It was hot, sunny, still, 30 C and the crack of noon… perhaps less than ideal conditions for walleye fishing. This is what I found myself fishing in last summer, competing in a local fishing tournament on the Kaministiquia River. This famous river is right in the City of Thunder Bay, a tributary of Lake Superior. The Kam River is a rather interesting fishery, offering anglers easy access, with several launches right in town, and a variety of angling opportunities. The river holds walleye, smallmouth bass, northern pike, perch, sturgeon, and gets runs of chinooks and steelhead in spring and…
Author: Don Lamont
Don Lamont
Don Lamont - The Complete Angler Don Lamont has been a full time professional angler for 41 years, hosting and producing the award winning “The Complete Angler” television series for fifteen of those. Don has received several awards for his commitment to public education and the future of recreational fishing in Canada. Don had a regular fishing column in the Winnipeg Free Press for 30 years and is currently editor of Hooked Magazine. He also recently took on the role of Executive Director of the Manitoba Lodges and Outfitters, if he wasn't busy enough already! He recently published a book that highlights many of his adventures over a lifetime of fishing. It can be purchased online at donlamont.com
In the last few years, freshwater drum have really captured the imagination of anglers in this part of the world. One of the reasons might be a rise in the number of fish in our lakes and rivers along with an increase in overall size of the fish caught. If you have never caught a large drum, it’s hard to describe the fight that these fish put out. When I caught an absolute monster drum two years ago, it gave me all the battle I could handle on a level wind reel, long rod and stout line. Never mind that…
A Short Look at Manitoba’s Muskie History SURPRISE SURPRISE In the early 90’s I was tasked to look after fish populations in the Western Region of Manitoba. I realized that this part of Manitoba was in the ‘Stocked Trout Belt’ and had seen tens of thousands of trout stocked into area lakes, many without follow-up. Therefore, I asked the veteran biologist of the area to give me a list of all the lakes they had stocked with specific objectives for each waterbody. Things like; “we stocked 2000 fingerling Rainbow trout in X Lake and we’d like to know…
Shore fishing is one of the most basic and primitive activities, yet somehow it continues to evolve. Technologies advance, new lures and gear hit the market and more people young and old get exposed to the sport. While location, temperature, seasonal patterns and prey preferences all play a part in a successful day on the water’s edge, there are plenty of essentials vital to the health and safety of the fish you target and to you success. Reliable Rod and Reel Rods and reels used for shore fishing often take a bit more of a beating than those that live…
On my last count there have been 4075 articles written on catching Pike on the fly. So why not make it 4076? Often when you hear people talking about Pike there is a misconception that they don’t fight, are like pulling in a wet log in and are a nuisance to catch if that were all true than there would only be 2021 articles written about fly fishing for Pike. Hopefully I can dispel a few myths and get you going in the right direction. All knowledge I share in this article has been taken from experience gained in Alberta…
It was another hot, dry day on the mountain has I helped friend Duane Whyte pack our 14 foot aluminum boat for a day fishing. I was staying at Duane’s cottage in the Duck Mountains as part of a two day excursion. Day One had seen us visit Laurie Lake, some 30 kilometres away in the southwestern part of the park. Laurie is one of the larger lakes in the Ducks with beautiful emerald green water. I have fished Laurie a couple times previous with good success. Not so much this day as we tried a variety of techniques only…
“Go north young man…” Similar to the gold-panning rush days of centuries past, anglers have been flocking to the Northern Region of Manitoba in search of riches. The currency this time around however is golden walleye. Word has gotten out about lake after lake in this area of the province being absolutely loaded with trophy ‘eyes. It’s never been a secret that the Canadian north is walleye angler paradise, but the ‘Manitoba Gold Belt’ has established itself in a league of its own. The striking black and gold predators of these cool deep waters attract anglers from all across the…
Click here to enter our contest to win a trip to Amphibian Lake Lodge. The year was 2009 and I along with a group of American anglers were lined up on the dock of Adventure Air in Lac du Bonnet. Anticipation was high as the Turbo Otter taxied in, getting ready to take them to an outpost camp on the east side of Lake Winnipeg. Thousands of anglers from far and wide come every year to Manitoba to enjoy some of the incredible fly in fishing operations that this province has to offer. In conversation with this group from Minnesota…
Manitoba may not immediately come to mind when talking about smallmouth bass. The big three of walleye, lake trout, and northern pike receive most of the press around these parts. World-class channel catfishing and stillwater trout fisheries are also highly regarded in this province, and rightfully so. But in the ever-growing global obsession with all things bass, Manitoba is a hugely untapped landscape. The Keystone province is home to a host of lakes and systems with solid populations of Master Angler smallmouths. ‘Bigguns’ regularly surpassing the trophy benchmark of 4lbs are abundant in our various waterways. The following are just a…
No that wasn’t a typo. While Falcon Lake is indeed one of the top destinations in Eastern Manitoba to catch fish, you can also literally ‘cash’ fish on any given trip all year round. The Falcon Lake Tagged Fish Contest is a unique opportunity for anglers to hook a tagged fish and win some big-time prize money. In 2017, ahead of the annual Falcon Lake Winter Fish-Off, I helped Ian Young owner of Faloma Beach Marina catch and tag three northern pike at the west end of the lake. Two of the tags are worth $1000 each with the other…