Author: Don Lamont

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…

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…