow. This produced non-stop action on our last morning of the trip as the fish were actively feeding on mayfly larvae in this dark bottom bay. While we could not manage a master angler fish this morning our group did manage to land three as I mentioned earlier, the biggest a 30 inch walleye caught by John Jr.
Budd’s Gunisao Lake Lodge is one of the absolute finest walleye destinations in the world. The staff was friendly and courteous and the food was first class. Dusty made sure he was around in the main lodge in the evenings to serve up a cold Moosehead draft or find tackle you might need.
After arriving home to Winnipeg, I got a call from friend Jim Price. He had made arrangements for us to get into Crowduck Lake on Sunday. I am not sure that my walleye jigging arm could handle any more fish but I was sure prepared to try.

Fishing with Mike!

2011-05-23T08:03:00.000-07:00

It was the second time I got a chance to fish with Mike Asher, an angler Canadian television fishing show host Dave Mercer called the best muskie and pike guide in Canada. On both early spring trips we were faced with conditions anglers hate, cold fronts with drops in surface water temperatures that turn fish off. Surprise, both times we had days that most anglers would talk about for years. On this most recent trip a week and a half ago, we were fishing Lake of the Woods, the second week in May. Last year, it was on Shoal Lake, Ontario about the same time of year. In both cases the surface water temperatures were in the low 50’s Fahrenheit or about seven Celsius in the back bays and about 47 Fahrenheit in the main lake.
On our first stop, we started by fishing at the outer edge of a large bay with a feeder creek situated at the back end. Mike wanted to check if any of the large fish had moved out a little deeper because of a recent drop of surface water temperature. He was slow rolling a big white spinnerbait to search for active fish while I had cast out a Rapala X-Rap. Ten minutes later I switched over to a coffee flavoured Strike King soft plastic shad that look pretty close to a smelt, one of the prime food sources on this body of water. In no time I had on three fish, one a pike that was close to 40 inches. This fish came from a shoreline area that was wind protected, offering fish in the bay a little warmer water. Mike soon changed over to a yellow soft plastic jerk bait made by Berkley. We both started to consistently hook up small and medium sized fish. As we headed back into the bay a small stream was dumping warm water in a large pool that was deeper than the rest of the bay. As Mike carefully positioned his boat as to not spook any fish in the area, we made long casts to the edges of the pool. Allowing our baits to sink, we would slowly twitch them back to the boat. I hooked up with another really good pike right at the side of the boat, a 41 inch beauty with a broad back and a healthy desire to get free. After two or three runs under the boat, Mike managed to get a grip on the fish for a quick picture and release. Mike, who has caught twelve pike at the magical 50 inch or longer mark, prefers not to use a net if at all possible. He believes that many nets on the market today leave welts on the fish, which can then become infected. While pike can be intimidating creatures for the average angler, once you learn how to deal with them, Mike believes hand landing in most cases is the way to go.
By the time we left the area, we had caught and released four fish in the 40 inch plus range, a pretty good day no matter what part of the world you fish in. As the day wore on, the temperature continued to drop. Almost all the shallow water fish we caught then were small males, as the larger fish moved out to deeper water to find a more stable temperature. Mike ended up catching a number of fish on a bone coloured Storm twitch bait that he worked at the six to eight foot mark, a depth that was holding the majority of the pike. As we loaded the boat on the trailer we both knew that it had been a great way to start the open water fishing season.

For the story on our trip last year, go to the title Fishng with the Pike-Man!

A knife of a lifetime

2011-03-31T08:12:00.001-07:00

As a professional angler, one of the questions I get asked most often is what kind of filleting knife would I recommend. Well, I was lucky enough some fifteen years ago to get a Cutco filleting knife as a present. I had donated a day of my time to take a young angler with cancer fishing. His family was so grateful that they gave me the Fisherman's Solution. With the extendable stainless steel blade; pivoting sheath that doubles as a gripper; built-in, notched line cutter and sharpening stone, this knife has been the answer to my filleting needs for a wide variety of species of fish since that time. Fisherman's Solution has a 6" - 9" adjustable blade with a release on the handle to adjust the length according to the size of fish you are cleaning. My release broke about two years ago, and the blade wouldn’t stay in place. Now with Cutco you have a lifetime warranty called their “Forever Guarantee” which means you can ship your product back to them and it will be fixed. Better yet, I ran into Justin Gregoire at the Mid Canada Boat Show at the beginning of March. He was manning the Cutco booth as the regional sales representative for this outstanding product. Justin took down my name and phone number when I explained the problem with the knife, offering to come by a week later to replace the handle. One week later Justin is on my doorstep and the knife is now good as new. If you are interested in this product plus a look at all the Cutco knives contact Justin at justingregoire@hotmail.com or visit the website at www.mycutcorep.ca/justingregoire. How good is this knife? While fishing Lake Winnipeg this past week, I lent it to friend Pete Hiebert to clean the walleye we had caught that day. When he started to clean the first walleye, he cut right through the backbone the knife was so sharp. “Wow Don” he exclaimed, “I have never cleaned a fish with a knife this sharp” Pete now has one on order. This knife is also used by many of the commercial fisherman on Lake Winnipeg that clean fish for a living. I like the knife because it has some flex to it. This makes it perfect for cleaning fish like walleye and pike, especially when you take the ribs out and y bones on pike. How much is the knife? It cost $99 but money well spent for a lifetime of use. I also learned many years ago from an expert how to properly sharpen knives with the Lansky Sharpening system. For a filleting knife a 20 degree sharpening angle is best. Visit them online at http://www.lanskysharpeners.com to find out more about this outstanding product and view the video on how to properly use them. You will never have a dull knife in the kitchen again.

Whiteout!

2011-03-28T10:19:00.000-07:00

Five o’clock in the morning couldn’t come soon enough this past weekend. Steven Wintemute, the editor of Hooked Magazine was on the way over to pick me up for a day of ice fishing for whitefish on Shoal Lake, Ontario. As usual Steven was right on time, a trait that I appreciate. Five minutes later we were headed to south Winnipeg to pick up friend Darrin Bohonis and then on the road The sun was burning down from a cloudless sky as we pulled up next to a large island. In this particular area, two other groups of ice anglers had arrived before us, so we headed to area between the two groups. Bohonis quickly drilled a hole to find a depth with Steven (www.hookedmagazine.ca ) right behind with the Humminbird Ice 55 to check depth. “We need forty five feet of water Darren!” stated Steven. Lo and behold as the depthfinder powered up, 46.5 registered on the digital readout. “Bingo!” yelled Steven and Darrin then proceeded to drill holes in a line to keep the same depth. After the third hole, something snapped in the power auger and it was done for the day. Fortunately we had one hole each, just enough to allow us to spread out to enjoy a spectacular day of ice fishing for a great sport fish. As is usually the case, Steven was fishing before the rest of us had finished drilling and setting up our gear, which meant, of course, that he had the first two whitefish on the ice before we even dropped a line!!!! On the second fish, his rod was bent right to the hole. “Oh, its huge guys, you got to see this fish!” he screamed. Naturally, we had to drop everything, grab our cameras and rush over to help with getting the fish landed. Out of the hole came a whitefish so fat, it filled the eight inch ice hole on the way up. As we started to snap photos of this monster, I noticed that my Canon 40D was telling me that I had no flash card inserted. Ouch! I had committed the cardinal mistake of not checking before I left on the trip. Not only that, I didn't have a backup card in my Pelican case, two rookie mistakes. Luckily all three of us had virtually the same cameras so we got lots of great shots on this day. After some photos, I ran over to my pail to get a measuring tape. It registered 26 inches in length with a whopping 15 ½ inch girth. Now that’s what I call a whitefish! As the sun rose in the sky, the fish continued to bite, some on the bottom, some just under the ice but most at around 36 feet on this particular day. Darrin ended up catching the most, with Steven right behind ( I disqualified his first two because we weren’t fishing yet.) I was a close third, not bad considering my flasher had pretty much packed it in at the start of the day. LURE SELECTION: Darren had his most success using a Berkley white power tube jig in the one inch size on a Northlands 1/8 ounce silver eyeball jig. (www.northlandtackle.com) Steven, meantime was using a more aggressive presentation, a Little Cleo green and silver ¼ ounce spoon fished plain. I caught my first eight fish on a 3/16 ounce Blue Fox Lil Foxee Jiggin Minnow(www.rapala.ca/products/bluefox/lfjm.php) in white and sliver tipped with a Berkley one inch white power grub. After that I caught a few more on small Berkley Realistix chartreuse minnow and jig. At the end of the day I scratched out two more fish on a ¼ Rattlin Snakie Jigging spoon tipped with a small Berkley Power Natural earthworm.(www.berkley-fishing.com) When I dropped this presentation down the first time, a whitefish streaked off the bottom fifteen feet to inhale the bait. This particular fish, though not the biggest of the day, gave me an incredible fight, peeling 10 pound test Berkley Crystal Fireline three times. Each of us that day was also using fluorocarbon lead of two feet with a small swivel to attach to the main line. You also want to use a medium action ice rod with a soft tip for the small baits that we are using. You need decent backbone on the rod though to get good hook sets in deeper water. Anglers Notes: We all forgot sunscreen on this particular day, not a great idea at this time of year. Luckily we each had top of the line, sunglasses. My Maui Jim dark blue pair saved my eyes from the intense refraction. To see some great photos from the trip, check out Darrin online at http://web.me.com/dbohonis/www.bohonisenterprisesinc.ca. Darrin is a tremendous photographer and can provide some incredible shots for a wide variety of use. Steven also has a blog from the trip at www.hookedmagazine.ca. Ontario does not allow non-residents to order their Outdoor Card online any more. You have to go to a dealer in Ontario to pick one up, a major inconvenience considering you are also only allowed to buy a one year license. In the past you could purchase your card for three years at a time. Not sure why any of this happened but it sure seems like they are going in the wrong direction.

Late March on Lake Winnipeg 2011

2011-03-25T08:15:00.001-07:00

Huge chunks of ice littered the shoreline and dock at Balsam Harbour as we ventured down Road 100 on the east shore of Lake Winnipeg this past Thursday, March 24th.. As friend Pete Hiebert eased his truck on plowed road on the north side of the dock, water surged over the gunnels. This was big truck 4x4 territory and on this day only his huge Nokian studded snow tires were to save us from a fate a number of other anglers were to face this day; a truck buried in a snow drift with a foot of slush underneath. Twice on this day, we went to the rescue of those less fortunate, or not as well equipped. One truck we pulled out had a dad with a bad back and a son who was going in for heart surgery the next week. They had already been stuck for an hour when Pete arrived. Most of the anglers out on the bay this day though were still riding snowmachines, a wise choice. Keeping out of the major drifts we ventured north, stopping at a number of different spots to try our luck. Things were slow at our first stop so I got on the cell and called “Manitoba Walleye” Roger Stearns. Lo and behold, he was a short mile away from us with the television crew from “Next Bite” t.v.; long time acquaintances Gary Parsons and Keith Kavajecz . Life time pro anglers and tournament fisherman, we had shared some good times together many moons ago on both the Professional Walleye Trail and The Golden Walleye Classic up on Lesser Slave Lake. In fact I first meet them both at the inaugural PWT event held in 1989 at Mille Lacs in Minnesota. Al Lindner of In Fisherman fame, had invited Alex Kessler and myself to represent Canada at this huge event. While Alex finished in the top ten, I was able to put together a solid pattern the second day of the tournament that got me in the top third of the field. Parson and Kavajecz were making a name for themselves at this stage in their career with a number of tournament wins.
HIGH NOON ON LAKE WINNIPEG: As high noon rolled around we pulled the truck up a short distance to were they were fishing and I walked over to say Hi. It was great to see them again and we caught up on all the news from their part of the world. It turns out they were filming a couple of ice fishing segments, one to be aired on ‘Next Bite” and another on the newly resurrected “Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World. They had already caught a number of nice walleye for the cameras and with half a day to go, they were just hoping for a Manitoba Master Angler walleye to finish things off.
After lunch Pete and I continued to cover the lake, finding fish at almost every spot we stopped. Unfortunately once a couple fish were landed, one had to move on. The fish were scattered over a large area from 12 feet of water to 20 feet but when you marked a fish you caught it, one of the few days I can honestly say that the fish were that aggressive. All the fish were caught with an aggressive lift and drop. The number one bait was the blue and silver Koppers “Live Target” lipless crankbait. Second choice on this day was a perch “Chubby Darter” while Keith and Gary caught a lot of their fish on the Berkley “Rattlin Frenzy”. I have two boxes of these baits in all colours but according to Craig Ferens, another hard core ice angler, who is a member of WAAM (Walleye Anglers Association of Manitoba) the chartreuse has been his colour of choice on Lake Winnipeg this year.
We still have a week left in the season on the big lake, but I recommend that unless you have a big four by four half ton with aggressive snow tires and a partner truck to go with, use a snowmobile. The fish are starting to turn on and the weather forecast looks good!

Perch action is starting to heat up

2011-02-16T08:35:00.000-08:00

There are few better places in North America than Manitoba to ice fish for perch, for both quantity and size of perch and now is a great time to be out. Our huge shallow lakes hold endless schools of these tasty little morsels, and some of the smaller lakes especially in the southwestern part of the province have some real trophies.
My favorite presentation, especially for aggressive perch is a small jigging spoon. Last trip out I used the new Slender Spoon in a silver prism colour from Reef Runner and it was very productive.
A short lift and drop right off the bottom seemed to catch the bigger perch. If your raised it too high in the water column, you would catch tullibee or pike. Having watched perch on the Aqua-Vu underwater system, the actual jigging spoon stirring up the mud on the bottom excites these fish and really creates a feeding frenzy.
My second choice would be a small jig and there are a number of excellent choices out there. They include micro panfish baits like the “Frostee” the “Genz Worm” and Fat Boys” from System Tackle
This is my number two presentation for perch and I tip these small baits with half a dead shiner minnow, a perch eye or a Berkley Power Wiggler or Power Egg.
When the temperatures are above freezing and the bite slows down a slip bobber is not a bad choice. It allows you to get the bait down to the same depth after each fish. For rod and reel I use an Ultralight Berkley ice fishing rod and reel spooled with Berkley Micro Ice Fireline. I prefer the limited stretch and smooth handling characteristics of this line.

Friend Jim Price finally got out on Lake Manitoba when the weather broke last weekend. While the ice is extremely rough, he and some friends headed by snow machine west of Delta on the south west end of the lake. Jim said they experienced some of the best perch fishing of their life with nonstop action from mid morning to one in the afternoon.

Price said it didn’t really matter what you used, the fish were extremely aggressive. This bodes well for some great fishing in March. Price says there is no vehicle access right now and even snow machines have to go slowly. Watch here for updates as the ice fishing season moves into March and access improves. Below is a bonus tullibee, great pike bait!

Icing Lake Trout!

2011-01-24T08:01:00.000-08:00

Icing Lake Trout!
As in most species, it pays to be mobile when trying to find active fish. It’s not unusual to try at least ten different areas in a full day on the hard water. Locations will change depending on time of year and the type of lake that you are fishing. On a crystal clear Canadian Shield Lake with plenty of deep water there are a number of different areas to try and variety always increases your chances of contacting active fish. I usually fish a medium sized Shield Lake that holds a decent population of lake trout and plenty of deep water which helps produces some large fish as well. Over the years I have tried a multitude of spots but have had the most success in three different types of structures.
These include:
• extended flats in thirty to fifty feet of water
• shoreline points that drop off into deep water and
• sharp dropping granite bluffs that lake trout use to herd ciscoes.

LAKE TROUT LURE SELECTION:
Having fished lake trout for about thirty years now through the ice, there are always things to learn and new lures to try. According to my friends the Koppers Live Target lipless rattlebait in the gizzard shad pattern has been catching some fish . It has been one of the best lures for big walleyes on Lake Winnipeg and this has been transferred over to the lake trout box.
On my second last trip for trout a couple of years ago I had tried a number of lures which included a Berkley Power white tube jig, a Lindy Walleye Flyer jig and a small Swedish Pimple spoon until I finally hit upon something that worked!
Tying on a silver three-eights ounce Fire Eye Minnow from Northland tipped with a Berkley Platinum Sparkle Nugget I started aggressively fishing the lure with a three foot lift and drop. I was using a little longer ice fishing rod than usual, a luxury of fishing outside. Over the years of ice fishing lake trout, I have found that if you can flutter a spoon for a longer period of time as you jig it, the chances are better to trigger a bite. Big lake trout love to pick off injured ciscoes and tullibees that flutter towards the bottom after being attached by aggressive schools of high riding lakers. About ten minutes after tying on the lure my line started to leave my spool of my spinning reel at a rapid rate. This fish had grabbed my spoon on the drop and was heading away from my ice hole at a alarming pace. In fact, it was so sudden and solid that I didn’t even have a chance to set the hook.

Last year on Clearwater Lake, I learned another critical piece of information for catching lake trout through the ice. A key piece of information that I learned on this day came from Dale, a guy that not only caught the most trout but did it using a hockey stick. Yes that is right a hockey stick, or at least the handle of one. He used it to store his line, while jigging his tube bait by hand, the same method he used to land his fish. Dale explained to me how he made sure the bait would glad forward and not spiral, the key element in catching lake trout on this particular lake.
Further to that, most of my success in catching lake trout through the ice over the years has been with baits that glide and dart through the water column. Baits like the Walleye flyer jig from Lindy, tipped with small Berkley power grub with the tail cut off, then tipped with small slice of sucker cut in a thin triangle (belly piece is always the best) . The key when rigging your jigs is not to overpower the lure so it becomes unbalanced. Smaller airplane jigs still catch trout as do jigging spoons but these are aggressive presentation for aggressive trout. On Clearwater on this particular trip, the fish were anything but. A fluorocarbon leader and finesse techniques were required to put fish on the ice.

