HOME FOR THE WINTER IN 2020
EDITORS NOTE: Kaitlyn Lawes and Stephan Vigier wrote this column last winter for the print edition of Hooked Magazine. I had met Kaitlyn at a golf tournament a few years back and when I heard she was home for the winter of 2020 because of the pandemic I asked her if she would like to write about her fishing adventures with her fiancée. She loves to get out on the water whenever she can but this past year was a busy one. She and the Jennifer Jones team ended up going to the Olympics once again to represent Canada. Here is the story Kaitlyn and Stephan wrote about their winter ice fishing in 2020
This winter has been a season like no other for us. If you are wondering who “us” is… Let us fill you in. Stephan was a professional hockey player who spent his last four winters playing overseas in Norway. He recently took a scouting job with the Los Angeles Kings and is now back home in Manitoba for his first winter in approximately twelve years. Kaitlyn, an Olympic Curler, is also home in Manitoba and not travelling this winter for her first time in many years.
We are a newly engaged couple that has spent the better part of our relationship travelling around the world during the winter months. In the summer months we can be found fishing the wonderful lakes in Manitoba.
The year 2020 brought on extremely challenging and unprecedented times for everyone but that being said, we both generally have a good perspective on things. This “bonus time” at home has allowed us the opportunity to spend more time together, and of course more time exploring what winter fishing in Manitoba has to offer!
PELICAN LAKE
Pelican Lake nestles up to the town of Ninette and has seemingly been our home away from home this winter. It is a unique beast filled with large, football shaped walleye, perch, pike, and suckers. It took us a few outings on early ice to figure out how to trigger these fish. We couldn’t believe the number of marks that constantly lit up our flashers. It seemed like there were always lots of fish in the area, with little to no commitment to our lures.
With patience and small PK glow spoons, Buckshot Rattle Spoons, and tungsten jigs tipped with a tiny piece of minnow, we have finally been able to catch these blob walleye and perch. When we say blob, we mean literally the roundest walleyes we have ever seen. Whether they are 12 inches or 25 inches, these walleyes are scrappy and thick. We have also caught perch in all sizes ranging from five inches with the majority being 10-12 inches. We also have a beautiful 13-inch Master Angler to show for our efforts.
DUCK MOUNTAIN PROVINCIAL PARK
Some of our favourite open water fishing memories involve the amazing lakes in the Duck Mountain Provincial Park area. In fact, our very first fishing trip we took together, in the spring of 2017, was in the Ducks. It was a cold and rainy adventure but it’s something we fondly look back on.
In early December, we packed up our things, and decided we would try to camp at one of our favourite lakes. We stopped at Patterson Lake on our way to the Ducks in hopes of getting on their renowned brown trout. The afternoon was slow with several suckers until a nice 20.5” Rainbow Trout made an appearance before the end of the day. We packed up our gear and headed to our favourite trout water, Beautiful Lake, for tomorrows adventure.
BEAUTIFUL LAKE DOES NOT DISAPPOINT!
We spent all day at Beautiful Lake, and it turned out to be an exciting day on the ice. The water was crystal clear, so we set up the underwater camera in our shack in about six feet of water off a pencil reed point. We used a variety of lures on our active rods including spoons, rattle baits, and tube jigs. We also had two JawJackers set up just outside our shack, one tipped with trout dough and the other, a white tube jig.
TUBE JIG ON FIRE!
The small stationary tube jig was on fire most of the day, so we alternated who would get the chance to reel them in.
Every single fish we caught was a Master Angler Rainbow. These amazing fish are built like missiles and put up an incredible fight.
We had one crazy moment where Stephan hooked into a rainbow in the shack, moments later a JawJacker went off so Kaitlyn ran outside to try to catch that fish. Meanwhile the other jawjacker went off! A triple-header of rainbow trout! We’re not sure we’ll ever experience that again with all three fish being landed and safely released.
A DAY TO REMEMBER
We managed 7 master anglers in one day ranging from 22 inches to 26.5 inches. Believe it or not we slept in our enclosed trailer in the parking lot of the lake so we could fish again the next morning. It paid off as we caught a few more rainbows before the sun fully came up. Around noon we packed up and went to Lake of the Prairies for the evening bite before making our way back home. We found a few small walleyes, some perch, and a couple small rock bass near the Roblin bridge. All in all, it was a successful three-day, two-night fishing trip!
We are fortunate that Manitoba has so many amazing fishing opportunities so close to home. It’s hard to pick where our next adventure may be. In the meantime, if you spot us out on the ice, or on the water this spring, please come say hi. We love meeting other anglers and hearing everyone’s stories.
We hope you can all get outside and enjoy the beautiful outdoors, and of course, catch the fish of your dreams! Stay safe! And till next time…happy fishing!