Author: Don Lamont

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…

It’s pretty special, sitting on the lake with nothing but the quiet, maybe the distant call of a loon and the splash of an aggressive rise. The opportunity to do that with an endless list of options to explore, is what makes us so lucky here in Saskatchewan. You can break the quiet, rev up the engine, take off and cover endless expanses of water that are here, but not everyone has that opportunity. If you are on a budget or just starting out in the world of angling do not overlook the small watercraft options that you have. It’s…

MANITOBA In southern Manitoba anglers are enjoying some good stocked trout action. Patterson and Tokyrk Lake are know for their Master Angler sized brown trout. Reynolds Ponds close to Winnipeg has some big browns as well. NORTHWEST ONTARIO LAKE OF THE WOODS WALLEYE IN TROUBLE? According to the The Kenora Daily Miner & News, a report released recently, Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry says the Lake of the Woods walleye population is in danger.  The MNRF conducted province-wide risk assessments between 2015-2017 on 40 lakes in Ontario. Of those lakes, only Lake of the Woods fell into the…

Wild turkey have spread across the prairies in recent years, from Saskatchewan to Northwestern Ontario. A friend of mine first introduced me to the wild birds twenty years ago. Dino Branfield is one of the most experienced turkey hunters in this province. He first started hunting them 36 years ago.  A hardcore hunter and angler, he has worked as a waterfowl outfitter for years. The name of his business, is  called Nelsonville Outfitters. You can find him on Instagram at instagram.com/mayordino19. I talk to Dino on this week’s podcast which you can find here. https://www.hookedmagazine.ca/podcast/the-complete-angler-podcast-episode-12-dino-branfield-the-mayor-of-nelsonville/ Dino, like many in…

MANITOBA With some major snowfall and a general closure in the southern section of the province, most action has been limited to the northern half of the province which remains open. For those in the south, some open water stocked trout lakes provided some hot action before the snow hit.  Check out this beautiful brown trout caught from Williams Lake by Noah Messner. It measured 22.25 inches. Congrats Noah! Dustin Lindall headed out to the Whiteshell to try his luck at Lyons Lake from shore. He managed this 23 inch beauty brown! Nobody knows the Parkland region as well…

One of my favourite trips each year is for early season crappies. Manitoba has many lakes that hold these feisty panfish and springtime can dynamite if you know what to look for. When the season opens here on May 15th, these fish should be in shallow warm water.  WATER TEMPERATURE THE KEY! When the water temperature is in the four Celsius range, crappie position on drop-offs near deeper water, especially if there is vegetation. These are areas near where they spent the winter. One of the key correlations for success is understanding that fish move on certain pathway to their…

MANITOBA It’s midterm break for a lot of the schools in this province. In order to make it a family fun fishing weekend, this province extended the fishing season in the southern division to allow families to get out on the ice. The season is about to close though. The general closure in the Southern Division starts April 5, 2021 to and including May 14, 2021. Season opens May 15, 2021. Stocked trout water remains open. For more information on the angling rules and regulations in your part of the province just do a search for the Manitoba Anglers Guide…