Author: Don Lamont

MANITOBA A Crappie time in the East!   Matt Gelley-MG Outdoors Pan fishing in the eastern region of Manitoba has been pretty consistent the last few weeks. Water temps have been hovering around the 24C – 75F mark for a while now. The fishing has been good. During the hot doldrums of summer, we found good schools of aggressive crappies as shallow as 8-9 feet; hugging shallow weed lines in the evening. Black crappies school hard in the heat and suspend mid-column during these times. Warmer days with stable weather is key. The other day, we watched an entire group of…

HAPPY LONG WEEKEND! It has been a scorching couple of weeks across the Prairies and  Northwestern Ontario and the fish have been feeling it. Changing your fishing times to early and late in the day can make it more comfortable but also result in better fishing. MANITOBA It is officially August and there are a wide variety of species to catch. I went on a recent trip searching for smallmouth bass. My fishing partner and I found them off rock points and weed edges, mostly in shallower water but not in bays, but shoreline related near the mouth of bays…

MANITOBA The weather has settled down a little bit since our last fishing report two weeks ago. Temperatures are back up to the hot/hot range so fishing early and lake becomes a better option. EASTERN MANITOBA Crappies don’t mind a little warm weather and will rise off the bottom as the day goes on. I have good luck on the Lee River. We  find the bigger crappie a bit deeper that this time last year. Look for larger fish came in 16 to 20 feet on the edge of big mud/sand flats. While they are easy to find at this…

FINDING OPEN WATER FORAGE FOR TROPHY SUMMERTIME SUCCESS  Every fall, I would head up to Tobin Lake to key in on a late fall run of walleye into the river system. That changed over the years as the bite in the 12 kilometres section of the river from Nipawin slowed considerably. Adapting, we started coming during July, with nicer weather and better fishing! In fact, an incredible bite for the most part. It wasn’t in the river though; it was in the main lake. THE KEY TO SUCCESS  Not every day was hot and heavy to begin with but with…

MANITOBA Rain, rain and more rain. Water levels are rising and many of our rivers are clouded with suspended mud. This includes Lake Winnipeg. I headed up to Hecla this week with my wife and some friends and was extremely disappointed to see just how muddy the water was. I know from past experience that when the strike window is severely restricted to less than a foot of visibility the bite slows down considerably. This was certainly the case our first evening out after setting up in the campground. We fished for two hours and did not get a…

MANITOBA A WILD WEST GET TOGETHER! I just spent three days fishing on Lake of the Prairies with a variety of industry representatives. Wes David organized it as part of the first annual Fishing the Wild West TV Industry Outdoor Gathering, including Hunt Fish MB, and Fish and Hunt Saskatchewan. And the wind followed us to Lake of the Prairies. https://www.kilmanresort.ca During our stay we had four captains on the water and what was so interesting was the variety of ways we caught fish during our stay. I had Keevin Erickson from Travel Manitoba in my boat the first morning…

MANITOBA We are moving well into June and with the trees blossoming it is that magic time of year when walleye and other species have recovered from the spawn and the bite is on big time!  It is one of the magic times of year to be on the water. Weather and Fish Fish like stability in their environment and this earl season has been anything but that. Rain, wind, cold and repeat. Still the fish need to eat and now is the time. Water temperatures are cool so fish might be shallower than you think, especially in the afternoon…

MANITOBA Rain, rain and more rain is making a good rain suit a necessity these days on the water. This certainly has helped the forest fire situation in many parts of the province. and raised some low water levels in lakes and rivers. Increased flow on the Whitemud River has brought in some larger freshwater drum and anglers have been catching some Master Angler sized fish. Check out this nice fish caught by Eric Wiens. DUCK MOUNTAINS There has been some outstanding stocked trout fishing on the many lakes that inhabit this beautiful provincial park. Check out this beautiful brown…

MANITOBA It is probably the most anticipated day of the year for anglers in this province. The walleye season opens on Saturday in the southern half of the province and the anticipation is high. With a relatively early spring and dry conditions for the most part, there was not a whole lot of runoff in most areas. By all accounts the walleye spawn was done earlier than most years and the fish should be in post spawn behaviour. Having said that what does it mean for you to find those early season fish?  There are few better walleye anglers than…

MANITOBA As our rivers and lakes start to open up just a reminder that the new 2024 Manitoba Angling license comes into affect on May 1st. You can purchase your license online and the cost of the license for Manitoba residents is $22 for the year, a pretty darn good price compared to a lot of other jurisdictions. You can also purchase a one day license for $8. For seniors 65 and over, active military or veterans there is no license required. With the new angling regulations coming into effect last year, there is no closed season for many species…