Author: Don Lamont

A Unique Delta Marsh Cast and Blast Adventure “Grrrrrrrrr, grrrrrrrrr, grrrrrrrrrr,” I growled into my mallard duck call hard and long, trying hard to imitate a Canvasback. A big flock of beautiful canvasbacks had buzzed our decoy spread low and fast. The flock made a big swing out over the bay, banking hard to the right showing us their backs. The big, white bull (drake) canvasbacks were easy to spot. My heart was racing. The flock was full of bulls. Nothing excites me as a duck hunter like big, drake canvasbacks. They are a duck of lore, at the heart…

TALES FROM A CRAPPIE BIOLOGIST My first experience with Black Crappie (Pomoxis nigromaculatis), a member of the Sunfish Family Centrarchidae, is one I can just barely recall. It was during one or more of our families’ summer trips from Winnipeg to my aunt and uncles’ island cabin getaway, in Clearwater Bay, Lake of the Woods. We would troll silver Canadian Wigglers for hours behind our 17’ homemade fiberglass canoe powered with a 1967, 3.5 hp. Johnson outboard motor, hunting mainly walleye. Okay, hunting only walleye. We’d often hook up with other species like Smallmouth Bass and Northern Pike. But we…

The rivers of Saskatchewan have long fascinated me. I have spent much of the last decade poised nicely between both the North and the South Saskatchewan, and for the vast majority of that time quite honestly I favoured the South. A magnificent river with a jagged course, great structure and back eddies, rocky shoals transitioning into deep channels, there always seemed to be something enticing me to throw a line and put in some time to unlock the secrets of an area. I hardly touched the North, and when I did I was confused, disappointed and all but willing to…

As we motored across the lake, I was glued to my Humminbird, watching the ever changing bottom structure, excited to start exploring and fishing.  The terrain looked like we were driving over sand dunes, steadily up and down; moving over 6 foot flats, then plummeting to 30 foot holes.  We were driving across a new lake, heading to setup camp for a three day fishing trip, and I was exploring the lake as we went, trying to find a place to start fishing. We found a gorgeous sand beach, sheltered from the wind, unloaded our gear and made camp, and…

Manitoba has an abundance of parks to explore, each with its own character and identity. As the birds begin to head south and leaves fall from the trees it can be one of the best times to get out and experience them. I am always keeping an eye on the weather all over the province and if there is an unseasonably warm day coming up for the Spruce Woods area, I don’t think twice and make plans for a hike and a fish. With countless kilometers of trails to cover and plenty of spots to fish, this area of the…

Friend Don “Sticky” Stokotelny loves to fish lake trout in the summer. One of his favourite destinations is Clearwater Lake in The Pas.  Last week he and his daughter headed up for a couple of days to enjoy both the weather and the fishing. Sticky says they found the lake trout positioned at the 50 foot level slamming into 5 inch ciscoes. By ripping spoons through them the two  had a day to remember with double headers the norm. He says they lost track of the number of fish landed. He was able to stay on the fish by using…

For years anglers from all over the world have been coming to Manitoba to experience firsthand what it’s like to fight a Master Angler channel catfish. Two of my friends from Saskatchewan finally decided this June to strike it off their bucket list. When the big day arrived so did the heat. The forecast high for June 2nd was 34 Celsius, a hot day in any angler’s book. We had overnighted at the family cottage in Gimli and headed south to launch at Selkirk Park. In no time we were anchored below Lockport with four lines in the water tipped…

Every year people associated with the recreational fishing industry worldwide stream to Orlando in July to see all the latest products that are available at ICAST (put on by the American Sportfishing Association). Publisher Kevin Stobbe and I arrived in Orlando Tuesday afternoon to view the latest products in the industry and to take part in a series of meetings with key manufacturers. On Tuesday night as accredited media we got to participate the in the New Product Showcase and vote on the products we thought were both innovative and would help improve the angling experience. On Wednesday we visited…

Nobody really knows what kind of impact the explosion of Zebra Mussels will have on the walleye population in Lake Winnipeg. People who use the beaches on the south end of this mighty lake have already felt their sharp bite. I am one of those, cutting my feet twice while swimming off the beach in Gimli last summer. It has also changed the water visibility in the lake a lot, more as you head north from the mouth of the Red River. My wife and I were up at Hecla Island in late May to enjoy a mini holiday. While…

Early last week Publisher Kevin Stobbe and I got to spend a day on the Winnipeg River with top bass pro Jeff “Gussy” Gustafson. Jeff was in between tournaments on the Fishing League World circuit (FLW) and wanted to get a little practice in on some river smallmouth before he left for the last tournament on this year’s circuit. It is being held on the Potomac River outside of Washington D.C. this weekend. Gussy needs a good finish to qualify for the Forrest Wood Cup for the second year in a row. He is currently in 41st place. We…