March Madness is drawing to a close and the cold weather is finally letting up a bit across the prairies. I don’t know about you but I am getting a bit anxious to get on with the open water season! MANITOBA LAKE WINNIPEG – ROGER AND SUE GERES We try and plan a trip to Lake Winnipeg every March to partake in the madness. This year we hired Matt Cornell of Bruin Outfitting to take us out on Big Windy. Sue and I were both able to catch a Master Angler walleye! Travel on the lake was good when we…
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
GUSSY GETS READY TO DEFEND HIS TITLE! One of the hardest things in sports is defending a title! Doesn’t matter the sport, making it happen two years in a row is ultra tough. Jeff Gustafson faces that when he leaves the start line tomorrow as Boat # 2! If you want to hear more from Gussy check out my podcast with him here He will have a cameraman onboard Friday so make sure you visit Bassmaster Classic Live in the morning for all the action. Jeff plans a three pronged attack, with a chatterbait to cover shallow shoreline, then a…
MANITOBA Some significant snowfall in many regions of the province has been good news for those who like to jump on a snowmachine and explore the backcountry. Fishing has been pretty darn good as well! Lake Winnipeg continues to shine as many 30 plus inch walleye have been landed and released since our last report including this 30 inch beauty by Rene Boxhorn! Joining the party on Big Windy have been some jumbo tullibee and large pike! Check out this beast caught by Andrew Marx. Jay Siemens continues to roll out the videos. This time he and a…
MANITOBA There are decent ice conditions finally with some colder nights but warmer temperatures are on the way. Lake Winnipeg has been producing some really solid fishing for numbers and size of walleye. Travel is good and Jay Siemens put together this video recently with Kannuck Outfitters, one of the three operators on the lake to offer overnight accommodation. Jay looks like the kid in the candy store! https://youtu.be/Nd7_WCX-fgo For those looking for ultimate mobility on the lake, friend Mat Hobson runs Icebound Excursions. He has a fleet of SnoBears. You can rent one for the day or use his…
WINTER HAS RETURNED A Colorado low is sweeping across the prairies making travel risky but bringing snow and cooler temperatures to western Canada. Caution is advised on the ice as conditions are inconsistent with the last couple of weeks of warmer weather. MANITOBA A fair amount of snow has fallen over most of the province and travel right now is iffy. Things will clear up over the weekend but while the weather is cooling somewhat it is still above seasonal. Lake Winnipeg still has open water in spots caused by massive pressure ridges; You can check all the latest conditions…
MANITOBA Above average temperatures have returned to the prairies throwing a bit of a curveball to ice anglers. According to Mat Hobson who owns and operates Icebound Excursions on Lake Winnipeg it broke up he big pods of fish, slowing the bite a bit. As the weather stabilizes again, he anticipates the game will be back on! Hooked Contributor Matt Gelley recently headed out on Lake Winnipeg in style with Le Burger Week champ Carlo Guzzi! Special thanks to Westshore Marine for the fully loaded double cab Polaris Ranger on tracks. We had a great couple days chasing down…
MANITOBA Cold artic air has spread across the prairies and as I write this we have a windchill of minus 40 Celsius out the front door. We also got a lot of snow this week, changing the dynamics of on ice travel. NORTHERN MANITOBA The ice fishing season is in full swing up north. Lodges like Baker Narrows and Viking Lodge offer winter lake trout ice fishing excursions and accommodation. These have become an extremely popular bucket list destination trips for more and more anglers. Here is a beautiful 39 inch lake trout caught and released by Nick Sumner on…
A YEAR IN REVIEW As we welcome in the New Year, we at Hooked Media would like to thank all the people that made 2023 such a memorable one for us. There was no bigger highlight than the Bassmaster Classic win by our longtime contributor and friend Jeff Gustafson. In early January last year I was on the phone with Gussy talking about his season on the Bassmaster Elite circuit when he brought up the Bassmaster Classic Event. It was being held in Knoxville, Tennessee at the end of March and Gussy dropped a bombshell. “Don, he said, you should…
MANITOBA Some colder weather has arrived across the prairies and with a lack of snow cover in many areas the ice is thickening at a rapid rate. Friend Jim Price reports great ice conditions on Lake Manitoba with 16 inches in most places on the lake. He has been driving on for a while now and reports good fishing action just before dark in shallow water. Jim says he has been finding walleye tight to shore all over the lake. LAKE WINNIPEG Big Windy is starting to heat up. Anglers are now driving out from various access points. There are…
MANITOBA As is usually the case, stocked trout have been the early ice story in Manitoba. Given the wind and warmth this has also been the safest choice for ice anglers. Bower Lake in the southwest corner of the province has been producing some really nice rainbow trout. Hardcore angler Sarah Henuset has been landing some master angler fish. Up in the Duck Mountains you have a variety of lakes that are fishable. Gull Lake has been solid for a variety of stocked trout species. As always Twin Lakes continue to amaze. It has decent ice and the fishing has…