Lake Winnipeg update

2011-01-14T08:11:00.000-08:00

Big walleye are still being caught on Lake Winnipeg but anglers are covering more territory to find fish. According to veteran anglers who have been spending a lot of time on the big lake this winter, the key once again is to move around to you find schools of baitfish. Strong current flow from the Red River into the lake itself is still a key into finding numbers of the larger walleye. Anglers are finding a number of different patterns. Fishing last week, we found some of the walleye on shallow sand bars chasing shiner minnows with some perch thrown in for good luck. Later into the day we move out to some mud flats and got some eater sized greenbacks in the mud. And I mean in the mud! A number of the fish were spitting up mud on the floor of the portable. When you looked inside their mouth you could see it covered with Red River gumbo. These fish were obviously feeding on insect larvae, probably mayflies since the big lake has such a prolific hatch during early summer. Some anglers are also catching fish suspended in deeper water, in the eighteen to twenty foot range while some are keying in on the shallow bite in less than eight feet. What it means is that you are only limited by your imagination and time on the ice. Once again it pays to move around. If you are not marking baitfish and fish on your electronics move around. Access this year has been excellent with ice ridges to a minimum. The amount of pressure on the lake has risen dramatically because of this with anglers roaming all over the south basin.

Tiger Trout of Twin Lakes

2011-01-06T13:21:00.000-08:00

A shroud of ice fog enveloped the two vehicles in front of me, slowing progress on a early December morning.
A brief coffee at the Tim Horton’s in Dauphin at 5:30 a.m. had been the rallying point for an ice fishing expedition that had us heading west on Highway # 5 towards Roblin. I was joining Chip Leer along with guide Don “Sticky” Stokotelny on a filming expedition that was to cover almost a week in this part of Manitoba. Chip wanted a shot at catching the tiger trout of Twin Lakes, a fish he never knew existed before this trip. After seeing the photos and hearing the stories from “Sticky’ we decided it was a trip we had to make. The previous two days had been sent on Lake Dauphin catching walleye and pike but on this journey we were after something a little more exotic.

As we headed up Highway 83 after a brief stop in Roblin, the fog cleared somewhat. When we arrived at the lake some thirty minutes later we couldn’t help but admire the scenery. The same ice fog that had slowed our journey had shrouded the trees around us with a layer of white. All was still, the only noise a squirrel in the woods along with the soft purr of a generator pumping oxygen into the middle of the lake.

This was the key ingredient in keeping these valuable fish alive over the course

of a long Manitoba winter; aeration!
In the blink of an eye we had our sleds unpacked, a short walk of only twenty metres to our fishing spot. With only a half metre of ice to contend with, it didn’t take long to punch a series of holes from one to five metres of water.
Chip had started his Coleman lantern, the light casting an eerie hue in the semi darkness. He was also the only one with electronics and before long, it started to light up like a Christmas tree! There’s one on the flasher now, he bellowed. A swing and a miss on that one and you could see the adrenal surging through his body. Mere seconds later another “blip” appeared on the screen, this time to engulf one of the tube jigs that “Sticky” had supplied for the group. As the light started to filter through the trees, the action continued almost non stop. When I left just before lunch, a number of both female and brightly coloured male tiger trout had been caught and released. In fact these fish were so aggressive, that Sticky actually caught the same fish, a brightly coloured male with a slight dent in his kype, twice within ten minutes.

Now, that’s a fish with attitude!
These particular fish are a cross between brook and brown trout and are difficult to raise in the hatchery. Stocked six years ago, tiger trout have found Twin Lake to their liking, a huge population of scuds allowing them to grow to impressive size. We caught a variety of tigers this day from the more subtle browns and greens of the female fish to the bright oranges and reds of the males. The stripes on the side are what really set these fish apart as well as their attitude! On this particular day, the majority of the fish were caught tight to shore, in about one metre of water on small Berkley one inch power tube jig. Given the tenacity of these fish line test in the six pound test range was a definite advantage.
Don Stokotelny offers ice fishing packages and corporate trips out of his tackle store in Dauphin. In fact, if you are the adventuresome type you can spend a night on the ice in one of his heated portable shelters out on Lake Dauphin. Visit Don online at www.stickysbaitandtackle.com

Ice fishing on Lake Winnipeg

2011-01-02T09:27:00.000-08:00

It was a relatively balmy morning when we hit the ice at Chalet Beach last week. It was the first ice fishing trip of the year on Lake Winnipeg and we were following Lee Nolden, a guy that spends almost every day on this lake in the winter. Lee took us along the shore towards the mouth of the river, some five kilometers. We had to dodge a few small pressure ridges but overall the drive was one of the best I can remember on this lake. Still you need four wheel drive, snow tires and another vehicle along with a tow rope just in case, at least if you want to be safe. We were quickly drilling holes in the dark, getting ready for the first light walleye bite. When the clock struck 8:30 the action got hot and heavy. I was fishing with Darrin Bohonis, the manufacturers rep for Humminbird/MinnKota. In no time Darrin had landed four fish. I managed one on a jig, then Darrin landed a couple more before we were forced to set up our portable tent. A nasty north wind had arrived, blowing right down the centre of this massive body of water.

It also shut down the bite. Though we fished to four o’clock that afternoon it was only a scattered bite. We had been fishing eight feet of water, a depth were Lee has been finding the majority of the walleye this winter so far. We landed some walleye in the 26 inch range this trip and lost a couple more that might have been bigger. Nolden says the bigger walleye have been coming on the west side, though lots of walleye are being caught out of Balsam Bay on the east side of the lake.
He says, the bit has been relatively slow in other sections of the lake, including Hecla Island. Right now the lake has about 20 inches of ice. Hot lures have been the Live Target baits in silver and red though Darrin was using a silver and orange Rattlin Rap with good success. Jigs and jigging spoons also produced some fish.

Jiggin spoons for big walleye

2010-12-20T09:35:00.000-08:00

If you asked most anglers what their favourite lure would be, a jig would be the answer most of the time. When you are dealing with frozen water that answer changes substantially. Jigging spoons, chunks of metal that are hammered into different thicknesses and weights, start to make huge inroads as far as the go to bait. The nice thing about ice fishing is that you get to use two rods, which means you can use a jig on your dead stick line while working a jigging spoon in another hole to either bring fish in or trigger aggressive bites.
At this time of the year, and again in March most of the anglers I fish with and talk to, say the number one lure choice would be a jigging spoon, a piece of metal that flashes and flutters, attracting fish from a distance. In the middle of December last year we hit Lake Winnipeg for the first of many trips. About half way through the day the fish really started to become active. I could tell that by how the fish were reacting to my presentation below the ice on my ice flasher.
I could see the mark coming up on my electronics, a black bar rising rapidly to where my Northlands Buckshot rattle jigging spoon was suspended two feet above the bottom. Watching my line intently, I shook the rod lightly. That was all that was required to trigger this big walleye from engulfing my offering.
Fishing in fifteen feet of water, the big walleye bulldogged down. Roger Stearns, who was fishing nearby came running to my assistance. Peering down the hole, he grabbed the fish once I got the head started up the hole. After a quick measure along with a couple of digital images this Lake Winnipeg walleye was sent back down the hole. Roger is a veteran walleye angler and he has a small box jam full of every jigging spoon known to man. He loves to work spoons, relishing the smack a big angry walleye. Over the years Roger has developed a certain stroke, a medium lift and drop with the spoon falling on slack line for about a foot. After a pause, Roger will usually jiggle the bait a couple of times before the next lift and drop. If he marks a fish looking at his bait on the electronics, he will lift the bait up ever so slowly before giving it another shake.

JIGGING SPOON BASICS:
Jigging spoons can be broken down into three categories. You have the light flutter spoons that work extremely well in shallower water. These are excellent choices right now for first ice walleye and stocked trout. One of my favourites is a Williams Ice jig. These light metal spoons will roll and flutter when dropped on a slack line.
In the second category are the spoons that fish a little more vertical. These include the Northland Forage Minnow, the Rattln Snakie and the Kastmaster, all extremely effective vertical jigging spoons. The Northland Buckshot Rattle jig falls in that category as well, though it has a little more size to side roll on the drop.
The third category involves spoons that have both a glide and flutter on the drop. This in-between category is especially effective on neutral fish. One that worked well on Lake Winnipeg last year as well was Lindy Legendary Tackle Flyer Spoon. It has a semi glide and flutter. There is no shortage of different kinds of jigging spoons in your local tackle shop. Over the last three years I have really expanded my stock to three small tackle boxes of jigging spoons from very light to quite heavy for winter lake trout fishing. For walleyes I prefer something in the one eight ounce range depending on depth, while for lake trout I will move up to three quarter of an ounce.
When using jigging spoons you are probably advised to use a nice small inline swivel to prevent line twist and lure spin as well as a small snap for lure attachment. Line twist and lure spin can really diminish your odds at catching fish.
SPECIAL TIPS:
I have replaced all my treble hooks on my jigging spoons with a single hook. This has dramatcially increased my hooking percentage. A single hook allows the fish to take the bait deeper on the bite, and with a Tru Turn hook most of the time the hook is set in the corner of the mouth. You can also thread on a minnow, another way to stop short strikes.

What does the 2010/2011 ice fishing season look like

2010-12-20T08:30:00.000-08:00

The ice fishing is in full swing with a spell of very cold weather. Anglers are always looking for information, especially at this time of year when everyone is just starting to get out on the lakes and rivers in Manitoba. Lake Winnipeg has been a primary hotspot of ice anglers for about six years now. Two of Manitoba’s most knowledgeable are Roger Stearns and Lee Nolden. I have had the opportunity to ice fish with both of these individuals and their insight on the fishery is as good as any I have ever heard.
LAKE WINNIPEG
Stearns and Nolden both agree that when trying to find numbers of walleye, along with big walleye, clear water is preferred. Stearns says can always catch walleye early in the season relating to perch, but numbers of fish are not as easily attainable until after the water clears up, usually after Christmas.
Here is Stearns theory how the recent nutrient loading of the lake has affected the fishing in the south basin:
“Lake Winnipeg has an issue with phosphates and nitrates. Phosphates and nitrates happen to be the best friends of zooplankton and plankton. Plankton is also the preferred food for shiners and other minnows. Keep in mind that zooplankton and plankton have zero ability to move other than up and down to be in their preferred light level. They are totally at the mercy of the current which is a key point to remember.
Now go back in history about 8 or 10 years when the people studying the lake figured out that the Hecla causeway was causing a huge back eddy in the south basin. The rotation of the back eddy is headed north up the middle with the help of the river and headed south down the west side. The east side is affected as well but more like a back draft and not as strongly.
Now that we have massive amounts of phosphates and nitrates and loads of plankton in combination with a back eddy the plankton just keeps going in circles and recharging with shiners. As it circles back out into the lake picking up more and more shiners it picks up walleyes. The back eddy pushes the plankton and minnows down the west side. The walleye follow the shiners down the west side, and to a lesser extent down the east side.
Plankton is lost in dirty water, not setting up in distinct pods like in clearer water. Plankton is always moving up and down in the water column to its preferred light level. The minnows follow that depth, which easily explains the abundance of suspended fish in the south basin. Three and four winters ago the suspended bite was on fire for months, from 10am until 3pm. The perch bite was still there but could get super hot when the walleyes pushed the shiners closer to shore. In the month of March the shallow bite in particular can really heat up. This could also be in part because of the upcoming spawn and the peak of the migration.

Stearns believes this will be an interesting ice fishing season on Lake Winnipeg because of the heavy current flow coming out of the mouth of the Red River. A lot of his consistent big fish spots are in deeper water five to eight kilometers out from shore. He believes that further out will be better to get away from the flow and heavily stained water. He also believes the east side will be the best producer for numbers of fish. This because it is less affected by water coming out of the Red River. Despite poor ice conditions most experts are predicting another exciting year for ice anglers on Lake Winnipeg

Anglers Notes: Manitobans have selected Jake Macdonald's novel Juliana and the Medicine Fish as this year's featured book for On the Same Page, a province wide reading initiative. First published in 1997, this is a book for all ages by a tremendous Manitoba writer. It's a coming of age story about a girl dealing with her parents' divorce and the turmoil that it creates in her life. Juliana's dad owns a fishing lodge which is in financial difficulties. If she helps her dad win a fishing derby by catching an enormous and elusive fish all might be saved. When the fish is finally caught, she must decide what is more important, protecting the last of a mythic species- or saving her father's livelihood. On the Same Page may be considered a province wide book club but the concept is to promote discussion that reaches into all communities, showing the power books have to unite people. During January and February, the Millennium Library will feature Jakes book along with a number if fishing exhibits that promote the sport.

The Last Open Water trip of the year

2010-11-23T11:05:00.000-08:00

The incredible string of great fall weather up until last week extended the open water fishing season for many anglers. With a change in the weather this week though, it’s almost time to think about ice fishing but not quite. A couple friends and I took advantage of the great weather in mid November to head out to Pine Falls and Traverse Bay. A southeast wind was blowing at about 15 knots but with comfortable temperatures it was a special day to be on the water. As we headed out to the first small island in the bay itself I took a quick look around on the sonar to see if any fish were marking. In order to cover some water we decided to drift in twelve to fourteen feet of water with jigs. After a couple of bites with no fish landed, we dropped anchor. After fifteen minutes with no fish, we headed further out into the bay. In the past I had considerable luck fishing the north side of the river channel in an area that had a sharp drop from shallow to deep water. Marked Number 002 on my Humminbird GPS this spot seems to consistently produce good walleye fishing. I believe the walleye like to hold on the edge of the river channel waiting for the current to wash baitfish into this area. It doesn’t hurt also that there’s a dip in the channel which tends to funnel baitfish into this one area. After carefully positioning the boat, I got friend Darrin Bohonis to drop the heavy anchor in twenty one feet. Watching my depthfinder carefully, I waited for the boat to drift back into fifteen feet before telling him to tie off the anchor rope. Luckily the anchor held and we seemed perfectly position on the side of the drop-off. Sure enough, we soon started marking fish on the electronics with Darrin setting the hook on the first fish of the day, a solid twenty three inch emerald green specimen. While the bite was not hot and heavy we patiently waited for travelling schools of walleye to pass under our boat. It seemed that about every half an hour a new school of fish would come by and we would land about three fish during a short brief period. On this particular day we found 3/8 ounce orange and chartreuse jigs the best. These were tipped with a Gulp smelt minnow as well as a salted shiner minnow. Darrin and Steven Wintemute were using monofilament line but I switched to Fireline though I usually prefer monofilament for jig fishing. We all caught about the same amount of fish, though Steven managed to land five different species including sauger, white bass, pike, perch and of course walleye.
Personally I have found that in the colder water temperatures of late fall (below 43 F), fishing for walleye from an anchored position is by far the most effective technique if you can locate areas that areas holding fish. Smell also becomes an important consideration at this time of year. Darrin was spraying his bait with a scent product while I made sure to wash my hands periodically with a no-scent soap that takes away any unwanted odor off of your hands. Jigging technique is also critical. I had great luck putting my rod in a holder. I positioned the jig so that it was slightly off the bottom. With the swells slightly smaller than two feet, the jig was being lifted and dropped on a regular basis, with it touching bottom on the lowest dip of the boat. This also produced a double hitch which really seemed to trigger an aggressive bite. This was also the key last week when fishing on Tobin Lake. Friend Jim Price and I triggered aggressive bites from a lot of huge walleye using a simple long lift, drop to bottom, then double twitch of the rod tip. Wham!!! Give it a try when cold water jig fishing.

Day Four, Tobin Lake

2010-11-11T12:38:00.000-08:00

There was no frost on the boats when we got up at seven the next morning. All of us were hoping another monster walleye would be caught by the group on our last day. The weather continued just to get better and a high of plus 13 celsius was forecast. Don't forget this was the second day of November and we were a long way up the eastern side of Saskatchewan. As Boyd cruised into the mouth of the river, we noticed a ton of walleye showing up on his sonar. Quickly motoring back to check these fish out we continued to mark a huge school of fish extending out into the lake itself. Dropping our jigs down and drifting with the current in twenty feet of water, we caught one walleye after another. Unfortunately most were small fish, less than eighteen inches. Well at least we had found some good eating size walleye but we figured we should work the stretch were the big walleye had been caught the day before. As it turned out, it was a wise decision.
Boyd had us on a slow drift in anywhere from twenty to thirty feet of water. A short time later Jim hooked into his biggest walleye of the trip, weighing an even twelve pounds.

Ten minutes later Boyd landed one over eleven pounds. In a one hour stretch I landed five walleye over eight pounds, four or which were over nine pounds but none made the ten pound mark.

It turned out to be our best day ever, with more than sixty walleyes caught and released. At the end of the day, we decided to troll out in the lake and it again paid dividends with Boyd catching our last fish of the trip....of course it weighed an even twelve pounds and tied Jim for that days big fish.

Day Three, Tobin Lake

2010-11-11T12:04:00.000-08:00

THE FISH OF A LIFETIME! AGAIN!!

As dawn broke on Day Three, the thermometer on Dales Cabin showed a balmy minus one Celsius. Everyone had gone to bed early the night before even though it had been Halloween and it was a very excited crew that hit the water that morning. Conditions were prime and three days of stable weather would only improve the bite. Since it was a Monday, Saskatchewan Power was running a bit more water through the dam at Nipawin. That is a good thing, because current on this system triggers an intense walleye bite.We were also pretty confident we had found the pattern that would consistently catch us both numbers of walleye with some trophies thrown in. What transpired shortly after lunch though, was past our wildest expectations. Boyd, Jim and I, along with Russ and Dale in the Ranger, started at the mouth of the river as it enters the reservoir. While we caught eighteen walleye on our first drift with jigs, none was bigger than nine pounds. A second drift around the corner produced only eight walleye. This was enough to convince Dale and Russ to move up one river bend, about a half mile away. A little later we were to join them on that stretch of water. It was on this stretch in 2003, while fishing with Russ and Dale, that a walleye that weighed fifteen pounds, three ounces was caught while cranking at night. Who was to know that this mark was to be shattered by the man who caught this fish. Thats right, Russ had taken our advice and tied on a big pink jig tipped with a shiner minnow. Dale was working the front troll motor up the side of the channel when a monster walleye slammed the pink jig. After a tug of war that last almost ten minutes, Dale was able to get the net under this behometh. Both Dale and Boyd carry digital scales in their boats for moments like this. With so many big walleye available on this stretch of river, they want to make sure they get the weights of these fish correct. After a careful weighing, Russ had done it again, another walleye over fifteen pounds!

