Author: Don Lamont

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…

It’s a constant grind on the FLW Tour. For those pursuing their dream of becoming the champion of the Forrest Wood Cup, tournament anglers understand the commitment involved. It’s a long winding road, that starts in Florida and covers an number of states as far north as Michigan. The weather changes, the competition is intense. Three Canadians have been making an impact on the FLW Tour over the last three years. This past week, two of them, came through on the big stage once again. Chris Johnston and his brother Cory from Ontario have been pushing the envelope on the…

For anyone who ice fishes for trout, if it isn’t already in your tackle bag, one thing you must have are white tube jigs. They are an absolutely dynamite bait for winter trout, and something that just about all trout can’t resist.  They are one of my go to baits for lake trout, stocked rainbows and splake, and even slightly smaller tubes for whitefish. Here are a couple quick tips to make your tube jigs even more effective. When jigging, I’ll often jig with a bare tube, and don’t really feel a minnow is always necessary. If fish are being…

2017 Top 12 Competitive Angler Rankings for Central Canada We look back on the past year of competitive angling to highlight a handful of impressive season performances. The second year of this annual list compiled by Kickerfish is based on tournament performances during the 2017 season within the region and beyond. This Top 12 and Honourable Mentions list are comprised of anglers who hail from Saskatchewan, Manitoba, or Ontario. These talented sticks are only some who cashed multiple cheques and dominated local leaderboards. Four anglers from the 2016 rankings made the list again this year. Factors considered were strength of…

It’snot often that I get to fish for largemouth bass. Living in Winnipeg means that I am a fair haul from water that holds these extremely popular game fish. Lake of the Woods has a good population but here in Manitoba there is really no largemouth water. When I ran into Randy Duvell a couple of years ago he jogged my memory about his fishing lodge near Ft. Francis Ontario. I first heard about Slippery Winds Wilderness Lodge, back in 1992 when I had met Randy at an Outdoor Show a year earlier and he invited me up to fish…

When it comes to premiere ice fishing destinations, hardwaters within the borders of Manitoba have risen to the top of many lists. The phenomenal rise in popularity amongst visitors and residents alike choosing to fish here, owe in large part to the Lake Winnipeg craze that took the angling world by storm during this last decade. What many anglers are starting to uncover however, is that we have countless other lakes and rivers that offer incredible fishing for all number of species. We embarked on a recent trip across the province to get an up close glimpse at just a…