Author: Don Lamont

High, fast, dirty water along with some cold temperatures this past weekend might have scared some anglers away from the Red River, but it didn’t stop the mighty channel catfish to go on a feeding frenzy. Jeff and Nicolas Connelly had arrived in town Friday to go after these tremendous sportfish with me on Saturday and a little cold weather wasn’t going to spoil the party. Jeff had arranged the trip to celebrate Nicolas turning sixteen years of age and a day catfishing with me was one of the presents. Neither had caught a catfish before so this was to…

Part Four- Minnitaki Lake Our final half day in Sioux Lookout was to be spent trolling in hopes of catching a trophy lake trout.  Ben Beattie really enjoys this challenge, knowing that on a good day, one or two fish is tops. We boated away from the main dock at Moosehorn Lodge at 7:14 that morning across Lost Lake to the entrance of Minnitaki Lake. This large body of water has a myriad of bays plus some large stretches of main lake basin, ideal habitat for lake trout to grow big. This lake also holds some good smallmouth bass and…

Part Three, Ben Beattie and Lost Lake Ben with a nice walleye caught dead stickingDay four finally saw us meet up with Ben Beattie, muskie fisherman extraordinaire and a darn good outdoor writer. Ben has been guiding out of Moosehorn Lodge for seven years, with a waiting clientele to book his services. We arranged this trip so we could work around Ben’s schedule but unfortunately none when the muskie season was open. So on this day we were going to try our luck on walleye, bass and pike on Lost Lake, a small body of water just south of Lac Seul…

Sioux Lookout Part Two Day three promised more great weather, but this time the wind was to be a factor in fishing success and location.  After some discussion with the guides at Moosehorn Lodge, Jim and I decided we would trailer the boat to Big Vermillion Lake. This was only a short hop from the lodge, one of many lakes in the region that hold multi species. TROLLING FOR TROUT On this particular day we wanted to try for the lake trout that swim everywhere in this relatively large and deep body of water. Since the surface water temperature…

In my 36 years in the sport fishing industry I have sampled a lot of water and heard about a lot of great fisheries. So when Hooked Magazine contributor and guide Ben Beattie talked to me about coming and fishing Lac Seul and area I didn’t have to think twice before I agreed. Lac Seul is noted for its gargantuan muskies, some of the largest in the world. Linda Rice owns the record for the largest muskie ever caught by a woman, an incredible 57 inch fish that was estimated to be 57 pounds. Linda Rice with the replica of her…

Seeking a challenge that offers inspiration and a tangible return for our efforts can be often harder than we imagine. Naturally, for many of us, we gain satisfaction by simply getting out and doing what we love most or surrounding ourselves with an environment that fulfills a passion. Sometimes though, we all need that extra bit of “wow” factor to break our norms and obvious expectations. Wouldn’t you agree? The first time I ever cast my fly rod on a Parkland stillwater was a moment that I will never forget. The anticipation of the trip weighed heavily on my mind…

I still remember the first Freshwater Drum I ever caught. I brought it to shore on the muddy banks of the Red River while bottom fishing. “What kind of fish is this?” I had asked as I began to remove the hook. “A Drum, and they can get way bigger” was the response from my friend. With droopy eyes and subtle hints of turquoise and pink shimmering on its side, I thought it was pretty cool looking. As I went to release the fish, it croaked almost like a frog before making contact with the murky water. What a neat…

Illustration by Sara Wilde The more I get into fishing, the more I want my hands in every step of the process. I’m not so far gone that I’m hammering spoons or weaving super line (yet), however I think good fishing begins with catching bait. Nothing man-made can match the attraction of the smell, texture, and action of a living creature, and trophy fish have refined tastes. But catching your own can bring about a new set of challenges. As a parent, you may not want to spark that food chain/circle of life conversation before your Saturday morning coffee on…

I have known Jim Lindner for years, back when he was filming for the In Fisherman television show. I did a number of shows with his uncle Al with Jim behind the camera both for In Fisherman and my show The Complete Angler. I caught up with Jim recently when he was the Mid Canada Marine Dealer’s Boat Show doing seminars. Hooked: When was your first fishing experience? Jim Lindner: It came about when we visited our grandmother’s place in northern Illinois. We would fish off the docks and wander the shoreline collecting turtles and frogs, just learning the love…

Persse Lake     It was noon when Ryan Suffron and I decided to load up the boat from Laurie and head west back towards the edge of the Duck Mountains to Persse Lake. Located just to the east of Twin Lakes, the 132 acre lake was fully developed in 2010 to include a road, parking lot, launch area and hydro right of way. An aerator building is on site and this equipment keeps the lake alive during the long Manitoba winters. This lake has a large population of both brown and brook trout. According to Suffron, because of a…