This one tipped the scales at 15 pounds 8 ounces, beating his old record by five ounces.

After a few quick pictures this incredible fish was released to live another day and the celebration was about to begin.

Day Two, Tobin Lake

2010-11-06T11:09:00.000-07:00

As the weather had cleared overnight, there was a considerable frost in the morning on all of our boats. The thermometer had dropped to minus eleven celsius but there was not a breath of wind.
Our Captain had decided that we should head out to the big lake, some fourteen miles from the resort to check out the walleyes. A couple weeks previous, they had caught a number of nice fish using bottom bouncers and spinners in twenty two feet of water. We waited until about 10 a.m to make the long drive, the sun driving up the temperature quickly, making the drive managable. As we pulled up to spot 057 on Boyds GPS all hell broke loose immediately.

Jims spinner rig, tipped with a shiner minnow, had barely hit bottom when his rod bent over. Boyd was not far behind, landing a chunky five pound walleye. I then had on two nice pike in the ten pound range, fish that pulled and jumped all over the place, an indication of how active the fish were.

Unfortuntely for us, after this initial activity, things slowed down and around two pm we decided to head back to the mouth of the river, some eighteen miles west. Dale and Russ were in Dales's beautiful Ranger. They had decided to head back an hour earlier than we did. As we turned a corner of the reservoir, a southwest wind had been piling up some good waves. Slowing down, Boyd trimmed the nose of the boat down, pulling back on the throttle. That sure made it a lot easier on my old arthritic back and half an hour later we were back in the mouth of the river. And it was a wise decision as we immediately we started to catch walleye drifting a jig in twenty two feet of water. I had tied on a white and pink glow jig in 3/8 ounce, tipped with a shiner minnow. I quickly landed a number of good solid fish. The rest of our boat quickly switched over and the bite was on. As the sun started to dissappear behind the trees along the shoreline, we put away our jigging rods for nine and and ten foot trolling rods and line counter level wind reels. I put on a Bomber Long A with eight five feet of line out. Wham, in five minutes a six pound walleye slammed the lure. Jim quickly switched over to a Bomber as well, this one a pretty purple rainbow colour. Five minutes later another nice fish was on!
Later, as we headed back to the resort, a brilliant night sky full of stars ended up telling us a story. Jim Price pointed out the twin star Betelgeuse
shining brighly in the northwest, just off the tail of the Big Dipper but closer to the horizon.

Jim recounted the history of this mega giant. As he did both Boyd and I thought he was pulling our leg, because the brilliant greens and reds this giant was emitting made us think of an airplane. As we sat there in the dark for another ten minutes, we realized this "airplane" had not moved. What a sight it was, something a city boy had never seen.

Check it out for yourself at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betelgeuse

Next: Day Three at Tobin is big fish day!

Tobin Lake, Day One

2010-11-06T10:46:00.000-07:00

Wet snow was falling from the heavens I loaded up my vehicle with fishing equipment for my annual fall trek to Tobin Lake, Saskatchewan at the end of October. Stopping in Portage la Prairie to pick up friend Jim Price, we headed up the Yellowhead Highway during the night, slowing down to sixty kilometers at times as we navigated slippery, snow covered road conditions.
Located near Nipawin, Tobin Lake has been producing trophy walleye for years. I first fished it in 1979 when working in Prince Albert and since that time I rank it as one of my top three favourite places in the world to fish.

While the pike fishing on this reservoir can be outstanding it was trophy walleye we were after. An annual trip, we were a week later than usual. In this case it worked out for the best. We had escaped the weather bomb that had hit the prairie provinces, dumping large amounts of snow in certain areas. In our case, it had made the highways a mess but the forecast held promise of beautiful sunshine and unseasonably warm temperatures.
As we pulled up to Russ's driveway in Carrot River after a trip of close to nine hours, anticipation was incredibly high. After a delicious breakfast we headed out to Tobin Lake Resort and friend Dale Pihowich's cabin which was to be our fishing headquarters for the next four days.
Jim and I where to fish with friend Boyd Holmen in his Lund rigged out with the latest Minnkota front troll motor and top notch electronics, all keys in fine tuning our fishing. Fog greeted us as we launched the boat in plus one celsius conditions. Cold and damp was the best way to describe the first day on the river. While we caught a few walleye the conditions weren't optimum.

Jim with a first day walleye

The sun finally broke through the fog about three in the afternoon and we decided to fish until dusk on the first day, the long day and damp conditions zapping some of our adrenlin.

Next: Day Two on the Big Lake.

Silver

2010-10-18T19:40:00.000-07:00

As I stood on shore in the darkness of a cool and windy October evening on the shores of Lac Du Bonnet I was mesmerized by the object that’s was moving towards me through the darkness all ablaze. Thinking about in afterwards it reminded me of the flame throwing monster in Dr.

No, that kept all the unwanted riffraff off the tropical island. Of course, for those of you who are James Bond fans, it turned out to be an armored vehicle painted like a dragon.
In this case the boat that was emerging out the darkness, lit by a brilliant bank of lights, was affectionately known as “Silver” by fisheries biologist Ken Kansas. And silver it was with electrodes hanging off the front and arms thrust to front with more electrodes, a fearsome looking critter in its own right.
“SILVER”
This twenty foot flat-bottom aluminum vessel (designed and built by Smith-Root) is mounted with a genera¬tor that creates electrical currents that pass through positive (anodes) and negative electrodes (cathodes) hang¬ing partially submerged in the water in front of the boat. As the vessel cruises through the water, a field of electricity precedes the path of the boat. The right amount of current elicits taxis, an invol¬untary muscular response that causes fish to swim towards the anodes. Once fish reach an anode, they stop swim¬ming and go into narcosis (stunned), floating belly up. Since narcosis only lasts for a few seconds, biologists must quickly net the fish, which they put into a holding tank or live well during the “run” (sampling period).
That’s where Fish Futures President David Carrick and I came in. We had been asked by Kansas and Eastern regional fisheries manager Doug Leroux to see the boat in action first hand.
I don’t think we quite knew what we were in for.

Working in the darkness was critical since fish numbers rose dramatically under the cover of night. All species of fish become more active in the less than three metres of water that was required for this type of work. Off the front where a bank of lights that allowed those in the front of the boat who were netting the stunned fish to quickly get a net down to the fish. Since I was the one with the fancy camera, I was set on shore to capture the moment. And what moments did we have! On a trial run while it was still light out, I had dipped a massive lake whitefish that got my heart a pumping.

After a quick supper, we were back out in the darkness, starting out on a rocky point on the main lake that marked the entrance to a shallow bay. As Carrick and Kansas swung the electrode booms out and “kicked in the juice” a massive fish appeared off the starboard. Leroux immediately spotted the fish and piloted the jet drive to where Kansas could get his net under this massive specimen. But I get ahead of myself.

SOME HISTORY: Ken Kansas, who has been a biologist with the province for a number of years put together a summary of fish assessment since he has been with the branch. Here is a brief history.

“Fisheries personnel have used gill nets as a fish stock assessment tool for many decades. This technique is indeed an effective method to collect fish population data and has greatly assisted fisheries staff over the years to make the management decisions necessary to ensure sustainability of our fisheries resources. This method of assessment is certainly an effective tool, especially on large lakes where the amount of fish mortalities using this technique (usually 100%) will not negatively impact fish populations as a whole. In these scenarios, a well designed and sometimes annually occurring index gill netting program is quite necessary.
In the Eastern Region of Manitoba there are a large number of smaller lakes which have easy access, subsequent high recreational use including sport fishing and developed shorelines in the form of cottages and/or campgrounds. Most, if not all of these lakes have had their fish community assessed in the form of a gill net survey at least once in the past few decades. In some cases, as with Lac du Bonnet, an annual index netting program has occurred since the early nineties. Information gathered using this method is invaluable and has a very insignificant impact to the overall fish community considering the lake size (3500+ hectares) and the small amount of fish taken for scientific and management purposes.

On smaller lakes however (less than 500 hectares), which have a low Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) combined with potentially low success in terms of natural recruitment, any amount of fish removed for stock assessment (walleye for example) might have a negative impact on angler success for years to come.
Numerous government agencies across North America utilize non-lethal methods of fish stock assessment for the exact same reasons as mentioned above. Timely and consistent data collection, analysis and interpretation on high profile, heavily utilized lakes which receive high angling pressure is essential for fisheries managers to effectively manage these fisheries. Utilizing established, non-lethal stock assessment methods, these data can be collected without negatively impacting the fisheries and provides current and quality information required by the managing agency.

Some of these non-lethal methods which have proven effective in fish community assessments include seasonal trap netting and boat electrofishing. Both these methods feature extremely low mortalities (less than 5%) if conducted properly. Even though both techniques tend to bias towards the littoral fish community, conducted in tandem and during different times of the day and year, will yield quality data.

The Eastern Region of Manitoba has numerous lakes which fall into the category of high profile, developed and intensively utilized fisheries which require comprehensive stock assessment. Non-lethal assessment methods provide the only tool available to fisheries managers for fish community assessment that do not negatively impact existing fish stocks. According to Kansas the two main objectives are

1) up to date fisheries inventory data, species assemblages, catch/unit of effort, size, age etc…
2) assess eastern region walleye stocking program-all fry since 2006 have been marked with Oxytetracyline (OTC) we can determine stocked vs natural walleye because of this”

Here is a sample of the species we dip netted on this particular trip, a short two hours of work total

Walleye
Sauger
Perch
Smallmouth bass
Rock bass
Black Crappie (second documented ever)
Lake whitefish
Cisco
Mooneye
Northern pike
Ninespined stickleback
Emerald shiner
Spottail shiner
White sucker

Kansas says this variety shows the biodiversity in this particular section of the Winnipeg River. One species that we didn't get that evening are channel catfish which do exist in this section of river. With electroshocking in shallow water the majority of the fish are smaller in size. On this particular evening Kansas was impressed with the number of young of the year walleye that were taken.

FUNDING

So with major cutbacks in Fisheries budgets, I asked David Carrick how did this boat come about?

"The electrofishing boat is a very important piece of equipment that Fisheries Branch now has at its disposal, as it allows Fisheries Branch personnel to do vital research with virtually zero mortality to fish stocks. Obtaining access to this boat would not have been possible without funding provided through Manitoba's Fisheries Enhancement Fund, so every angler can be very proud that his/her contribution to the FEF made this possible."

In other words, without the support of Carrick and Fish Futures along with the Fisheries Enhancement Fund, none of this critical work would be taking place. Thanks be to that!

Fall smallmouth

2010-10-13T10:48:00.001-07:00

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.

Traverse Bay

2010-10-10T19:53:00.000-07:00

It was a beautiful fall day, the leaves a blazing orange in the distance on the shores of mighty Lake Winnipeg. Unseasonably warm after one of the wettest summers on record, we were on Traverse Bay in the southeast quadrant of this massive body of water. Water levels were up at least two feet in the lake and the Winnipeg River, just a half kilometer away, was ripping massive amounts of water into the lake. Water quality in the river was good, meaning decent visibility in the bay itself, a fact that is critical when trying to catch these sight feeders. Walleye like to roam the bay, feeding on large schools of shiner minnows and other baitfish that‘s attracted to the current plume streaming into the lake. The boat launch parking lot on the west side of the paper mill was full when we arrived at 8 a.m. in the morning but the lineup to launch was minimal. Part of this was testament not only to the good fishing but to tough conditions on the Red River. High and fast with poor visibility, the fall walleye bite had been almost non-existent. Anglers who normally fish the Red have been forced to make the trek to Pine Falls in search of the famous greenbacks.
Once in the lake, my partner and I decided to cover some water by trolling a wide variety of crankbaits, those that would dive anywhere from eight to fourteen feet. We started out almost in the middle of the bay, trolling a large sand flat next to the main river channel. Pete caught the first fish of the day, while reeling his crank bait back to the boat to check for weeds. A short time later he hooked another walleye, this one considerably larger. Again, it was the same scenario, he had been reeling his Rapala X Shad back in to the boat. Those two fish made me pick up boat speed to about 3.9 miles an hour according to the GPS readout on my Humminbird. Both came trolling into the current but running the boat with the wind. Neither fish was on the bottom, with Pete’s lure about three feet up. After about an hour of trying to duplicate our success we decided to moved further south, back toward a large rock pile that dominated this section of the bay. Dropping anchor, we decided to see if there was a jig bite. After about half an hour with only two small fish landed on jigs, we went back to the troll. As we headed to the side of the structure were a west wind was crashing some decent water on the rocks, I had my rod been over in half in the rod holder. As I struggled to gain control of the rod, the fish was taking off impressive amounts of 12 pound lime green Fireline. Unfortunately, one of the wraps had got wedged under another down in the spool. With no room for error, this big fish parted the line and kept going. Wow, what a bad way to start the day! Frustrated, I switched over to another level wind rod and reel combo spooled with ten pound mono. About noon, we decided to take a quick run back to the mouth of the Winnipeg River to see if the current bite was happening. Two spots later with three small walleye released I got a text from friend Jim Price, who was still out in the bay. He had found a big school of walleye a short distance away from where I had lost the big fish. He and his boat partners had released three trophy fish in a half hour. Quickly we headed back out into the bay to find Jim and another seven boats working a series of eight foot rock piles on the troll. Pete continued his hot ways, landing five walleyes in a row on Berkley Flicker Shad, black and white in colour. Finally, after switching to a similar bait I started to get the mojo back landing the next three fish.
Summary: Around five p.m we cruised over to Jims boat and thanked him for the information. We also lent him my anchor as we were headed home and he had a tournament coming up on the weekend.
Why the fish were in this part of the bay? My only guess was that a constant north wind the previous three days had piled up the bait against the south shore. Whatever the reason, another lesson learned about Lake Winnipeg. Keep moving around!!!!

Kississing Lake Lodge

2010-09-13T12:13:00.000-07:00

As the Calm Air flight rose through the clouds towards Flin Flon last week, four young anglers from the inner city of Winnipeg, stared wide eyed out the windows of the plane. They were to be guests of Curt Enns at Kississing Lake Lodge for three whole days of fishing at a world class fly-in resort. Enns has been contributing a fund raising trip to his lodge every year since the inception of the Fish Winnipeg program fourteen years ago but this year was special. Through a generous contribution from a private donor, Curt called me this winter to ask if he could sponsor four anglers from our program to his lodge. With the support of Calm Air, Fish Futures and the City of Winnipeg we were able to make it happen. Over the course of the summer instructors of the program were looking for participants who showed a passion for the sport of fishing. As it turned out three boys and a girl were asked to participate on the trip of a lifetime. Two of the young anglers had never been on a plane, never mind boarding a float plane from Flin Flon to complete the last leg of the journey.
During the duration of the trip, Dwayne, Liam, Celine and Joel experienced all sorts of adventures including catching feisty pike and walleye that abound in the waters of this northern lake. In the evening they joined together in the lodges game room to share the experiences of the day and try their hand on the lodges pool table. Every day the guides would pull up just after noon to cook the traditional shore lunch. In between all of this Celine caught her first fish, a feisty twelve pike that ran her around the boat. Along as chaperones were Marty Miller, who administers the fishing programs with the City of Winnipeg and Katherine Ward from Manitoba Water Stewardship. As co chair of Fish Winnipeg I was the guest instructor for the trip. On the first two days a southwest wind made travel a bit difficult but the last morning before the crew were scheduled to leave, the wind settled down and the pike went on a feeding rampage. Dwayne was in my boat on this particular day. I had given him a pink Mepps Syclops to try and on the first cast he smacked a pike, followed by six more fish in a row. It was a great way to end what was a memorable trip. At the end of it all the young anglers went home with a rod and reel, a new tackle box full of tackle and memories that will last a life time, all made possible by people that care. For more information on the great fishing at Kississing Lake Lodge visit their website at http://www.kississinglakelodge.com/

Good fall walleye fishing

2010-09-13T11:58:00.000-07:00

If you are looking for some very good fishing for walleye Grand Rapids is a great option at this time of year. Rainbow smelt run up to the dam on the Saskatchewan River and big walleye are close behind. There are a number of ways to catch this walleye in the river but my two favourite methods are trolling Rapala Shad Raps or bottom bouncers and spinners in the two river channels about a kilometer below the dam. I have also headed out to the lake and caught a few more walleye on the many rock piles out from the mouth itself using jigs. There are a number of hotels and campgrounds in Grand Rapids and a good boat launch. Located right on Highway # 6 it is about a four hour drive from Winnipeg on pavement. You don’t need a large boat as the river is wind protected and the best fishing is right in the community. I would recommend having a depthfinder to find the river channels. There is plenty of shallow water along with dense weeds so working the main channel is the key to catching fish. These walleye are usually very aggressive and it is just a matter of making sure your lure runs just off the bottom so it is not picking up debris. It is a great way to introduce the family to fishing since the action is usually non-stop. My first visit to Grand Rapids occurred in 1983 and we camped right on the shore of the river itself. It was early June before the weed growth had started and we just drifter the main river channels with jigs and minnows. While this technique will work at this time of year, trolling seems to be more effective.
STOCKED TROUT: With the changing of colors on the leaves it is time also to think about trying for a trophy rainbow or brown trout. On the same trip to Grand Rapids a couple of years ago, we stopped at Footprint Lake and landed seven master angler sized fish in an evening and morning of angling. Some were caught trolling using small Rapala’s and some were caught on the fly. Fish are very aggressive at this time of year so a wide variety of lures can work. Footprint Lake is just a few kilometers north of Grand Rapids.
This fall Fish Futures Inc., in partnership with Manitoba Water Stewardship, will be holding the 3rd annual Youth Angling Card artwork contest for 2011 angling season. Manitoba artists from throughout the province between the ages of 10 and 15 will be able to submit a fish painting showing off their talents and skills.
This year's fish species is yellow perch and organizers are looking for artwork that depicts these fish in their natural environment.
The winning design will be featured on the front cover of the 2011 Youth Angler Card and give the winner a year's worth of bragging rights.
Judging: All entries will be judged on the quality of the painting, artistic interpretation of the fish, background habitat, and originality. The artists are also required to write a short paragraph about their artwork.
A panel of judges will determine the winning painting.
Submissions: Beginning September 1st, 2010, entries will be accepted with one entry allowed per student. All paintings must be received by November 1, 2010 - 12:00 pm (CST).
If we have your interest please check out all in the information at www.fishfutures.net/yac or follow the link from the Manitoba youth angling site at www.youthangler.ca

Aikens Lake Lodge

2010-07-19T13:02:00.000-07:00

The year was 2006, and I was on my first visit to Aikens Lake Lodge as part of the first ever Catch, Picture and Release event on the Professional Walleye Trail. What a week it was as I met celebrities like Les Stroud of Surviorman.

