Author: Don Lamont

Where I come from ice is something that goes nicely in a cocktail. Winter is a time when most people put their fishing gear away and the few that do are seen as more than a little crazy. I mean seriously who goes fishing when it’s colder than 10 degrees Celsius? Well I did and my friends and family thought I was loony then. Then I moved to Saskatchewan and now they think I am completely certifiable. In South Africa, where I grew up, our winter was a bit like Saskatchewan’s fall, but not quite as cold, and, after a…

I first arrived in Roblin Manitoba during the spring of 1990. I had just finished a five year tour conducting fish research on the Lower Nelson River. Previous to that, I spent another five years doing the similar work all across the Province. This ‘new’ Fisheries job was more involved in the day to day management of fish and where they live. I hadn’t seriously angled for 10 years, due to my dedication to work, music and a passion for wilderness adventures. I’d heard of Lake of the Prairies (LOTP) and how ‘you could catch pickerel all day for years…

When your “go to” lures just aren’t cutting it. So many water bodies and so many species to target, ice season is back and with it come endless opportunities for fun on the ice. I love a good fight with a stocked rainbow now and again and definitely don’t mind steamed trout occasionally. I could go down to the grocery store and buy a farmed trout at an affordable price, but they always seem to taste better fresh caught, and I will spare you the many other reasons I justify fishing as much as I do. With many provinces stocking…

Planning a winter getaway this season? Follow my lead and pick a destination that has beautiful weather, gorgeous scenery, and great fishing! My mission as a rookie saltwater angler was to land as many prized species as I could in a relatively short period of time, while my wife and I enjoyed our honeymoon. For this I hooked up with Mike Hushek at St. Croix Inshore Fishing Charters. We met up with Mike early on a Tuesday morning. One thing that I have learnt very early on in life is that it is extremely difficult to fake genuine enthusiasm and…

Nothing is more inviting than a Manitoba winter. Pack the lawn chairs and SPF 30 because the sun will be shining. What better time to introduce your non-outdoorsy friends to fishing, like the land-lovers and non-swimmers, those of a klutzy/spastic order, goofy-footed or born under a bad sign. (Full disclosure: I am a well-recognized member of all these elite forces). Rejoice and be freed from water wieners, muscles, or noodles. Ice fishing is at your level, rock bottom almost impossible to reach, and winter is the friendliest time of year to explore Manitoba’s lakes and rivers. When it is safe…

Lake Winnipeg in the winter can be just as nasty as Lake Winnipeg in the summer. Whiteouts, drifts, cold temperatures and pressure ridges make for some of the most difficult conditions for ice fishers on the planet. The only problem, is anglers want to get to possibly the best walleye ice fishing in the world and most will not take no for answer. That’s where the ultimate ice fishing machine comes in. [huge_it_gallery id=”10″] FLASHBACK: It was last March when Hooked Publisher Kevin Stobbe and I got our first taste of what these machines could do. We were standing on…

It’s been six years since I first heard about the fantastic fishing for jumbo perch on these series of shallow prairie lakes. My first trip out there was in March of 2012, one that I won’t soon forget as the first perch I caught on East Shoal measured 38.10 centimetres or 15 inches. Wow, what an introduction. I had never seen a perch this big before, never mind landed one. I knew right away that this was a special lake and since that time the fishing has gone down a bit as more and more anglers make the trip. The…

Paul Turenne with a diminishing year class walleyeThe past three weeks have been close to the busiest and most interesting of my professional career and none of it involved the physical act of fishing. As editor of Hooked Magazine, I was trying to put the finishing touches on some editorial content submitted by some of the most committed anglers and conservationists in this part of the world. This while I was trying to get ready for another ice fishing season. Other issues were demanding my attention, none bigger than the future of Lake Winnipeg. Like many Manitobans, large lakes in…

New Year’s always holds a special place for me here in Northwestern Ontario; but not for fireworks, champagne, Auld Lang Syne and New Year’s festivities. Usually instead of counting down until midnight, I’m eagerly awaiting 5 a.m. when I get up and load the truck and hit the road. Jan 1st is opening day of lake trout fishing in a zone West of Thunder Bay. Most years I venture a couple hours west, towards Atikokan, to chase lake trout through the ice, with the season in this zone opening a month earlier than around Thunder Bay. In my mind, come…

And yes, it was cold!I don’t usually put my boat away until the end of October. I’m not sure when that’s going to happen this year. Today I headed out on the mighty Red River with a couple of teachers from Kelvin High School. Jon Romu has been the head football coach at Kelvin for a lot of years, running an extremely successful program. His close friend Corey Brown joined the staff at Kelvin last year and has been helping with the program the last couple of years. Corey also knows a bit about basketball and is helping me coach…