Some hard core anglers have been doing extremely well this fall using jigging spoons and jigging hard baits like The Shiver Minnow and Jigging Rapala to catch late fall walleye. At Pine Falls one of the hottest baits has been the Live Target Golden Shiner. This is a direct transferal from the winter use of these baits on Lake Winnipeg. If you haven’t fished with one through the ice over the last five years, you have missed out on probably the hottest ice lure out there. These rattlebaits drive big Lake Winnipeg walleyes crazy, and this has transferred to open water fishing.
Now the manufacturer has come out with a new series of colours, four new glow colours. Available from retailers this fall will be a Glow/Blue, Glow/Black , Glow/Gold, and Glow/White. These models feature the same sizes and weights as the popular existing models, with the enhanced paint patterns. I can hardly wait to get my hands on some. When you fish these baits in the river, choose your spots carefully. If there are a lot of snags, you will be donating some fifteen dollar lures. From an anchor spot in the lake, you are usually good to go. There are also many spots in the river that will allow you to use them. Check these spots out with a jig first before you donate too many.
Speaking of new gear, I had a chance to try out the new FXR Excursion Suite on this trip. Having used a number of different cold weather products over the last 36 years, this gear impressed me with not only warmth, but maneuverability. It didn’t stiffen up in the cold weather, a huge improvement over a lot of the cold weather gear out there. It also has floatation assist technology which will allow you to stay on top of the water if you fall in. Friends Ian Krahn and Josh McFaddin are now helping with the marketing of this Canadian company, famous for its snowmobile and motocross racing apparel. Owned by Manitoban Milt Reimer this company continues to expand its product line to include other activities including ice fishing.