DON AND LES AT THE PWT EVENT IN 2006

My pro angler, Andy Kuffer, was just a blast to fish with, one of ten PWT qualifiers for this event

PWT TOURNAMENT QUALIFIER ANDY KUFFER WITH BONUS AIKENS LAKE TROUT

Despite all of that, it was the hospitality and fishing surrounding Aikens Lake that impressed me the most. On a trip this past week back to Aikens as part of a fundraising event for the Grace Hospital, I once again experienced all those touches that make such trips memorable; a warm greeting on the dock by the staff, excellent accommodation, top notch equipment, knowledgeable guides and of course the outstanding fishing. As Norm, Dale, John and I settled into our cabin our guides already had the boats packed and ready to go on Day one of our three day trip. Dale and Norm, owners of Allco Electrical Ltd had purchased the trip at the fundraiser in the winter. Both were experienced anglers which helped considering the number of fish that we had to catch over the length of the trip. No other fly in lodge that I have been to in my thirty years of fishing professionally had the quality of equipment Aikens did. We fished out of sixteen foot Lund Alaskans equipped with top notch Humminbird electronics, livewells, swivel cushioned seats, back troll motors and brand new 50 h.p. Yamaha motors. This boats were flown in especially for the PWT event and have held the lodge in good stead ever since.
DAY ONE
I got to fish with friend John Toone, one of the organizers of the trip on the first day and what a day it was! We almost got tired of catching walleye in the twenty to twenty five inch range with John landing one just short of Master Angler length. It measured out at 27 ¼ inches, just shy of the 28 inches needed to qualify. Our guide Dave kept us on two spots all day, both off of main lake reefs. We fished in the twenty seven to thirty foot range, targeting basin walleye that were after open water forage. A south wind was blowing baitfish on these spots and Dave kept us on the fish by backtrolling into the wind. His use of marker buoys along with electronics were also key, never mind the wave wackers that kept him relatively dry. The walleye on this day were pretty particular how they wanted the bait. We tied our jigs off the front of the eye, in order to provide a swimming action. John also rigged the dead shiner minnows we were using a bit different than I was and it proved very effective. He would take the hook down through the head of the minnow just behind the hard plate, and angle it toward the mouth. Once through, he would turn it over and go straight

JOHN TOONE WITH AN ALMOST MASTER

through the front of the belly and straight out the back. While it looked a little awkward, in the water it had the appearance of a minnow swimming down to the bottom. It worked in spades, at one point he caught ten walleye in a row. I imagine I will hear about that for a few years to come! After coming back to the lodge, we got ready for supper, then an evening of pool at Big Mollys Bar. Here you get to trade information along with the big fish stories
DAY TWO: We traded boat partners each day and on the second day Dale was along for the ride. Overall it was a slower fishing day though we tried some different techniques including trolling crankbaits behind bottom bouncers in the deeper water. A severe lightning storm curtailed our afternoon fishing. As a result I took Dale out in the evening with a visit to the “Honey Hole” then a quick trip out to the first point. While we caught a bunch of walleye, none were over twenty inches. Still, it was a beautiful evening, a great way to end the day.
DAY THREE: With an excellent nights sleep in a comfortable bed, I switched guides and partners once again. Kik was an enthusiastic young man, who was going to university in Quebec City to become a luthier*. It was his sixth year as a guide at Aikens, having started in the sawmill on the property, fixing and building new cabins. While Kik might be good with wood he was also a tremendous guide, one of the best I have had in my thirty years on the water. He was hard working, knowledgeable and funny! In fact, the shore lunch we had this day was one of the best I can ever remember from a humour standpoint. Heavy wind and rain in the afternoon slowed the walleye bite for us

KIK AND NORM THE LAST NIGHT

but we went back out once again in the evening for a couple of hours. The total that evening was Norm 15 walleyes, Don 14 walleyes and Kik thirteen fish, a spectacular way to end the trip.

SUMMARY: Aikens Lake Lodge is a quick fly in from Silver Falls by Bluewater Aviation float plane. In total it takes less than two hours to get to the lodge from Winnipeg. Pit Tureene and his wife Julie manage this facility and do a great job. Both are young and energetic with three young children to keep things interesting. They are one of a new wave of lodge owners that have adjusted to the changing world economy. Over the last two years, Pit has seen more and more Canadians come to Aikens and for the first time this year sixty percent of the clientele is Canadian.

Pit is also in his second year as the President of the Manitoba Lodge and Outfitters Association, a testament to his respect in the industry. Visit them online at http://www.aikenslake.com/

* Luthier: Definition: a craftsman who makes stringed instruments such as lutes, guitars or violins.

Dunlops Trophy Pike Fishing!

2010-06-27T11:43:00.000-07:00

Jerry Dunlop’s dream was to own a fishing lodge one day. He started out as a guide at various lodges across the north, learning the business and keeping his eyes and ears open. One day he heard about a lodge that had come up for sale through receivership. After doing some investigating, he found out the good news, it was a lodge that he could afford. Then came the bad news, the lodge was in total disrepair, junk strewn everywhere and bears living in some of the cabins. Luckily, Jerry was still a young man, up to the challenge, with his dream laid out before him.
With the support of his wife Colette, Jerry and friends hauled away bush and junk, working from dawn to dusk to try and ready the lodge one day for guests. It has been six years since the work started and while there is more to do, Dunlop’s Fishing Lodge on Lake Waskaiowaka has hit the big time. More than 260 guests will pass through the doors of his lodge this year. In his first year of operation he had thirty. I first meet Jerry when I was working for Travel Manitoba at an All Canada Outdoor Show in Chicago. Jerry was working his booth, trying to attract more people to visit his fly in operation. For me, it was a chance to get to know this energetic young lodge owner and learn about his dreams and aspirations.
What I heard convinced me that he was on the right track, despite an economy that was in a tailspin, with American anglers willing to come north on the decline. So what has made Jerry Dunlop such a success? How about hard work, honesty, great attention to detail and knowing how to make a guest happy when they finally arrive at his camp. I found this all out first hand last week as Hooked Magazine publisher Steven Wintemute and I hosted a trip to this lodge through an auction held at this year’s Fish Futures banquet. We were to be there four days and while the fishing action was non-stop, it was the warm friendly family atmosphere that impressed us the most, never mind the incredible gourmet meals.
Here follows an account of our four days at the lodge:
DAY ONE
Lake Waskaiowaka is a trophy pike factory and Jerry Dunlop has made a career out of guiding his guests to trophy fish. This large body of water is located a short half hour plane ride from Thompson, made easier by the fact that the lodge has an airstrip. Steven and I pulled up to the Missinippi terminal at 6 a.m. to unload our gear. A number of other guests from across the U.S were there waiting as well. Also along were Murray, Dennis, Lionel and Dylan from Lorette. Lionel had purchased this trip at the Fish Futures May banquet. Part of the deal is that they got to fish with Steven and myself and we would host the four days.
After arrival at the lodge, we were feed a hot breakfast as our gear was delivered to our cabin. Steven and I decided to fish together the first day and Sam was to be our guide. From the Split Lake community, Sam had been guiding on Lake Waskaiowaka for five years. As we prepped our rods and reels we found out from Jerry that this spring was five weeks ahead of last year, meaning a lot of the big pike had already moved out of the bays. Our first stop that morning was in Alligator Bay on the Little Churchill River which starts its journey northeast right out the front door of the lodge. Steven caught the first two pike of the morning , both in the high 30 inch range, on Berkley Hollow Belly swim baits. I had he fly rod out and proceeded to land four walleyes on a red and white bunny along with two smaller pike. Soon, we were headed out to the Northeast Arm, some five miles out on the big lake. We fished a huge bay which had some scattered cabbage weed, While we caught a few small make, Jerry’s statement about the pike moving out of the bays because of water temperature, started to make sense. Of course the next logical spot to try was the mouth of the bays and off the many rock points. Sure enough we found a deep cabbage bed off a rocky point which held a few pike and a ton of walleye. In order to get down a bit deeper I had put on a Storm Swim Shad. It was on this bait ten minutes later that I hooked up with a 28 inch walleye, my first master angler on the lake. All day we hunted for big fish, but despite a few pike in the high 30 inch range, none over forty inches were to be landed by our group this day.
DAY TWO
I was fortunate enough to have Jerry as a guide on one of those four days and it was not coincidence that it was on this day that I caught my biggest fish of the trip, a forty two inch trophy pike that inhaled my Rapala Sub Walk lure. Jerry was moving the boat between two islands over a shallow sand bar when he spotted the large pike cruising the scattered cabbage. Pointing out were the fish was I cast a Mepps Bucktail past her nose. Missing the fish on the first attempt, Jerry backed up the boat and we could see the fish about twenty feet off to the side. I grabbed a different rod and reel and worked my chartreuse and white Sub Walk right towards the fish. This time the big pike made no mistake, T-boning the lure by the side. With a good hookset, I knew this fish was not coming off. Sure enough after a couple big runs Jerry got the cradle under the pike, keeping the fish in the water to take out the hook. Once I had my camera ready we quickly took a few pictures and I then held the fish back in the water to recover. Jerry leaned over the side of the boat to see if there was any damage to the fish. That’s when the large pike had had enough, sweeping its teeth across Jerry’s finger before disappearing.

TROPHY PIKE BAIT- RAPALA SUB WALK

DAY THREE
I was teamed up with Lionel on this day and he ended up with a couple of nice pike just short of Master Angler length. We also caught a ton more walleye. With the beautiful weather we had all trip we also headed out in the evening to spots close to the lodge. On this evening we had some great fishing on Cliffs Point just a five minute boat ride away.

DAY FOUR
With Johnny as my guide and Dennis as my guest this day was memorable for the number of fish caught and the quality of both the walleye and pike landed. We started off on Peterson Point slamming 22-25 inch walleye on swim baits. Every once and a while a big pike would interfere. Then we headed down to no name creek, about an hour boat ride from the lodge. While this creek did not look like much upon arrival we were soon to find out that it was chock full of big healthy walleye. And of course when you find a lot of one species, Mr.Pike is not far away. We ended up catching walleye until our arms were sore, plus I managed to land a 38 inch pike as a bonus. Steven and Dylan were just down the creek from us. It was here that Dylan lost a pike of monstrous proportions.
IN SUMMARY: We had great walleye fishing even though we did not target this species, they just showed up everywhere and would hit pretty much anything that moved including huge swimbaits, even my Sub Walk. The pike fishing is so good on this lake, that pretty much every day a number of Master Angler fish are registered. The week before we arrived one angler hit the magical 50 inch number, something I have dreamed about all my life.

NICE PIKE HIDING IN NO NAME CREEK

MEALS: The food on this trip was out of this world good. Chef Jim Peters, in his third year, made each meal a memorable one. I had met Jim at the same show in Chicago a couple years earlier and he kept on as chef, partly because he loved to catch big pike. As far as he was concerned Dunlops was the spot.

CHEF JIM OUT FISHING WITH NATALIE

EQUIPMENT: All the boats were brand new with 30 four stroke Yamaha Outboards. While equipped with electronics most of the guides did not use them enough or they lost their signal at high speed. If I was to return I would bring my own.
GUIDES: Were knowledgeable, friendly and hardworking, willing to listen and try new spots and techniques.
For more information on the lodge visit their website at www.dunlopsfishing.com.

Pike Man

2010-05-16T07:33:00.000-07:00

Mike Asher has spent the last eighteen summers of his life guiding fisherman at different lodges in northern Canada. Before that he fished bass tournaments and guided for muskies in Ontario. Dave Mercer has called him the best northern pike and muskie guide in Canada. For the last three years I ‘ve been trying to get together for a day on the water with Mike but between his busy days as the fishing store manager at Cabelas and my travels we never connected until this week.
It was a cool overcast day as we headed out to the Lake of the Woods in search of some early season pike. As we launched the boat and checked the water temperature on his Humminbird 997C we quickly determined that with a cold week of weather the surface water temperature had actually dropped a few degrees from the week previous. This is usually not a good thing early

BONUS LARGEMOUTH!

in the year when fish are looking for the warmest water possible. As a veteran of many a campaign Mike figured we would have to try and number of different depths, locations and presentations in order to locate and hopefully catch pike. Our first stop was a feeder creek which emptied into a small bay next to some deeper water. Sure enough, as we moved out into the bay, Mike hooked up with the first fish on an X-Rap, a chunky pike that zigzagged under the boat as only pike can. It was a great start to the day and allowed us to pattern the pike early, thus dramatically increasing our success during the day. We consistently found the pike in about ten feet of water just off the edge of the primary drop-off. A slow presentation usually involving a swimbait worked the best. Mike caught the majority of his fish using a Storm Swim Shad while I had excellent luck using a medium sized “Hollow Belly Shad” from Berkley. Both of us would throw the bait out and let it settle on the bottom, popping it up and down in intervals to trigger strike. As the day went on and the temperatures got a little higher, we started to find the pike up on the flats in about six feet of water on the edge of the bays. Even though we tried extensive mud flats on this day, there were no pike present. All in all it was a great day on the water and Mike showed plenty of knowledge and versatility as an angler. Not only that he was also a lot of fun to fish with. You can find Mike in the fishing department at Cabelas when he is not out fishing.
Anglers Notes; Mike guided on some of the best pike water in the world, Selwyn and Wollaston lakes in Saskatchewan. Over the eighteen years guiding up north he has managed to land and release twelve pike that made the magic fifty inch mark, his largest measuring fifty two inches.
Wow!!!!

Trout time in the Parkland region

2010-05-04T12:00:00.000-07:00

The float tube was loaded and ready to go, three fly rods packed and the open highway in front of me. It was time to head to the Parkland region for some world class trout fishing. In the last three weeks, the weather has been absolutely ideal for those who like drift around on a lake in a small craft, either a float tube or small pontoon float boat. I can remember just such a trip ten years ago to West Goose Lake in the town of Roblin. I was fishing with trout master Bob Sheedy, who was introducing me to the nuances of stealth fishing for shoreline rainbows. I would have to say that this was as exciting as any other form of fishing that I have ever tried. The only thing that comes close, is streamer fishing for big pike. As Bob and I floated down the north shore, he continued to point out the swirls and ripples created by big trout chasing minnows in the shallow water. One particularly large specimen was to be seen working around a shallow rock, totally unaware of our presence. Bob told me to make one false cast to measure the distance to the rock, then lay the small silver streamer to the side of the rock, two metres from where the fish was feeding. Sure enough, the cast was perfect, not close to enough to startle the big rainbow, but still within the strike window. In a flash the fish was on the fly, and as I raised my rod tip to set the hook the fish headed for deeper water, stripping line in a smoking run. Before coming on the trip, Bob had warned me to make sure my fly equipment was up to par. He preferred an eight weight rod to handle the massive trout that exist in many of the lakes in the Parkland region. My custom made fly rod with a G Loomis blank was incredibly responsive. It was also bent over, yielding to the strength of this powerful fish. Finally after a few dizzying runs, the gorgeous fish was seen down below my legs, soon to be netted and released. Bob managed to get a couple pictures of the fish, but its splashing unfortunately had a put a water spot right in the middle of his lens. It is a picture that I love to look at often, bring me back to one of the most exciting moments in a long career. That type of opportunity exists out there for those who want a little adventure. To find out more about the lakes on the western side of Manitoba visit the Fishing Lake Improvement for the Parkland region site www.flippr.ca .
There is a wealth of information to be found, especially under the articles section. One particularly good article comes from writer Bob Morenski who takes you through the seasons on Patterson Lake, one of the top lakes in the region. Morenski, who is retired and lives in South Dakota fished over 130 days on Patterson in 2008. His knowledge of the lake and the brown and rainbow trout that swim there, is staggering. I have fished with Bob, a man with an incredible wealth of knowledge.
Anglers Notes:
I was invited last week to the grand opening of Cabela Canada’s new distribution center and Corporate head office located in Transcona. It is a huge facility with over 125,000 square feet of space. The distribution center has the flexibility to grow up to 320,000 square feet to handle Cabela’s stated goal of future retail store expansion throughout Canada. Just a reminder while the season remains open for stocked trout and lake trout, the general season opening for the south is May 15th.

