Author: Don Lamont

IN THE WILDS Hunting can take a lot out of you. It can also light a fire in you. Not that feeling of being some sort of big man because you killed a wild animal. Or that satisfaction after a feed of fresh meat. More like a nagging sense of ambition to keep body and mind at the ready for the next hunt and the next. In the thick of it, this pursuit can be all things fun and miserable. Eight days uncivilized is how to raise your game. Rain delayed, yet we setup camp in the sunshine and daylight.…

Long time friend and sportfishing icon Ron Lindner has died. I first meet Ron at the first Professional Walleye Trail event ever held in 1989 at Mille Lacs, Minnesota. During the years that followed our paths crossed many times, especially at the Kenora Bass International. Ron loved to come and fish up in Canada. He would call me on occasion to talk about the industry and ideas about cross promotion. Lindner passed away on Monday at the age of 86. Lindner is survived by his wife of 66 years, Dolores, and their seven children and numerous grandchildren. Ron was born…

ICE FISHING HEATING UP! MANITOBA Stocked trout and big fish has been the story of the last two weeks. There have been absolute brutes caught including this 28.5 inch rainbow caught by Jason Jones of Saskatchewan. He was fishing Beautiful Lake in the Duck Mountains when he landed this beauty! In the open water season he also landed the new Manitoba record brown trout out of Laurie Lake. It measured 31.5 inches. Congrats Jason. Regular contributors Roger and Sue Gere have been busy catching stocked trout and Roger found time to get his buck. Sue once again had the big…

ICE IS FORMING…FISH ARE BITING! Get the vehicle loaded for some of the best ice fishing of the year. In Manitoba we have over 100 lakes, ponds and streams stocked with trout! And quite a few of those grow fish to mammoth proportions. East Blue Lake for years has held the Manitoba record with rainbow trout over 30 inches in length. Over 40 years as a professional angler I have been fortunate enough to fish most of the lakes that have become folklore in this province. EARLY ICE SUCCESS At this time of the year, when the ice has just…

TRANSITION TIME As the weather turns colder this week, anglers in this part of the world are gearing up for another ice fishing season. Many will be relatively new to the sport as we look for ways to be outside. What could be better isolation than on a frozen body of water in the middle of nowhere? MANITOBA In this pandemic time, information on where to go and how to do things properly are on top of mind. Ryan Suffron, who is charge of outdoor product marketing for Travel Manitoba, commissioned prolific vlogger and film maker Jay Siemens to produce…

EFFICIENCY ON ICE If you have ever been on Lake Winnipeg at the height of the ice fishing season, you would be shocked to see the number of UTV’s (a.k.a. side-by-sides). These are the most popular form of on-ice travel in the upper Midwest U.S marketplace. While not quite as popular in Canada, they are quickly attracting more customers to the ice market because of their versatility. Since we have a whole new market of anglers this year that will want to try out ice fishing or spend more time doing this outdoor activity I decided to talk about different…

ORGANIZE FOR BETTER SUCCESS In preparation for the ice fishing season, I took my ice auger blades in for sharpening recently. On the last trip of the ice season last year I hit bottom and banged up the blades badly. Veteran ice anglers will tell you that when not drilling holes you should always have your blade guard on.  It might also save you the embarrassment of looking for holes someone else had fished just so you can wet a line! That happened on my last trip and luckily there were plenty of anglers that had left open holes everywhere.…

 MANITOBA Hard to believe but ice fishing has started on the small ponds in the south and bigger ones up north. Aaron Wiebe (Uncut Angling) has been out already on the ponds of Lac du Bonnet. These stocked ponds north of the town of Lac du Bonnet have been a big hit with anglers thanks to the hard work of the Lac du Bonnet Wildlife Association. The Wildlife Association Pond is located on PTH 11, 1 mile North of the junction of PR 313. It consists of 75 acres of crown land!  The Red River kicked out some beautiful fish…

By Carly Deacon, Managing Director of the Manitoba Wildlife Federation, Photos by Dr. Vince Crichton We have made great strides in our province over the last couple of weeks, standing up for conservation, protecting our vulnerable moose population, balancing Indigenous rights, all while ensuring safe hunting practices are enforced for increased public safety.  The new legislation passed under Bill 29 – The Wildlife Amendment Act (Safe Hunting and Shared Management) which has established safer hunting and paves the way for one shared management plan and sustainable wildlife in Manitoba, was no small feat by our government. PROACTIVE MEASURES ARE NEEDED…

MANITOBA RED RIVER It’s almost two weeks ago that the walleye starting showing up in numbers on the Red River from the main lake to Lockport. While anglers fishing closer to the lake have been having sporadic success for about a month, in the last week those fish have moved up to the traditional areas closer to the locks. Stretches of river like “Doc Reeds”, the Power Plant and the “Miracle Mile” all have a place in Manitoba fishing folklore, legendary over the years for their mind numbing catches of green hued walleye. Some years the run of fish starts…