Author: Don Lamont

MANITOBA Hump Walleyes-Matt Gelley Reef season is upon us! Shield Walleyes are stacked up on mid-lake structure as clouds of baitfish move offshore. Most walleye anglers will drop down live bait on a jig. I like to approach things a bit differently with plastics. One sleeper bait that outright catches em’ is the NED rig. My favourite way to fish these is to drag them on the bottom vertically or by pitching them on top of the hump depending if there is a nice flat. Another option is to cast swimbaits on top of the reef or on the sides.…

MANITOBA Crazy heat has kept people off the water for full days but early and late in the day has been perfect. Walleye are still using the shallow water in many of our lakes and reservoirs. Matt Gelley had a good day recently on a nine foot hump. He found the walleye and smallmouth bass mixed together. Aaron Wiebe of Uncut Angling fame was out on Lake Winnipeg at Hecla Island competing with Clayton Schick and Jay Siemens in a nine hour full walleye event. Aaron was a but surprised when he found all the active walleye in less than…

KEY IN ON OPEN WATER FORAGE FOR SUMMERTIME BONANZA Ciscoes were popping up all over the surface of the mirror calm lake, scooping up insects that were struggling to break the surface film. Occasionally, a huge splash would interrupt the calm. With the ciscoes up on the surface and vulnerable, marauding pike were making short work of these tasty morsels.  The insects were hatching out of the mud on a huge mid lake flat and we had stopped the boat at the eastern most tip of this flat and thrown out a marker buoy to orient us on an otherwise…

MANITOBA TOPWATER SMALLMOUTH-MATT GELLEY July is an excellent time to pull out the topwater plugs. Bass are post spawn and usually back on the feed. Who doesn’t like explosive surface strikes on a hot summer evening? I do! Surface temps in the 70-80F range are ideal. Locations can be tricky during this period. It’s dependent on where the food is! In the past, we have done great on rock/pencil weed transitions and on rocky points. Bass are usually foraging on Crawfish. One of my all time favourites topwater baits has been the Live Target frog popper. Casts a mile and has…

Narrow Hills Provincial Park is an angler’s dream come true. I’m not normally one to give away my fishing spots that easily. I put a lot of time and effort into finding them and working them out and I do not part with that information easily. I will however, if you ask, tell you exactly where I will be fishing this fall: The Narrow Hills Provincial Park. It still surprises me how many anglers stare back at me with blank expressions having never heard of it. Truly one of Saskatchewan’s magnificent gems, the Narrow Hills Provincial Park has it all.…

MANITOBA “Although this year has been difficult for Manitobans, our government is continuing a summer tradition by making recreational fishing free of charge this weekend of June 12th and 13th. I encourage all Manitobans to explore MB’s abundant fisheries and parks.” This announcement by Blaine Pederson, Minister of Agriculture and Resource Management. EASTERN MANITOBA CRAPPIES BY MATT GELLEY The spring Crappie bite this year has been challenging to say the least. Once the water temps hit 65F, schools of crappies usually invade the spawning bays. This year, however, something strange is happening. It has been a very staggered spawn. We…

MANITOBA It has been a wild two weeks since the fishing season opened. Many anglers have been enjoying the great outdoors and catching a few fish along the way. Walleye fishing has been excellent in many of our lakes and rivers. Lake Winnipeg and Lake Manitoba has been good for both numbers of fish and some big walleye. Freshwater drum are biting in the Whitemud and on the Red River. The channel catfishing has been excellent on the Red and good on the Assiniboine. We also got some much-needed rain in southern Manitoba which has alleviated drought conditions to some…

Last year was a hard year on our fisheries resource due to a large increase in angling pressure. To address that problem, the Manitoba Fisheries Department put together a comprehensive plan to overhaul our fisheries management in this province. This ten-page document is called MANITOBA’S RECREATIONAL ANGLING STRATEGY- Managing our World-class Fisheries. A link to it is here. This is a welcome response to the growing demand for better angling opportunities for everyone. This plan wants to create new angling opportunities, strengthen fish population monitoring and implement new measures to protect our fisheries. Personally, this document outlines proposed changes that…

MANITOBA With the new fishing season scheduled to open in southern Manitoba tomorrow, there will be many challenges for those hoping to wet a line. Extremely dry conditions in almost all of the province have forced the province to close all backcountry travel below the 53rd parallel. Do your homework before you decide where you are going to fish opening day of fishing season. Here is the link to the provincial website with the latest restrictions.https://www.gov.mb.ca/sd/fire/Restrictions/index.html The good news is that the fishing from shore for stocked trout has been spectacular. With an extended cooler spring, the stocked trout bite…

So who wants to go channel catfishing this spring? I hope you’ve been pumping iron in gym in anticipation of fighting that monster catfish you have dreamed of, or had nightmares about, all winter long. Well the time is here and I’m going to guide you through some of my secret tips and tricks to improve your chances of crushing some monster cats. In early spring the catfish are moving up the river putting on the feed bag getting ready for the upcoming spawn. What I mean is that the cats have been laying low all winter long and now…