Speaking of youth angling, here is a tremendous opportunity for those interested in fly fishing to step out on the world stage. Fly Fishing Canada, in conjunction with the host community of Roblin, will be conducting a youth fly fishing clinic near the village of Sandy Lake on May 22nd and 23rd. The event is the kick-off for the Canadian National Fly Fishing Championship Week to be held from May 27th-29th, based out of Roblin. Participants will be instructed in the art of loch style fly fishing, which is practiced on stillwaters throughout the world during competitions, along with other valuable fly fishing techniques. Youth between the ages of 13 and 18, from anywhere in Canada, are invited to attend. Among the many instructors available will be the gold medal team from the 2009 Canadian Nationals and the Soldier Palmers Ream Quantum, a team made up of British Military on R&R from Afghanistan and crossing the Atlantic to participate in the 2010 National Fly Fishing Championships. Boats will be provided for training, as well as some limited tackle for those lack equipment but who still wish to participate. For more information, contact event coordinator Kelly Keast at robgolf@mts.net.

Late Ice fishing on Barbe Lake

2010-04-12T10:08:00.001-07:00

Late Ice in Northern Manitoba

It was day three of our ice fishing adventure to northern Manitoba and on this particular day we were headed to Barbe Lake, one of the more famous of the stocked trout lakes in the province. Located north of The Pas on the Sturgeon Landing turnoff, this lake has been making headlines since the world record brook trout was caught there in 2006. Tim Matheson of Sherridon (northeast of Flin Flon) and a friend had launched their boat on October 21st in search of a trophy trout. Little did he realize at the time that it was a day that was about to change his life. They were trolling crankbaits on Barbe Lake when something really large grabbed a hold of his bait, a jointed chartreuse Rapala. It turned out to be world record brook trout in the catch and release category. Measuring twenty nine inches with open tail with a girth of twenty one inches it was a true trophy. Tim quickly released that fish back into the two degree Celsius water after taking some pictures of this incredible brook trout. While this fish overshadowed everything else they caught that day, there was some big rainbow landed as well.
A replica of the brook trout now adorns a wall at Kenanow Lodge on Kississing Lake, his fulltime home. Tim has been back to Barbe eight times since that day but nothing that large has come his way since.
EXPECTATIONS:
As we checked out the ice this first week of April day, we did not have any expectations of catching fish near the massive size that Tim had landed that incredible fall day. We were just hoping to find a few brook trout in amongst the abundant rainbow that were all over the lake. The good news that the ice was a solid 21 inches thick and we could drive wherever we wanted. So off to the far end of the lake we went, Rick Hubbs leading the way to the spot we had fished four summers ago with some degree of success. In fact it was on this end of the lake that we had lost two massive rainbow trout, well over master angler size.
As we set up our lines along the breakline in nine to seventeen feet of water, my Humminbird flasher indicated that there was no shortage of fish in the area. In fact, in the first five minutes I had three fish move right in on my bait, to exit stage left, not a particularly encouraging sign.

As the day wore on and sun blazed down on us we managed to catch a few aggressive male rainbows, none of the bragging variety. Nary a brook trout was spotted on the underwater camera. Too soon it was time to pack up and head on down the road to our third destination on this trip, Footprint Lake north of Grand Rapids.

Finessing Late Season Lake Trout

2010-04-12T08:46:00.000-07:00

The sun was shining as we headed north on Highway Six on our way to The Pas, Manitoba. It was the first week in April, and we had three and a half days of trout fishing planned and according to the weather channel we were to be blessed with some mighty fine conditions to catch fish in. Arriving at the house of friend Rick Hubbs on the shore of Clearwater Lake later that afternoon we could see the water shimmering on the surface of the lake in the bright sunshine. It was wet, said Rick, but the ice was still thirty one inches thick and getting around was not a problem. Staying at Carpenters Lodge just down the road, we unloaded the quads and headed out to a couple spots close by. I was joined on the trip by Murray Olafson and son Wesley with Rick as our tour guide for most of the adventure. As we splashed out to our first spot, we were amazed at the amount of water that was being sucked down each hole as we drilled in our first location. While action was slow that evening, the beautiful weather with the high cumulous cloud and gorgeous sunset more than made up for it. Early the next morning we headed far down the lake with Rick leading the way in his 1981 Land Cruiser. We were to fish a large bay which had a shallow rock reef in the middle and sandbars all around. Hubbs discovered this trout hotspot by accident a few years back, originally looking to catch some pike. After landing three lake trout over twenty pounds instead he knew he had found a honey hole. Since that time, every April he ventures back in this bay to find the shallow water trout. These fish are feeding on the small tullibee that move into this area during last ice.
As we drilled holes across a wide area most of the success we had as the day progressed was along the deeper water side of the reef, anywhere from fifteen to twenty feet. In no time at all I had a fish on and lost it at the hole, a nice trout. Then Ricks fishing partner Dale Kerwin landed one, then another and another. By the time we packed up in mid-afternoon close to twenty lake trout had been landed, a pretty decent day in any ones book. In catching this fish, the key was to keep your bait tight to the bottom, a white tube jig from Berkley the top performer by far. Most were tipped with a very small piece of sucker to add a little extra scent. A key piece of information that I learned on this day came from Dale, a guy that not only caught the most trout but did it using a hockey stick. Yes that is right a hockey stick, or at least the handle of one. He used it to store his line, while jigging his tube bait by hand, the same method he used to land his fish. Dale explained to me how he made sure the bait would glad forward and not spiral, the key element in catching lake trout on this particular lake.
Further to that, most of my success in catching lake trout through the ice over the years has been with baits that glide and dart through the water column. Baits like the Walleye flyer jig from Lindy, tipped with small Berkley power grub with the tail cut off, then tipped with small slice of sucker cut in a thin triangle (belly piece is always the best) . The key when rigging your jigs is not to overpower the lure so it becomes unbalanced. Smaller airplane jigs still catch trout as do jigging spoons but these are aggressive presentation for aggressive trout. On Clearwater on this particular trip, the fish were anything but. A fluorocarbon leader and finesse techniques were required to put fish on the ice.

Lake Winnipeg ice fishing

2010-02-08T09:53:00.000-08:00

There is something about big water that attracts me. Maybe it’s the challenge of trying to find fish over a large area. Certainly it’s common knowledge that large bodies of water like Lake of the Woods and Lake Winnipeg grow big fish, another part of the equation. Still when you are trying to find fish on these lakes, whether it’s in a boat or on a snowmobile when fishing these huge areas, mobility becomes key. Recently on Lake Winnipeg many anglers have been having a tough locating the fish in areas that they have been the last three years. The majority of the angling pressure has been from Matlock to the mouth of the Red River on the west side of the lake. Those anglers working this area are reporting some tough slugging while those who have been venturing up the east side finding considerable more success. Most have been accessing at Beaconia off of Highway 59. There are a couple of other access points, places to leave vehicles and venture out on snow machine. In talking to a couple Manitoba fisheries biologists that have been enjoying the great ice fishing for walleye the last couple of years, they say things have changed on the lake, with the 2001 year class of walleye still maintaining the incredible fishing. As these fish get older and both commercial and sport fishing pressure is maintained they both believe there will be a decline in the fishery to some degree in the next couple of years. With those 2001 walleye, they say there is a variation in sizes, all the way down from thirty two inches. Lake Winnipeg walleye are wonderful fish for a number of reasons. Foremost, when you do locate a school of fish you can usually get some to bite. When you do take some home they are wonderful to eat. And oh yes, they put a decent battle on light gear.
Many anglers are travelling light on the ice right now in order to stay mobile. A snowmobile with a sleigh behind loaded with a heater, portable tent and auger does the trick. The main rule of thumb when we go out is to fish and area for twenty minutes max and move if you aren’t marking fish. If you are marking some fish and they are not biting we might give them a little more time to see if we can find a presentation that will trigger some bites. Of course out on the big lake, both a compass and GPS are required in case of a malfunction in the GPS unit in the middle of snow squall or whiteout. On the big lake you should also travel with more than one machine or vehicle if at all possible. Right now the anglers who are having success have been fishing the thirteen foot mark with a variance in presentation. Some have been only catching on dead sticks (a lure fished stationary) while for some a combination of a jigging spoon, or rattlin rap style bait have produced some of those larger 2001 year class walleye.

Icing Lakers

2010-02-08T09:42:00.000-08:00

Anglers in Northwestern Ontario have been taking advantage of the warmer weather to chase down some lake trout. While not as much snow as last winter there is still enough to get around on snow machines. On Lake of the Woods, the winter roads have been plowed but venturing off the beaten track in a vehicle is always risky. On the smaller lakes in the region, ice is good and the slush is manageable. I take at least one trip every year either in January and then again in late March for lake trout, a worthy adversary below the ice. As in most species, it pays to be mobile when trying to find active fish. It’s not unusual to try at least ten different areas in a full day on the hard water. Locations will change depending on time of year and the type of lake that you are fishing. On a crystal clear Canadian Shield Lake with plenty of deep water there are a number of different areas to try and variety always increases your chances of contacting active fish. I usually fish a medium sized Shield Lake that holds a decent population of lake trout and plenty of deep water which helps produces some large fish as well. Over the years I have tried three different types of structures, extended flats in thirty to fifty feet of water, shoreline points that drop off into deep water and sharp dropping granite bluffs that lake trout use to herd ciscoes. On a trip last winter, it proved to be a combination of this type of structure that was the most productive. I and two other friends fished a sharp shoreline drop off between an island and another point of land, which we anglers like to call a funnel area. We use this term as it relates to the underwater structure. With shallow water on both sides, if the lake trout prefer to stay in deeper water they only have a restricted area to use. This helps narrow down the search for them and also increases the odds of contacting active fish. It’s not the most obvious spot on any hydrographic map but usually quite productive. After drilling half a dozen holes, we started working the water column from bottom to top with a variety of heavy spoons and jigs. Fifteen minutes after arrival, I had the first hit, a small tap on a rapid retrieve to the surface. Dropping back down to about the twenty metre level, I jigged my Swedish pimple in the zone where I had the hit. Sure enough the trout came back. Rolling and head shaking like only a lake trout can, I eased him toward the surface. Friend Steven Wintemute was waiting beside the hole, making sure to take the transducer out of the ice hole to avoid tangling. Unfortunately for me the fish shook the hook just below the hole. Encouraged, we renewed our angling efforts with increased concentration. Ten minutes later Steven hooked into another fish and judging by the bend in his rod, I knew this was a smaller fish. Still, a short time later we had our first laker on the ice. Steven had another fish on right away, a big solid lake trout that hit his white tube jig ten metres below the hole. I rushed into his portable tent, just in time to the see the tube drop out of the fish’s mouth below the hole. One of the neat parts about fishing on a lake like this is the water clarity- you could still see your lure ten metres down.
I hurried back out of the tent to my hole, figuring if there was one good fish around, there could be more. Sure enough on my very next drop with a glow and chartreuse Lindy Flyer jig tipped with a two inch Berkley Gulp smelt I had a fish almost rip the rod out of my hand with the strike. This was no small fish, my rod bent over almost to the hole. Five minutes later I had made little progress, the laker rolling and bulldogging to shake the hook. Gradually gaining line, I could see that I had the fish now up to the twenty five metre depth range on my Humminbird Ice 55. It had been twenty years since my last visit to this lake and it might be another ten until I come back but the memories of this day and others will last a lifetime. These kinds of experiences are out there, a myriad of lakes to choose from with nobody around but you and the ravens.

Anglers Notes: It is now official, Kennedy Ironstand’s painting entitled “ The Big Chase” has been selected the winner of the 2010 Youth Angling Art Competition. Ironstand’s painting was chosen first by a panel of five judges from a number of entries across Manitoba. Kennedy lives on the Tootinaowaziibeeng First Nation at Shortdale. Just fifteen minutes from Grandview in the Parkland region, Kennedy transferred recently from Ericksdale. It was Ericksdale art teacher Kim Branconnier that encouraged Kennedy to enter the contest. Branconnier pulled Kennedy away from a school project to enter the contest and she says he had the painting done in one class. Kennedy’s mom Diane says her son has been fishing since he was two but his drawing fills up much of his life with folders and folders of artwork. Kennedy is fourteen years of age. His painting will now adorn the front of 50,000 youth angling cards that will be handed out this year to anglers under sixteen years of age in Manitoba.

Patterson versus Tokaruk,,what a battle!

2009-12-14T12:54:00.000-08:00

It was around one o’clock in the afternoon when we packed up our gear and made the short walk across Tokaruk Lake to our vehicle. It had been a successful morning of angling but with a slowdown in action we figured it was time to change lakes. The weather was starting to clear up, the low hanging clouds and ice fog finally dissipating. Heading west we jogged one kilometer west and half kilometer south to Patterson Lake on Provincial Road # 577. As we pulled into the parking lot which doubles as a picnic area/campground, one other vehicle was already parked at the far end. Friend Steven Wintemute recognized the SUV of hardcore angler Clive Owen, a transplanted Brit who has discovered all the bounty that this province has to offer. He and two other friends had been on the frozen surface of Patterson since eight a.m. As we walked down to visit, one of the anglers had a fish on. After quick introductions we were back to the truck to collect our gear, an invitation extended. Spreading out over a narrowed down section of the lake, we had are set lines in four feet of water and our jigging ones in about seven. As the day wore on the action increased with a number of beautiful brown and rainbow trout landed and released. The largest, a brilliant dark red male rainbow was caught by a Trent Leys. Leys guides at Kasba Lake Lodge in the summer, but spends a lot of time during the winter ice fishing in all sections of Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario. Earlier that same day Leys caught and released a female brown trout that was perfectly proportioned another sign that this lake continues to produce tremendous fishing.
While the fishing was a little faster than we had experienced on Tokaruk Lake in the morning, I would have to say the fight of the fish on Tokaruk was far and away more spectacular than on any stocked trout water I have ever fished.
When talking to fisheries biologist and friend Ken Kansas this week about the two lakes, he mentioned that all stocked rainbow in Manitoba the last three years come from a steelhead strain they get from British Columbia. Kansas says the rainbows of Tokaruk are legendary among both fly fishers and regular anglers alike as to the incredible strength and never say quit attitude when hooked. Kansas believes it has to do with the forage base of the different lakes. “Tokaruk rainbows seem to focus on minnows in the crystal clear water, making them constantly on the move. In Patterson with a varied forage base including backswimmers, scuds, leeches and minnows, while the fish fight hard, they can’t match the Tokaruk battlers.”
Kansas was also quick to let me know that I made a mistake in my last column when I mentioned that Tokaruk had to deal with winterkill and perch infestations.
In fact says Kansas, white suckers populated the lake after a series of Olha Lake blowouts into Tokaruk (Olha is just upstream) so the sucker numbers got quite high and likely impacted lake food supplies by way of extensive benthic foraging
Kansas knows there were some questionable winters oxygen wise...although no one saw any dead fish that he was aware of . The good news as far as he is concerned is that the lake has regained its' balance in the last couple of years.

Another season of ice fishing is upon us!

2009-12-07T09:06:00.000-08:00

Want to try your hand at ice fishing this year but need some answers?
Many people I talk to over the course of year ask me what I do in the winter time. Ice fish of course, I tell them. Some give a look of amazement like that could possibly be fun!
Not only is it fun but it is a recreational pursuit that anyone can afford. That would explain why over the last ten years this segment of the sport fishing industry has seen the largest growth. In fact, there is so much new equipment out there for the hard water enthusiast it’s hard to keep up.
Lets start out though by talking about the basics, what does a person need to start catching fish through the ice. That is a pretty simple answer, enough good ice to make it safe to venture on. The standard guidelines are 4 inches to walk and when you do go, bring someone along.
Also early in the season you will want to travel light. Don’t haul a heavy auger around if you don’t have to. A simple hand auger will usually suffice early in the year or even a spud bar (heavy metal bar with sharp nose) can easily make holes. Carry all your equipment on a toboggan or sled and bungy cord them down if you are going over some rough terrain. You should also have along a five-gallon pail to sit on, along with an ice skimmer to clean the holes that you make in the ice. Into this bucket you can fit a small lure kit, along with skimmer ice rods, bait and some snacks.

On your feet wear boots that are waterproof if possible. I have had the same pair of rubberized, insulated boots for ten years and my feet have never been damp once. I do recommend ice cleats, especially early in the year with little snow cover. It can be darn slippery and bones have been broken, These cleats will fit over your existing footwear and give you the stability you will need.
While its hard to cover as much area ice fishing as from a boat, there are certain things you can do to increase your chances of contacting fish. It sure pays to bring along a portable GPS with the waypoints locked in to the areas you were catching fish in open water. After establishing location, check depths through the ice with your portable fish finder. Look for the edge of the drop-off combined with both points into deeper water as well as inside turns, then start drilling holes in a grid pattern and spread out. That’s why it’s so much better to make ice fishing a social event, the more anglers the better in many cases as it shortens the time it takes to find fish and figure out what they might bite on that particular day.
On your first trip to the lake, start out at daylight so you can figure out just how much ice you do have. That’s why you bring along basic survival gear such as rope, ax, waterproof matches, whistle, first aid kit, ice picks, cell phone just in case the unexpected happens and you get stranded.
As you start exploring the lake to find active fish, you might have to try a number of different areas and depths but once you do make contact, drill a number of holes near the productive spot and get ready to catch some fish. Weather also plays a factor and if the daytime bite is slow, there might be an opportunity for a pretty impressive night bite on the same body of water. More and more ice anglers that I now are bringing along portable shacks and lights to wait out a slow daytime bite. Walleye in natural lakes will move off the edges of the drop-offs during the day right up to a metre of water during the night. When night fishing and even during the day use two rods when you can, one with a set line and the other with a lure that is jigged.
On lakes outside provincial and federal parks in Manitoba you can use live minnows.(check individual lake regulations in your Manitoba Anglers Guide) This is a good option on a body of water like Lake of the Prairies. Get a tail or dorsal hooked minnow down just off the bottom on a set line, then work a hole just a couple metres away with a jigging spoon. Sometimes the fish will take the set bait, but more times than not, they will smack the aggressive presentation at first ice.
Using an underwater camera in conjunction with portable electronics can really help in understanding what is happening down below your ice hole. These are just a few of the aids now available on the market.

