Author: Don Lamont

MANITOBA Eastern parts of the province did not get as much snow as the north and the western areas. Varying temperatures are creating a bit of uncertainty on ice conditions. Caution as always this early in the year is advised. If you plan on waiting a bit to make sure ice conditions are safe you might want to consider a DYI project by making a floor for your ice shelter this year. A few years back I bought those foam interlocking pieces that made life in my popup tent so much easier. I found this great video on YouTube that…

MANITOBA The western part of Manitoba was blasted this week by heavy snow and winds. Combine that with periods of rain and it is a mess. It is a good time to get all your ice fishing gear cleaned up, organized and ready to go. Only a few hardcore still have their boats in the water. Most have been winterized waiting for spring.  The Red River goldeye run is starting to slow down but check out this beauty. The shore anglers are still working hard and there have been some good catches. Check out this old girl from Bower Lake.…

MANITOBA It is a wonderful time of the year to shore fish, especially for stocked trout. Luckily, here in Manitoba we have a ton of options, especially in the Duck Mountains. I can remember some spectacular late fall days fishing from shore at East Blue Lake. It was simple, just throw out a walking sinker, a small hook with some Berkley trout bait and wait patiently for a rainbow to come along. It was as relaxing as it could get and there was always fish to be caught. Just down the road is one of the best brook trout lakes…

MANITOBA Water temperatures are starting to drop and more and more bait is moving into the tributaries and rivers. Find the bait and you will find fish. On the Red River it could be channel catfish, sauger, pike and the much sought after greenback walleye. Tony Shirley and Jeff Laurin did an outstanding job this past weekend finding some Master Angler class walleye. This allowed them to take home the first place prize of $10,000 at the Selkirk Walleye Open. Their two-day total of 71.79lbs for eight fish (Day 1: 26.50”, 27.00”, 27.75”, 26.75” – Day 2: 30.50”, 29.50”, 28.75”,…

MANITOBA A record warm month in the province has not helped the fall migration of walleyes in our major tributaries. Things are awful quiet on the Red River with Channel Catfish, goldeye and sauger providing the majority of the action. If you are gearing up for the fall walleye bite on the tributaries and reservoirs in southern Manitoba check out the story I wrote on my fall adventures over the last three years. It hopefully helps you put more fish in the boat! Roger and Sue Geres took advantage of the extended beautiful fall weather to make it to Lake…

 A MYRIAD OF OPTIONS FOR FALL WALLEYE For more than 40 years I have been chasing fall walleye on the Red River. One thing I have learned is that you can’t catch a trophy greenback if there not there. With social media and contact with guides on the river I can usually find out when there are a bunch if fish moved in. There are many factors that influence the movement of fish into the river but the most important is the presence of baitfish. Fisheries biologists have also determined that there is a pretty good run of whitefish spawning…

MANITOBA Lake of the Prairies It was time for our annual fall trip with a group of old friends from Saskatchewan and the West Coast. We stayed at Kilman Resort as we always do.  It has four nice cabins, a good boat launch and a nice filleting station by the water. Oh and three of the four cabins have hot tubs which is nice after a long day on the water. This was my second trip this year after visiting in June with Wes David and other industry members. I must say this time the fishing was not as good.…

MANITOBA It has been a hot couple of weeks across the prairies as we move into the middle of September. It looks like the warmer weather is going to hold on for a while longer. This has slowed down the transition of baitfish and predators to shallower water. There is some overnight movement but not concentrated pockets of larger fish. Expect the walleye to be in 16 to 24 feet of water and spread out on mud flats in a lot of our lakes. Catfish continue to be the story in this part of the country. The big channel cats…

Editor’s Note: Sorry for the delayed report but it has been hectic times around here as we try and get the Fall Issue of Hooked out next week. I must note that we have never had an issue so chock full of great content and I would like to thank all our contributors for making it happen. Make sure you subscribe to get a copy delivered to your doorstep.  MANITOBA It is officially September and as the leaves start to turn colour, big fish of all species start to get on the hunt. Channel catfish are no different and from…

Unlocking the Fall Walleye Puzzle I love fishing reservoirs and natural lakes in the fall time. They can certainly be challenging but when you unlock the puzzle it seems so worthwhile. On an early fall trip to Lake of the Prairies, local anglers told me you should have been here last week. It seems that the fishing had slowed considerably as we moved into colder temperatures. Arriving late afternoon, we launched the boat and headed out to a couple nearby points and shorelines. After four hours we had scratched together enough fish for supper, but the action could hardly be…