“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…
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
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…
It was late May when Hooked publisher Kevin Stobbe, Garther Cheung, (Big China) Ryan Montgomery and I headed up the east side of Lake Winnipeg to Sasaginnigak Lodge on the first fly in trip of the year. My only visit to this popular angling destination was back in 1993 so I was not sure what to expect as we drove to the St Andrews Airport for our flight in. It didn’t take us long to find the brand new Northway Aviation terminal. This huge building was a beehive of activity, people waiting for a number of different flights to all…
With the ice season now closed in the southern division of Manitoba, many folks are packing up the ice gear and getting ready for open water. For those willing to drive, there are plenty of destinations within the province with reasonable accommodations and stellar fishing near by. I’ve just returned from five days of fishing up at Cross Bay on Cedar Lake and I can assure you that there is still plenty of ice and snow up that way. Pike, burbot and whitefish were our target species while up there and when using an underwater camera we spotted more than…
On the Cisco Hunt One of the impressive features of the Manitoba Master Angler program is the incentive it supplies for anglers to try for qualifying fish of different species. Anglers must work extremely hard to catch all 30 of the qualifying species listed in the program. Only four anglers have managed to register all 30 in the history of the program! https://youtu.be/H-N0xDlyFlo Over the last forty years I have caught my share of qualifying fish, but I stopped entering years ago. It just wasn’t something that really motivated me. I just love to get out on the water, whatever…
Destination Cedar Lake So many water bodies, so little time. That’s the quandary many of us find ourselves in when it comes to our ice fishing goals and aspirations. With handfuls of species to target and a limited window of time and safe conditions, it’s easy to miss out on many of winter’s hot bites. One of those is just North of the 53rd parallel and is one of Manitoba’s best drive-to fishing destinations. Cedar Lake is home to large northern pike, walleye, burbot, whitefish and tullibee and this reservoir is one of my favorite places to drill through the…
EDITORS NOTE: In the 2018 Manitoba Anglers Guide the province came out with the following insertion in the regulations on page 10: “Winnipeg River between the Manitoba/Ontario border and the Pine Falls Generating Station – closed to lake sturgeon fishing all year.” This has many guides and anglers upset. Biologist Ken Kansas, who has done years of research on the sturgeon population in this section of the river, offers some solutions to the closure. Confusion corner on the water. Back in the early nineties, a Conservation Closure was implemented by the Manitoba Government to protect critically low populations of Winnipeg River lake sturgeon…
The Mid Canada Boat Show runs Thursday March 1 – Sunday March 4 and has got over 135,000 sq ft on the 3rd floor of the RBC Convention Centre with everything you need for summer fun – the newest boats and motors, from the top manufacturers and suppliers in the industry. BUY YOUR TICKETS ONLINE HERE The Hook & Bullet Show has taken over the entire 2nd floor. If you are a hunter or angler you will want to check this out. One ticket, two shows! Something for all. Fishing and Hunting Equipment and Supplies Manitoba Wildlife Federation Member Suppliers…