First Ice Rainbows

2009-12-07T08:50:00.000-08:00

It is five o’clock in the morning on Grey Cup day in Canada and I am celebrating by going on the first ice fishing adventure of the winter. As we pack friend Steven Wintemute’s truck, we are excited about the prospects despite the early hour. Our first stop was to be Tokaruk Lake, one of the most famous of all stocked trout waters in Manitoba. Over the years this shallow prairie lake has had its share of problems, from perch infestation to winterkill. This winter, though, plans are to provide aeration so the plentiful population of brown and rainbow trout can survive and thrive once more. Tokaruk is located just north of Oakburn, and a stone’s throw away from another of Manitoba’s most famous trout waters, Patterson Lake. As we pull down to the small boat launch and dock at just before eight a.m. we see another couple of anglers set up in the western corner of the lake fishing a shallow weedy bay. As we pull our small sleighs out on the lake schools of minnows dart back and forth under our feet in the clear ice. While for some it might seem disconcerting, to us it meant the lake was alive and healthy. Quickly drilling a series of holes in the five inches of good ice, we tried a variety of spots from shallow to about nine feet of water off the edge of the weed line. Here we set up our portable tent and heater, a place to get out of a cool west wind that was making ice. Steven took this occasion to be the rover, the guy that checks out all the different depths while I hunkered down in the tent with two lines set up. For twenty minutes all was quiet then my flasher lit up as something large caused the Humminbird to show a bright orange. Quietly getting off my pail, I peered down the series of four holes we had drilled side by side. Sure enough, there he was, an extremely large rainbow cruising the bottom, checking out my baits. On the end of one line I had the new Northlands Bro Bug jig rigged with a dead salted shiner minnow in the middle and on the other, a Northland Mud Bug tipped with a yellow power honey worm on to which I had added a Berkley orange sparkle power egg. Lo and behold after a bump, the big rainbow engulfed the honey worm and the battle was on. After about a dozen smoking runs, I could see this massive rainbow swim around under my feet, Steven ready to help get the fish on the ice. After getting the fish to hole ten different times only to have it make another heart pounding run, I thought the fish was finally worn out as I tried to force the head up the hole. Bad idea, the jig popping up the hole past Steven’s head, the hook straightened out. I could only shake my head in amazement at the power of this Tokaruk rainbow. Re rigging I only had ten minutes to wait this time before my flasher lit up once again, one rod dipping to the hole. Setting the hook, I could feel the jig slipping out of the fish’s mouth. Sure enough as I reeled in and looked down the hole I could see another massive rainbow swimming near the bottom in the crystal clear water. Re hooking a salted shiner, I fluttered it back to the bottom. As the bait got two thirds of the way down, the rainbow slammed it, picking the minnow right off the hook. Reeling back in again, I put another on and dropped it back down. This time the rainbow came straight on at the jig engulfing the bait. There was no doubt I had the rainbow hooked well this time as my four pound fireline disappeared off my spool at an alarming rate. This fish was in the same size category as the one I had just lost so I was determined not to put too much pressure on. After another incredible battle I managed to land this Tokaruk trophy. After a couple of quick pictures, this Manitoba Master Angler was released to fight another day. In next week’s column we head over to Patterson Lake.

Manitoba has fly fishing Silver Medalist!

2009-10-29T10:19:00.000-07:00

Did you know that if you can get a young person to try fishing before he or she is eleven years of age the chances are pretty good they will do it for the rest of their lives. It’s no surprise then that Ryan Suffron turned a boyhood dream into reality.
Ryan grew up in Alberta and had a father that loved to fly fish. He got his first fly rod when he was eight years old, accompanying his dad on many a fishing adventure. After moving to Manitoba, Ryan decided to guide up north at a couple of fly-in fishing lodges, fine tuning his fishing skills, a fly rod in hand whenever the opportunity presented itself. Suffron’s most memorable experiences came at this time, guiding the Hayes River in search of massive brook trout. This experience of fishing moving water was to hold him in good stead at the recent Canadian Fly Fishing Championships held in Fernie, British Columbia. Part of the competition was held on the Elk River, one of the best cutthroat trout and bull trout waters in Canada. His guiding experiences on the Hayes taught him how to read moving water, increasing his understanding of how fish relate to current. Ryan consistently caught fish during the five sessions of the event and was in first place going into the last day. The fishing was extremely challenging but Ryan persisted to catch fish in all five sessions, an accomplishment only enjoyed by one other angler. Unfortunately he came up one fish short, winning the silver medal. Ryan’s team (Team Double Hauls) also took team silver during the event.
“ I am very proud and fortunate to have won a silver medal and contribute to a team medal as well, but the biggest honor is to have represented Manitoba and to bring home a medal in return.”
The three-day event saw 45 individual anglers from across Canada competing on the legendary Elk River and local still water, Summit Lake.
Ryan will also be competing in the 8th Canadian National Fly Fishing Championships, which will be hosted by the Parkland in Manitoba from May 24-29 in 2010. Ryan is also the Executive Director of the Manitoba Lodge and Outfitters Association.
FLY FISHING CONTEST FOR YOUTH :
If you want to have a chance to be the next Ryan Suffron, how about the contest the Manitoba Fly Fishers are running in conjunction with Manitoba Youth Angling! The winner will receive a four piece Scientific Anglers complete fly fishing package, along with a MFFA fly box containing two dozen flies tied by the Fly Fishers club members. A family membership to the MFFA for the 2010 year is also included so that the winner and their family can take part in the club activities throughout the year and learn to fly fish with the MFFA.
In a 100 words or less outline any experiences you might have had fly fishing or if you have never tried fly fishing but would like to learn tell us why.
Please submit your entry on line under the submissions button at http://www.youthangler.ca/. You must be a member to enter. If you have a picture to go along with your story even better!
Entries will close on November 30th and the winner will be announced on the Youth Angler website by December 15th.
Judges for the contest will be the Executive of the Manitoba Fly Fishers and their decision will be final.
For more information about the Manitoba Fly Fishing Association visit them on line at http://www.mffa.org/.

Bottom bouncers and crankbaits

2009-10-27T10:38:00.001-07:00

There is no substitute for spending time on the water, especially if you can work the same body of water for the same species. Accomplished anglers and guides can then pattern and increase success rates for both themselves and clients.
On a recent trip to Tobin Lake for walleye I decided to head up with an open mind, a number of presentation options thought through and accounted for. I was also fishing with two other accomplished anglers, anglers who had thousands of hours on the water and who also liked to try different techniques that might improve success. Now Tobin is well known to us, in fact I had been fishing it since 1979 but over time things change. Fish become conditioned to certain presentations if there is a lot of fishing pressure and improvisation and hard work usually helps.
After a slow day one on the main lake, we moved back into the river itself. On the first part of the day we decided to run bottom bouncers and spinners, a throw back to the early days of fishing this particular body of water. In 1989 my partner and I won the Premiers Cup tournament using bottom bouncers and big blades running the boat with current. Talk about good memories as I hooked up with the first seven walleyes caught that day using the exactly same technique. In fact it turned out to be an awesome day with more that forty walleyes caught as we found aggressive fish everywhere. Later that day we made an adjustment that capped things off. I had made sure to pack some three way swivels and floating crankbaits.
This was a switch over from straight power trolling using deep divers and leadcore or fireline. Man, talk about success! On our first pass with Berkley Frenzy Minnow Baits, we had on nine fish, the biggest ten pounds! Over the next couple of days we switched over to bottom bouncers instead of three ways. This allowed us to contour troll the edges of the channel a little better. Not only that we only had to let out forty one feet of line to get our baits were we wanted them in 25 feet of water. The applications of a bottom bouncer/floating crankbait setup has tremendous application for river fishing and contour trolling not to mention the wide range of crankbaits you can now use. Give it a try, you will not be disappointed. Just remember to not use too long a snell, thirty six inches is usually plenty.

The big guy likes fishing

2009-10-11T09:14:00.000-07:00

Todd MacCulloch is one big guy and he likes to fish! Recently I had the opportunity to take Todd out for a day fishing on Lake Winnipeg. Todd had spent his high school years in Winnipeg, starring as a basketball players and part time comedian (by his own admission) at Shaftesbury High School. You see Todd is no ordinary basketball player or individual for that matter. He is a legitimate seven footer and played in two NBA Finals! Before we get to that, lets back it up a bit. Todd grew up fishing as a young lad in Prince Albert Saskatchewan, his dad a pilot with the RCMP. Maybe that is why we got along so well on this cold wet day. Prince Albert is also the place I developed such a passion for the sport.

What’s it like having a guy that is over seven feet tall in your boat? Crowded I found out! Friend Bryan Gray had lined up a fishing day with Todd when he was back in town to be inducted to the Manitoba Basketball hall of Fame. Bryan is not exactly short at six feet nine inches so when I loaded them in the boat at Pine Falls I had a massive wind break as we headed the seven miles out to Traverse Bay.
We began our fishing day at the first island on the right as you come into Traverse. Marking a few scattered fish in twelve feet, I handed Todd a jigging rod rigged with some power bait and a shiner. He quickly had the first fish of the day on, a small walleye but lost him at the side of the boat. The guide (me) had forgot to put the net in the boat! After a couple of drifts we had four walleye in the well and Todd was still trying to figure out how to lift these fish over the side of the gunnels, walleye number two of Todds once again escaping.
After a quick tour around the north side of the river channel, we rigged up some crankbaits and headed south onto the mud flats in the middle of the bay. Using medium diving Berkley Frenzy lures in silver, blue and chartreuse we had non-stop action. As the day went on, and Todd got more soaked he kept relating story after story about his experiences in the NBA with the likes of Allan Iverson and various other stars. One of his favorite memories involved fellow Canadian NBA star Steve Nash whom he played with on the Canadian National team. Todd vividly recalls the game in 1999 when they beat Puerto Rico to qualify for the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Todd was having a terrible game but Steve Nash took it on his shoulders to win the game that qualified the team. Todd then came through in the final against the U.S Dream team to score 22 points to go along with the 16 rebounds. It was this game that got him drafted into the NBA.
Here are some excerpts from a few of the stories he related to me:
Larry Brown and Allan Iverson: As long as the team was winning and playing defense Larry didn’t mind Iverson taking 30 shots a game.
On Allan Iverson: A good friend and always supported Todd
On Tony Kukoc: traded to the 76ers in 1999, he had played on a number of championship teams with the Bulls and Michael Jordan. Todd would also sit on the team plane ( a customized jet) with Tony. Tony was not a talker and only allowed Todd one question a plane flight…When asked what it was like playing with Michael Jordan, Tony replied “very, very good!
Todd played Division One NCAA basketball at Washington State, then was drafted in the second round of the 1999 NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers. I can remember watching Todd in the NBA Finals, first with the 76ers, then the next year when he played for the New York Nets. Both times Todd came up against the formidable Shaquille O’Neal.
On playing against Shaq, Todd relates their first meeting the finals..Todd was subbed in and on the first rebound, Shaq went right over Todd and landed his elbow on Todds collarbone. As Todd crumpled to the floor, he could hear his coach yelling at him to get up…and his teammates laughing at him…Todd did say things got a little better after that, but says Shaq is so strong it was amazing.
Todd now lives in Seattle, Washington, is married, with a eighteen month old daughter. He is planning to continue his career in broadcasting with pro pinball as his hobby. Todd was forced to retire early in his career because of a neuromuscular disorder in his feet that made it difficult for him to walk, let alone run. Todd says he is better now and is even able to play nine holes of golf.

Jigging Spoons for vertical presentations

2009-09-24T13:07:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-11T13:29:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-09-11T13:09:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-03T09:47:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-02T13:11:00.000-07:00

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.

Cats Incredible in Grand Forks

2009-08-15T12:22:00.000-07:00

When friend John Toone and I headed down to Grand Forks a couple of weeks ago for an opportunity to fish a half day on the Red River we had no idea what to expect. Let’s face it, we have become spoiled with the world class catfishing we have here. What surprises could the river in this rebuilt community hold for a couple of prairie boys? Our first stop was Cabela’s to check out the fishing gear, then over to Whitey’s Café for a reception sponsored by this historic Grand Forks eatery. Rebuilt after the great flood of 1997 we enjoyed a delicious lunch on the outside patio and started to find out more about a fishing event that has been running the first weekend in August for twenty two years. Called the “Cats Incredible” catfish tournament, event organizers had invited John and I down on behalf of our “Fish Winnipeg” event which we co-chair. It was their first ever media day, a concept friend Brad Durick had learned from his participation the last few years at our event. Brad, who works at WDAZ, is an avid angler and guide on the Red River in the region. He is also on the organizing committee of an event that has grown in size to a point where they have to have a lottery to pick the one hundred and fifty teams that get to fish the two day event. Run by the Chambers of Commerce of East and West Grand Forks this event has become a tremendous revenue generator for the two communities split in half by the mighty Red.
After lunch and conversation with the mayor of East Grand Forks it was down to the LaFave Park boat landing just down from Cabelas. Here we met up with our guide for the afternoon, Tom, a veteran of many a campaign on this section of the river. Tom is also the head official for the tournament itself, a pretty big job in itself, considering the boats are spread over thirty three miles of river. As we motored away from the dock, what impressed me the most about this section of the Red were the incredibly tall trees that lined the shore and a green shoreline with no buildings. Tom explained that after the 97 flood, the five hundred home owners along this section of river had been bought out and reallocated behind the dyke system that has become the lifeline of Grand Forks. On this day the river looked serene with a nice one mile an hour current rippling the muddy water. We anchored in a number of likely looking spots but it wasn’t until we moved right into the downtown area that we started getting some action. I hooked the first catfish, a good solid thirty two inch fish that battled hard. A few minutes later it was Johns turn, another channel catfish nearly the same size. As it turns out, ten fish in this size range would probably win the event. A short time later we headed in to find out the results of the first ever media event. As it turns out we finished second with a boat guided by Rob Horken (aka "Ernie the Angler") in first place.
Now comes the interesting part, something we could learn from this group. Over the course of the three day event some five thousand people come to participate in a plethora of activities. There are huge tents set up, vendors of all sorts, games for kids, free live music, even a chili cooking contest. Tom said things really opened up when the committee decided to do away with the admission fee. While the catfishing is good in this community, it does not come close to what we have to offer north of Lockport. If the town of Selkirk and the Chamber of Commerce were to get behind an event similar to this, the sky would be the limit. Not only that many of the teams in that participate in the one in Grand Forks would more than jump at the chance to head north and tangle with some real jumbo fish.
Anglers Notes: Catfish action remains excellent in north of Lockport and in most sections of the river. Hot weather has chased some fish out to their traditional summer haunts. Walleye are now set up on mid-lake sunken islands and shallow offshore reefs. Night fishing at this time of year becomes a great option.

Manitoba Monster Catfish

2009-07-23T12:54:00.000-07:00

It was a beautiful evening with a light south wind blowing. Friends Steven Wintemute, Scott Sime and I were anchored just a half mile south of Lockport on the mighty Red River. What had a been a late spring had finally turned to summer and the waters of the Red River were finally starting to warm up, a surface temperatures reading of 70 F on Stevens' Humminbird deptfinder. We had already landed a bunch of huge catfish, the largest over forty inches, just a massive fish caught by Scott on a large prawn impaled on a circle hook.

While getting ready to help Scott land this monster, my rod had buckled in half from a savage take. Dropping the net, I managed to lift the rod out of the holder as line dissappeared from my Abu Garcia 5500. As I fought this catfish Steven hauled in Scotts monster. Talk about action, this trend was continue the whole evening long. Still we weren't prepared for what was to happen next. My catfish had decided to head upstream right toward the anchor rope. Leaning as hard as I could on my rod, the thirty pound test Berkley Big Game started to protest. Finally I convinced this big fish to head back downstream right under the boat. Extending my flippin stick over the side of the boat and down into the murky water of the Red, I was able to keep the line under the prop as the fish surged away. Ten minutes later I finally could see the 2 ounce sinker appear at the back of the boat. All of a sudden the fish appeared, a jet black catfish the likes of which I had never seen. Yes that is right jet black! Finally Steven slipped a net under this unique specimen. While not as large as some catfish we caught and released this evening the color was incredible!

Now is the time to get out to the Red and Assiniboine Rivers if you want to catch a trophy catfish. Water levels have dropped and current has slowed to a managable flow. The area from Lockport to Selkirk is producing the best fishing.

Day Five at Big Sand Lake Lodge

2009-07-14T07:12:00.000-07:00

Day Five:
Most anglers don’t come to Big Sand Lake for the walleye fishing but for the massive lake trout and pike that swim in its pristine water. On this day Edward and Mark believe the ice has moved out enough for us to access the north end of the Big Sand and the massive bays there that hold some real trophy pike, one called Buskers Bay.
8:05 A.M. As we leave the main dock in front of the lodge, the sun is shining and optimism high. We know if we can get past the ice to the north end we will probably be in for some spectacular fishing. Edward decides that he and the other guide boat will stop at the rapids near the lodge to catch some walleye before heading north. As we are to find out later, this strategy is to cost us dearly. Mark, meantime has pulled into a bay before the rapids and asks if we want to try for pike. I am up for that and on my first three casts with the fly rod, I hook and land three pike. Nice way to start the day. After the action slows, we head around the corner and join the other boats in front of the fast water. I get Mark to situate the boat so I can take some action shots of Larry and his group catching walleye. We then drop back to the end of the pool where we have caught walleye in the past. Mark has a depth finder on this boat and it pays dividends.
9:00 A.M. With our walleye lunch guaranteed, we head north. As we swing out in the main lake, the water looks good. After about ten minutes we turn a corner of the lake and are confronted once again with ice. Oh no! is the collective thought. Mark takes the south side of the shoreline to see if we can get through. Another guide boat is trapped in a bay around the corner, the ice having moved in after a change in wind direction. Since the boats were equipped with two way radios, we checked to see if they were all right. No problem, said the guide, they would wait it out. Another guide boat then pulled in beside us, also extremely disappointed that we were to be denied this section of the lake once again. As we were to find out later, the boats that had headed straight north right away in the morning had hammered big fish in the Busters Bay all day long. Our guides were also extremely frustrated at this turn of events. Cutting our losses we started fishing for lake trout along another sand beach, the boat behind us hooking and landing a thirty eight inch laker. Our luck or lack of continued as we could not get a lake trout to hit one of our baits.
12 Noon It is a subdued crew that gets together for our last shore lunch. We were all bummed out not to get to the famous Buskers Bay. In talking to another guest that had been to the lodge three previous times, he related a day in Buskers when he caught and released seven pike over forty one inches. Watching a couple seagulls balance on a spruce tree perked me up a bit. Then of course we had as much walleye as we could handle, the conversation becoming less animated as we sat content in the boats with bellies full. Life wasn’t so bad after all.
1 P.M. Back on the water we tried trolling for trout for another hour and half with the same result NADA! What do we do now, was the question. We decided to head back and fish around the lodge for pike
4:30 P.M. Enough is enough for the day. Mark steers the boat back towards the main lodge and guess what? The wind has switched back the south blocking our access once again. Yikes what else could go wrong. So it’s back to Airport Bay and another long trek back to the lodge. This time though we take the sand esker ridge trail that overlooks the lake. A spectacular view and good conversation make it all worthwhile.
7 P.M. Steak is on the menu tonight and it is cooked to perfection. Everyone is in a great mood as we all head out together for one last evening of walleye fishing on Katimiwi. As we crowd in the three boats I take the opportunity to go with Edward to find out more about this quiet man who has been such a tremendous guide. Edward had been guiding on the lake for fourteen years while Mark was in his third season. This night Edward recounts the story of a forty eight inch lake trout one of his guests had caught a few years previous. Edwards’s guest fought the fish for forty five minutes and when it was finally boated, this behemoth weighed almost sixty pounds. On a normal year at Big Sand the trophy board is jammed full of trophy size fish. This year is anything but normal for Big Sand with only three weeks booked for fishing guests with a summer that is three weeks late in arriving. Owned by the South Indian Band this lodge provides vital employment for the community. Edward Soulier is concerned for his livelihood. He has a large family and though he traps in the winter, he relies on his guiding to provide part of the income. There is no doubt times are changing in the lodge industry in Manitoba and across the country. A global recession combined with a weakening U.S. dollar has contributed to the decline. All I know is that this is one incredible facility, built atop a huge sand esker overlooking a lake that stretches for seventy miles; big water with big fish. The large spacious cabins stretch on either side of the massive main lodge, built of logs with a deck that snakes down the lake itself. This lodge has a long history of success with the guests like former U.S. President Jimmy Carter. We hope it will be around for another twenty years.
THE END

Big Sand Lake, Day Four

2009-07-13T07:35:00.000-07:00

Day Four:
8 A.M It’s our turn for Katimiwi Lake again but the weather is not the best. Rain and a cold north wind greet us as we head across the lake this time up a set of rapids that the jet drive has no problem with. Mark wants to try another set of rapids for walleye to get the shore lunch out of the way. While we catch two we can’t seem to find a good school of fish. The real reason we are here though, is to catch a master angler pike. Mark is confident that the two bays in this section of the lake will produce. As we drift into the first, I hook a small pike immediately on my fly rod. One more cast and one more small pike. That’s not really a good sign as small fish usually don’t hang around BIG fish. As we work the whole bay, my prediction is correct, no big fish are in the bay right now. The wind direction though was piling cold water in that bay, a sure kiss of death at this time of the year.
11 A.M With the wind picking up in intensity, I ask Mark if we can troll the rapids that were a little further down. Without a depthfinder on this boat, it was guesswork as to what trolling run to use. We did start catching fish right away but these were really small pike, in the hammer handle category!
11:30 A.M My friend Pete is cold and miserable and tired so we head back to the lodge for lunch. This proves to be a bit of miscommunication as the other boats head to an island and cook up a big shore lunch despite the miserable conditions.
1 P.M. After warming up in the lodge with hot soup and a big sandwich Peter decides to pack it in. Mark asks me if I want to head back to Katimiwi for a little walleye action. I lend Mark a rod and we head east once again to another shallow mud bottom bay, one other guide boat there before us. We started to fan cast the bay and with overcast conditions the walleye were up and cruising. Using a small Northland Thumper jig with a double tail, the action was hot and heavy. In the three hours we stayed we must have caught thirty walleye, most in the three to four pound range, just a whole lot of fun. By four thirty we decided to head back, finally tired of the weather but not of the outstanding fishing.

Day Three at Big Sand Lake Lodge

2009-07-12T19:45:00.000-07:00

Day Three
8 A.M After talking with our guides we learn the ice has once again encircled the bay in front of the lodge. This means we are back down to airport bay and the cache of boats. The good news is that Edward thinks we should be able to make it down to the south end of the lake, about a forty minute boat ride. He plans to do that after our shore lunch of sandwiches.
9 A.M. We head to shallowest end of the bay and find a weed bed with some active pike. Peter lands the biggest fish of the trip, a thirty nine incher that Mark lets go before we get any pictures. Peter once again catches the fish on orange Mepps Aglia. I, meantime continue to throw out some streamers, a red and white bunny having produced a forty five and forty four inch pike from this same bay the day before from a guest from Wyoming. I do land quite a few fish but nothing better that Peters. Conditions are just not right for the pike to be too active.
12:00 Noon We head to shore to meet up with our other two boats for a quick lunch of sandwiches. So far the day has been okay but we are tired of fishing the same water.
1 P.M. As we head out of the bay, we are suddenly confronted with ice and fog. Edward leads the way, cautiously. After some turns around a couple of islands along with the busting of some black ice we break free of the main lake ice pack.
2 P.M. We have been trolling a sand esker for lake trout. I have brought along three boxes strictly dedicated for this species but so far it has not made a difference. Mark says we should follow his dad further south to fish some shallow bays and a river at the south end of the lake. Off we go for a thirty minute drive
3 P.M After casting in a couple of shallow bays we don’t catch a fish of any species. I convince Mark that we should try trolling the river. After two minutes we catch our first fish, a decent pike. We end up catching five nice pike with this technique, not bad considering one of the other boats doesn’t catch one.

4:30 P.M. As we head north back to the lodge we are all of sudden trapped by ice. Edward in the lead boat, had managed to sneak through the jam by going along shore. By the time we arrived just five minutes later the ice had moved tight to shore , knocking trees down in the process. After trying a couple different seams in the ice, we knew we only had one option left, skidding the boat across the ice. Luckily the ice was still very solid and we managed to pull the boat to the other side. Our last boat, was not doing quite as well, but with the little help from the first two boats we all made it through safely. From here we decided to see if we could make it back to the main lodge. With one point to go, we were stopped dead. Finally admitting defeat we headed back to airport bay and the long hike back to the lodge. While the fishing had been pretty slow for the most part on Day Three there had been no shortage of adventure.

Day Two Big Sand Lake Lodge

2009-07-10T11:36:00.001-07:00

Day Two: Big Sand Lake Lodge
8 A.M. After a hearty breakfast of Red River cereal followed by bacon and eggs it was time to head out on a different lake. As it turned out the lodge had five boats on a smaller lake next to Big Sand. Called Katimiwi, this shallow lake was considerably warmer than the main lake. This was also to supply the best fishing of the trip.
9:30 A.M. Mark had the 30 h.p. Yamaha jet drive at full throttle as we headed to the east end of the lake. This day we found a bunch of hungry pike in a back bay which probably had the warmest water in the lake. It was a long finger which made fly fishing difficult with another angler in the boat. So instead Peter and I cast out different shallow running baits. I had on a swim bait, a hollow belly shad from Berkley. Rigged on Eagle Claw 5/0 3/16 ounce swim bait hook, it drove the pike crazy. This small bay, as it turns out, supplied the best pike action of the trip with one fish after another whacking our lures. Peter landed the biggest pike, a nice thirty nine inch fish from on a orange Mepps Aglia.
11:00 A.M In fact on day two of our visit I hooked a Master Angler walleye on my fly rod while fishing in a shallow bay for pike. This big walleye had my ten weight fly rod bent to the water. In fact it was one of the best battles I had ever had with this species. It measured slightly over twenty eight inches, a big walleye for this far north. Casting out my small brown streamer fly I immediately hooked another walleye. As far as I could tell, the fish were feeding off of blood worms judging by the number attached to the outside of the fish. In fact this was to be the pattern for the walleye on this particular trip. Loads and loads of walleye in less than three feet of water in mud bottom bays.
12:00 Noon We met up with the other two boats for a shore lunch on one of the many sandy beaches in this part of the world. As the guides prepared the fish, Larry spotted a timber wolf lurking through the trees. Unfortunately too many trees were in the way to get a good picture but this was not the last wolf we would see on this trip. When the fish was finally ready, it was gone in a millisecond. There is nothing like fresh walleye in the outdoors especially on a day that was a little cool around the edges. We made sure to tell the guides to cook more fish next time!
1:30 P.M Mark headed the boat north to series of rapids just a short drive from the shore lunch area. Fishing a small back eddie we hooked both pike and walleye, the action very steady.
3:00 P.M Mark decides to see if we can catch a big pike again in a large shallow bay off the main lake separated by a small channel. As we motor through the channel we hook two nice pike, one of the fly rod. With a medium wind blowing from the northeast, Mark shuts off the big motor in the shallow bay we start to drift. Casting a small shallow running crankbait, I get a vicious strike by a nice fat walleye. Mark then points over to a boil on the surface just a short distance away. Peter makes a cast over to the spot with the Mepps with no luck. I follow up with my crankbait and solid twenty five inch walleye engulfs the lure. After catching another dozen healthy walleye it is almost five p.m and time to head back for supper, a great day of fishing had in our boat.

Don and Friends excellent fishing adventure!

2009-07-10T11:02:00.000-07:00

Don and Friends excellent fishing adventure!

It slightly overcast with a brisk northeast wind blowing when we arrived to launch the boat at Mary Jane Reservoir.
It had been a couple of years since my last visit to Mary Jane but reports indicated that both the largemouth bass and crappies were on the bite.
As we headed towards the east end were a small creek entered the reservoir we noticed that the water was heavily stained from all the runoff. Hooked Magazine (wwwhookedmagazine.ca) owner publisher Steven Wintemute dropped the front troll motor on his boat and we started working slowly up the creek, the water finally started to clear the further back we got. That’s when friend Darrin Bohonis got the first bite, a chunky largemouth slamming a swim bait he had just thrown out. After some high fives, it was back to business, this time Wintemute landing a bass on a bait the resembled a Cuban cigar. What about me? I was stuck in the back of the boat, content to dabble with some new swim baits I had bought and take pictures of these two highly competent anglers working the water. Not to worry, I decided to hop boats, checking in with long time friend and area resident Dino Branfield. Dino had a young friend and neighbor along by the name of Ryan Funk, a WHL hockey player and fellow who just liked to fish. Ryan was heading out the west coast, having been traded to Vancouver for his last year of Junior Hockey. This was to be his last fishing adventure before he got on the plane.

While luck would have it, the largies stopped biting as the sun set but the crappies went crazy. I caught all mine on small crankbaits while Ryan was whacking them on a jig rigged with yellow tail. While not monsters it sure made for a fun day with a couple of bonus walleye thrown in.
Located in southwest Manitoba near the community of Manitou, heavy rains from the week previous had not only rutted the boat launch but raised the level of this small reservoir substantially.
RECORD MANITOBA LARGEMOUTH
It was the third week in June in 2007 when Dino Branfield established the new Manitoba length record for largemouth in the province. On June 18th just before dark and right after an intense lightning storm, Dino hooked, landed and released a huge twenty-one point two-five inch jumbo largemouth. That is why this small reservoir is so unique. It supplies one of the only largemouth fisheries in Manitoba and that is why this fishery is catch and release only for the bass.
Mary Jane is a very small body of water but supplies a valuable sport fishery for anglers in this part of the world, with a small private campground on the lake, great for a little family adventure in southern Manitoba. You can find the reservoir by heading six kilometres west of Manitou until you come to a sign advertising the Archibald Museum. Turn north on the grid road for three kilometres and you will see a sign on your right hand side pointing out the reservoir. If you want to camp, you have to go over and get the keys to the campground at the Archibald Museum.

Big Sand Lake Lodge- The Adventure- Day One

2009-07-10T07:56:00.000-07:00

MY ADVENTURE TO BIG SAND LAKE LODGE: DAY ONE!
7A.M. It was seven in the morning when my wife dropped friend Peter H and I off at the Calm Air terminal in Winnipeg. Upon arrival I was met by Fred, the guy who makes this operation run smooth as silk. Since our bags were already tagged, straight to the scale they went, the last we were to see them until our cabin at the resort.
8 A.M It was time to hop on the ATR 42 – 300, one of a fleet of four brand new state of the art planes that Calm Air has purchased in the last couple of years.

With plenty of leg room and reclining leather seats it made for comfortable flight the 525 air miles to the lodge with a refueling stop in Thompson.
9:45 A.M.
As the ATR -300 circled Big Sand Lake, huge stretches of ice could be seen clogging the main lake. Most of the smaller bodies of water in the area were ice free but not the main lake. Seventy miles of this incredible fishery were going to be off limits to us on our five day trip to Big Sand Lake Lodge. In talking to camp manager Rick Bohna the ice was at least three weeks behind a normal year, this the latest year on record. As the plane touched on the long sand strip thirty seven guests filed off the plane wondering what was going to be in store for them.
10:15
After a pleasant walk from the landing strip to the lodge we entered the main lodge, a huge building sitting atop a sand esker. Here we were introduced to our guides for the trip and served breakfast. I was to be hosting as part of a Fish Futures trip auction. Larry Dewar from Winnipeg had brought three friends with him and we were to have plenty of fun with this group over the five days!

11:30 After assembling all our fishing gear we met our guides at the lodge for our first day adventure. Since the ice was clogging most of the main lake, we were headed back to the landing strip to a cache of boats the lodge had at airport bay. After a ten minute walk down the hill, we headed out to fish pike. Mark was to be our guide this trip, a young man full of energy and ideas. He had been guiding at the lodge three years under the tutelage of his dad, Edward, a veteran of fourteen years at Big Sand. The sun was shining and the temperature was a lot warmer than we had predicted, perfect spring pike conditions. As we fished a couple of different bays, I caught a few small pike on the red and white streamer that I was casting with my ten weight fly rod. Pete was chucking spoons and small spinners and was to hook the first larger pike, only to loose him.
2p.m. After flogging the back bays, Mark decided to head out to the main lake to meet up with his dad and the other two boats. That’s when things got a bit crazy. Ice was blocking access but with a little bit of hard work and ingenuity we were able to slide our boats over a small patch of ice and access a couple more bays .

5 p.m It was time to head back in for dinner, with some more ice flows to be negotiated. We had caught some more pike but nothing really large had been landed.
8p.m After supper Mark asked if I wanted to head out around the corner from the lodge and fish a set of rapids that was holding walleye. Yes, of course was the answer. As we motored up to the rapids one other boat was positioned up in the faster water. Mark decided to take us further back to the end of the pool where the river channel turned back out to the lake. Marking the break on his Humminbird, we fished fourteen feet of water with small jigs tipped with Berkley Power Grubs. It didn’t take long for us to land the first walleye of the trip.

10:30 Time to get ready for bed and after a quick night cap we were soon asleep in a very comfortable bed in a very spacious cabin overlooking the lake. Wow, it doesn’t get much better than this….

FLOATS FOR CATFISH

2009-06-06T08:02:00.000-07:00

FLOATS FOR CATS
As I motored the boat into the channel, the Humminbird depthfinder showed an incredible series of dips and peaks. Off to the side I could see swirls on the surface. These were NO ordinary ripples, but large mini-whirlpools, a sure indicator that big catfish had the feedbag on. Anglers were lined up along shore, casting their baits into the current flow. Heading upstream to the middle of the channel, I dropped anchor on top of one of the peaks of jagged rock, my Humminbird 997 C indicating six feet. Just to the back of the boat the depth dropped right down to 17 feet. I knew that if I was to drop down a standard catfish rig it was sure to get snagged. Instead I had brought along a number of extremely large slip floats, the ones sold for dead baiting pike. Rigging up, I threaded my 20 pound Berkley Big Game Hi-Vis Solar Green line through the top of the bobber, then out the bottom, adding a line weight, then large coloured bead on the line before tying on my terminal tackle. This bead would act as a buffer between the weight and my knot.
Then I tied on the terminal tackle, using a large swivel, and about a sixteen inch snell to a 2# hook. On this hook would be threaded a piece of cutbait, either goldeye, sucker or tullibee. After tying on a heavy piece of line in an overhand knot above the float I was ready to go. This would act as my bobber stop!
Setting the stop at about four feet to begin with, I cast upstream, letting the bait drift with the current. Sure enough after about five minutes, the float was violently tugged beneath the surface and the first catfish of the day was on!

Whitemud Produces Big Fish!

2009-05-31T16:08:00.000-07:00

Three pontoon boats were tied to a series of docks near the boat launch at Lynchs Point, a sure sign that the fishing and boating season was in full swing in southern Manitoba. As I backed my friends boat down the cement launch pad, the adrenaline started to pump. It was the start of a new fishing season, the sun was shining and hopefully the fish would be biting, so how could you not be excited. As Jim Price and I headed down the channel into the Whitemud River, shore anglers were lined up at the campground near the mouth of the river as it empties in Lake Winnipeg. Taking a wide path around them Jim motored out into the very mouth of river, checking for fish on his depthfinder. Marking a few scattered fish, we decided to drift fish with a jig along the edge of the main river channel. Soon we were joined by a couple of other boats of young anglers. The first anchored a short distance away from us, while the other trolled back and forth. As we drifted by the anchored boat, I had my first bite of the day. I was fishing the new Berkley Gulp Hollow Bodied Swim Bait in the five inch split tail shiner pattern. A nice chunky eating size walleye had whacked the bait and we had our first eater in the boat. A short time later we heard shouts of excitement from the anchored boat. The young angler in the middle was a fighting a sizable fish judging by the way his rod was bent over, his partner in the front of the boat grabbed a net. Anticipation was high from all the boats in the area as an intense tug of war continued. Finally a big walleye surfaced to be scooped in the boat. After a quick measure (thirty one point five inches) a couple of pictures, this monster walleye was released back into the river. A couple of drifts later Jim and I decided to drop the anchor in the main river channel in hopes of catching a few more fish. Twenty minutes without a bite made us change game plans once again. Tying on bottom bouncers and spinners we started backtrolling against the current. A couple of minutes later Jim set the hook on a substantial fish but unfortunately for us the fish gave one big head shake and was gone. It was my turn next, a big bite, a fish on briefly, then lost. Then conditions started to change dramatically, the wind switching from the south to northeast. Fighting boat control it was time for a change in tactics. Tying on Berkley Flicker Shads we started trolling back up the river. As we rounded the first bend, Jims rod loaded up in the holder under the weight of something extremely large. As Jim fought the fish I took over the control of the motor, backing up the boat just a little bit, turning it sideways so Jim could be in the correct position to fight this fish. Sure enough, a huge walleye could be seen with the crankbait stuck sideways in its mouth. Jim had brought his non tournament net, a little rubber affair. While I waved at the fish, it decided to go straight under the boat. Jim was quick to react, keeping the rod away from the gunnels. Back and forth, up and down went the walleye, putting up one of the best fights I have ever seen from this species. And I have seen a lot of big get caught! Finally Jim got the fish once again to the side of the boat. I managed to get the head of the fish in the net but the tail was sticking out the back so Jim reached down and grabbed that and between the two of us we managed to haul this monster into the boat. Jim quickly measured the fish at thirty two inches, then held it up for a few quick pictures. As he released it back into the waters of the Whitemud we both enjoyed the moment. What a way to start the fishing season!
As the day went on, we travelled up and down the river, trying a variety of different spots, enjoying the day and talking to a number of anglers who were out. Many were family groups on pontoon boats but my favourite was the father/son team that were in separate plastic kayaks fishing from the weeds. At one bend about a kilometer from Lynch’s Point, there were a number of boats pulled up to shore fishing for silver bass or freshwater drum. Using worms fished on pickerel or live bait rigs the action for these scrappy fighters was non-stop. This type of fishing is great for the young or beginning angler.

Nueltin Lake Pike

2009-05-10T10:34:00.000-07:00

THE EARLY SEASON PIKE OF NUELTIN LAKE
To have the chance to catch a really big pike, one that breaks the magic 50-inch barrier (127 centimetres) has been a dream of mine since I started fishing professionally. My most memorable experience with these big creatures came when I visited Neultin Lake Lodge as guests of Gary and Shawn Gurke a couple of years back.

This lake one of the most exciting trophy destinations in the world. Given the fact that the lake is close to 170 kilometres long, interspersed with shallow bays that are prime pike habitat, your choices and chances to see and catch big fish are only limited by the time that you have to fish them. Two days was all I had on this particular trip to try and catch the monster that I have always hoped for. In order to make my task a little easier, Shawn had supplied me with Guy, one of Nueltins veteran pike guides.
With the ice still on the main lake, we were still limited somewhat were we could go but there were enough dark bottom bays in the south end of the lake to make the two days an exciting challenge. The first day we tried a couple of bays on the east side of the lake, relatively close to the lodge. In the second area we spotted a number of huge pike laying right on the bottom, including one that looked like a submerged submarine. It was so large in fact, that I knew this fish was well over the magic number.
EASY TO LOCATE
Finding the fish can be relatively easy at this time of year. The pike are in the back bays on the nice sunny days looking for the warmest water available. Spawning for most of the fish had just finished and some of the big females in this bay were still recuperating. I caught smaller males in this area, the bigger fish totally disinterested. Since it was Guy’s first day on the water as the camp at just opened we headed across the lake to the west side and a large river that had huge shallow bays. Heading up one long creek I stood in the front of the boat peering down off of the casting platform in search of pike in the relatively shallow clear water. Sure enough as we got further back up the creek arm, long shadows were visible, the odd swirl indicating that one of these large fish had been disturbed by the boat’s intrusion. Getting the fly rod ready, I started false casting, measuring the distance out to the weed edges on either side of the creek. Laying a black bunny streamer out on the edge produced a viscous strike from a decent sized pike. Some twenty fish later we still hadn’t produced a fish over the required 104 centimetres or 41 inches that is required for a Manitoba Master Angler. Somewhat puzzled, because we had seen bigger fish swimming by, I switched over to smaller yellow streamer. First cast, I could see a big pike twist its body and move up to the fly and with a snap of the jaw I had my first trophy of the trip on.
After a nice battle on my nine weight Fenwick fly rod, the fish was put in a cradle, the fly gently removed. While in the cradle the fish was measured at 106 centimetres, a picture taken, then quickly released.
The change of colour to the yellow along with a downsizing of the streamer fly had the desired result. Two casts later an even larger pike screamed out of the weeds and slammed the fly, taking it out to the middle of the creek in a smoking forty metre run. My guide backed the boat out to the fish and after another excellent fight a slightly larger pike was released. This continued on for another two hours, big pike after big pike slashing and dashing at my poor yellow streamer until it was a streamer no more, the marabou shredded and lost. As the time came to go back to the lodge, three master angler pike had been released but none came close to the magic 127 centimetre mark (50 inches). Just to tell you how difficult a task it is to catch a pike of this size, look at the Manitoba Master Angler book from this past year. There were only two fish that size recorded. One, however, set the new Manitoba length record. It came from Apisko Lake and measured 153.67 centimetres or 60.5 inches, a true monster. Gary Weber from Minnesota caught it on the 26th of May 2004. So at least I knew I was in the right time frame to catch a true record fish. As mentioned I had seen at least one fish that seemed certain to fit the requirements. As I rolled out of bed for day two, rain clouds had rolled in along with a nasty cold front that seemed certain to shut down those shallow fish. Indeed it seemed that way, as the first two pike areas we visited were desolate. We decided to fish for lake trout that morning in hopes that the weather would get a little nicer for the afternoon. After a shore lunch of cajun blackened lake trout we returned to the small stream in which we had done well the day before. As we motored back, the overcast conditions and the black bottom made it almost impossible to spot fish. Still, I was confident that I had found the fly that the fish were interested in. I had downsized once again the size of streamer I was using. This time I had on a small orange saltwater fly that Brian Chan of Kamlops had given me some years ago while fly fishing for lake trout on Great Lave Lake. Salt-water flies are a good choice when fishing for large pike because of the heavy duty hooks that they come with. Sure enough on my first cast I had a nice pike dart out of a weed edge at my orange fly. I was stripping this particular lure in quick darts to keep the hook from picking up the moss from the bottom. As we moved to the back of the stream to a small pool it happened. A moment earlier I had seen a huge puff of mud caused by a large pike that had been spooked by the boat. I don’t know if this was the same fish but a monster pike appeared from nowhere, opened a mouth that could swallow a goose and took my fly that was the size of a small minnow. Taken off guard, I hauled my fly line down to set the hook and keep pressure on the fish. All seemed under control, as the magnificent pike assessed the situation. While he was figuring out the game, I started to try and pick line back up on my machined fly reel. Just about that time this pike figured it was time to exit stage right. Unfortunately as he was doing that my fly line looped around my reel. Ping, went the line, what was left shooting back into the boat beside me. I figure I had caught about 70 pike previous to this without losing any of the larger fish. Why do the really big fish always seem to get away? To me, that’s what makes us always come back for more.
For a trip of a lifetime, visit their website at http://www.nueltin.com/

Piking in the Interlake

2009-05-10T10:13:00.000-07:00

It was a bright, beautiful day as we headed up Highway #7 to Teulon, then left on Highway #17 that splits the Interlake into two sections. We headed north through Inwood, past the Narcisse snake dens, stopping in Poplarfield to get an ice cream cone, then continued on #17 all the way past Fisher Branch until we hit Provincial Road #325. Now on gravel, we headed straight west for 16 kilometres until we came to Davis Road. Here we met up with another truck full of anglers with a boat hooked on the back looking for directions. As we pulled up beside them I indicated that this should be the correct turnoff, even though there was no sign. Turning north on Davis Road we drove until we saw a campground sign about 4 kilometres later. Turning left, we followed a winding gravel road for another 22 kilometres until we came to our destination, Mantagoa Lake, pretty much in the middle of nowhere. There were four boats on the water already when we launched on this small picturesque body of water. As we slowly trolled away from the dock, my depthfinder indicated an average depth of around two and half metres, obviously a very shallow lake as well.
We rigged on a couple of lures that I knew would dive about one metre, Berkley Frenzy 3 ½ inch Firesticks. Two minutes into our first troll I had a fish on, a nice fat and sassy northern pike. This kind of action for pike was to continue all day long, no matter where we fished or what technique we tried. These fish were on the bite and anything that moved was taken with a vicious strike. We kept a couple fish for supper that evening and while cleaning them we found their stomachs jammed full of perch. We had tried various locations and techniques for walleye with no luck. In the evening as took our boat out of the water some local anglers were just heading out.
From the nearby community of Inwood, they were camping overnight at the unserviced campground at Mantagoa. Your leaving too early, they told us, the walleye don’t start biting until the evening on this lake.
And you know what, they were probably right. Mantagoa is stocked every year with walleye and according to local conservation officers with whom we talked to, the last two years have been very good for this species. On this trip, the walleye won, but the pike fishing more than made up for it.

Northern Smallmouth

2009-04-24T15:39:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-04-13T12:58:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-13T09:38:00.001-07:00

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

2009-04-07T10:49:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-04T08:20:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-03T08:57:00.000-07:00

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.

Ice fishing for the students

2009-03-02T09:54:00.003-08:00

Wayne Desjarlais has been a teacher at the Ebb and Flow School for almost twenty years. Recently he contacted friend Garry Gurke of Nueltin Fly-In Lodges to see if I would come up and do a seminar on ice fishing for the students at the school.
Located on Highway Number Fifty on the west shore of Lake Manitoba, this community has always enjoyed the bountiful supply of fish that swim in this huge shallow lake. Wayne was first introduced to sport fishing as a young boy when his father took him out any time he could. Wayne has transferred that passion on to his sons and to the community as a whole. Each year he and other members of the community organize a large ice fishing derby in March . This year the event will be held March Twenty First . Tickets and registration are available at the towns new community hall.
Through the Provincial Rod and Reel program and the Fisheries Enhancement Fund we were able to supply four hundred and fifty ice fishing rod and reel combos to the students of the school from Grades One all the way to Twelve. As well for the younger students they received a copy of Carol Szuminsky’s book, Andrew Goes Fishing, a made in Manitoba publication that outlines the great angling opportunities for people in this province.
Ebb and Flow was the twenty second community to receive a visit in the last five years as part of this provincial initiative. Gurke is passionate in his believe in the importance of this outreach in keeping young people connected with the outdoors. As part of the presentation the students learn about fish biology, the environment and stewardship.

An Oasis on the Ice

2009-03-02T09:54:00.002-08:00

Ice fishing in March in Manitoba can be one of the most exciting times of the year.

Those thoughts along with images of big fish were filling my mind as I headed north up the west side of mightly Lake Winnipeg. Along for the ride was good friend Steven Wintemute from Hooked Magazine. As we drove up Highway Number Eight past Gimli on our way to Riverton, we reminisced about our trip a year ago. It had been the trip of a lifetime, a one day slam fest, walleye ice fishing that had been out of this world! While we were a couple weeks earlier this year, the weather forecast did not look too bad. Not only that, we also got to stay at Hecla Oasis Resort, a five star paradise just a short hop from where we were fishing. Meeting up with friend Murray Olafson, I climbed on a snow machine and we headed down the Icelandic River that empties into the big lake. Here we meet up with a couple of other friends who had used the plowed road to access the middle of the bay. Loading up everything in two large sleighs we had behind our snow machine we continued on to explore this vast untouched fishery. After another bumpy ten minute ride we started drilling holes in six feet of water. Sure enough, there were still walleye in the lake and by the end of the day five of us had managed to land close to sixty fish. While not nearly as productive as a year ago, Murray reminded us that with the winter we had experienced, we were still two weeks behind in conditions from 2008, a critical factor in determining the number of fish in this particular area.
What was the same though, was the presentation required to catch these Lake Winnipeg walleye at this time of year. If you used a still line, you didn’t catch fish. These walleye had to be tricked into biting which meant a either a Chubby Darter from Salmo or Rattlin Rap from Rapala. I am sure it is no accident that both trophy fish caught a year apart were on the same bait, a Rattlin Rap. Last year Murray caught a thirty one and half inch brute on a fire tiger Rattlin Rap. This year Steven Wintemute returned the favour, slamming one just over thirty once inches on a blue and silver. It seems these big aggressive fish will not waste their time over something small and insignificant, a valuable lesson to be learned for sure at this time of the year when big fish are on the move. In the end we caught plenty of fish, the weather was fine and the solicitude out there magnificent. The experience was certainly enhanced at the end of the day by coming back and putting your feet up at one of the finest resorts I have ever stayed. My one regret on this trip was with the long hours spent on the water, we didn’t get to experience all the luxuries this hotel has to offer. For more information on the resort visit their website at www.heclaoasis.com.

West Coast adventure

2009-03-02T09:54:00.000-08:00

Whales, whales everywhere! That had been the theme of a four day salmon fishing trip to the west coast. But nothing in the previous three and half days prepared us for what we were about to witness. We were making one last trolling pass on the east side of Coho point, when something grabbed my attention off the port bow.
In the distance, amongst a group of boats, I could see a huge fluke slapping the water. John Toone, my partner on this salmon fishing trip to the west coast, turned around in the boat to get a better view. “Probably a killer whale feeding on salmon” he exclaimed. Pulling in our two fishing lines we slowly motored closer. The scene before us was a once in a lifetime experience, a spectacle that made the hair on the back of my neck standup. A massive killer whale had its jaws into the side of a humpback whale twice its size. As this drama unfolded in front of us, the group of fishing boats clustered around Coho Point off Langara Island moved to get out of the way of this fierce fight for survival. One of the fishmasters from Oak Bay Marine group stayed a short distance away, making sure to warn anglers to move out of the area of the battle. In the twenty minutes we were able to watch, the two whales would dip below the surface of the ocean only to resurface five minutes later a fair distance away, the humpbacks fluke or pectoral fin slapping once more in a desperate attempt to shake its attacker. We never did see the final outcome as we had to return to our home base, the MV Marabell for the trip back to Winnipeg.
What a trip it was! Four days earlier we had flown to Vancouver, then hopped on a charter flight from Vancouver south terminal to Sandspit on the northern end of the Queen Charlotte Islands. Along on the flight were a group of anglers headed to three different Oak Bay resorts in northern British Columbia. One group was going on to the Salmon Seeker floating lodge on the west side of the island. We boarded a Twin Otter float plane for the half hour ride to the MV Charlotte Princess and the MV Marabell(our destination) . These two refurbished boats were anchored side by side in the channel between Queen Charlotte Island and Langarra Island, the gateway to some of the most spectacular scenery and salmon fishing in the world! I had been up to this part of the world about ten years ago and when an invitation was extended to make another visit, I quickly accepted. I have been to a number of the Oak Bay resorts over the years and have always been impressed with their service. This trip was not to be any different, though the fishing was a little slower than my last visit. Part of the problem could have been the pods of killer whales that continued to move through the area. Attracted not only by the amazing amount of marine life, the presence of a number of humpback whales that were feeding along the rocky shorelines of Langarra was probably a factor as well. In fact, two days previous in Explorer Bay on the east side of the island, we had a huge humpback dive right under our seventeen foot fishing boat and out the other side. For a couple of prairie lads it was a little bit disconcerting. Still that wasn’t nearly the adrenaline rush that occurred later the same day. I had just landed a twelve pound coho salmon and was holding it up for a picture, when a killer whale surfaced right beside our boat. Wow! Both John and myself jumped about two feet in the air, the camera not quite ready to capture the moment but that moment will not be forgotten.
Yes, we did have some excellent salmon fishing with mostly cohos landed along with a few Chinook. When the weather finally settled down on day three of our trip, we were able to drive our boat around Langarra Island, checking out the sites along the way.
Our first stop was a sea lion haven, on which these huge animals lounged in the sun. Atop the rocky atoll, a bald eagle perched, ever watchful for scraps. Out front anglers were catching red snapper off a rocky reef. We headed out a little deeper to try for some other bottom fish which were extremely abundant. These included loads of halibut, mostly in the five to ten kilogram range.
As we drifted along, another pod of killer whales cruised by on the glassy ocean, Alaska a backdrop in the distance. A short boat drive later we stopped to view the Langarra Island lighthouse perched atop a cliff on the northwest corner of this desolate island. In the distance, we could see a fleet of trawlers out in the large ocean swells. Then it was back south past another group of anglers fishing for larger halibut a kilometre out in the ocean. You see, it’s not just the great fishing that brings me back to this part of the world. To see whales first hand a personal is pretty special, never mind the battle between a killer and humpback whale, just a once in a lifetime experience.
For information on the resorts owned by Oak Bay, visit their website at http://www.obmg.com/.A trip of a lifetime is probably more affordable than you think.