Author: Don Lamont

Hard to believe but in 32 years of full time fishing, including the making of a 156 episodes of The Complete Angler television show I had never been to a fly-in outpost camp. I guess call me spoiled but when we did our visits it was always the American plan five star plan. So when I agreed to host a trip for five people to Harrop Lake Outpost as part of a fundraiser for a worthwhile cause, I had no idea what to expect. Owned by Jacksons Lodges and Outposts, this camp was an hour and fifteen minute float plane…

An incredibly strong March sun was beaming down on the frozen surface of Lake Winnipeg as hundreds of vehicles streamed out to experience some of the best angling for trophy walleye in the world. Watching all of this and standing beside me was Bob Izumi, Canada’s most famous angler. We were taking part in an event called the “SnoBear Migration”. Izumi was totally impressed by the angling effort that was taking place before his very eyes. With easy access onto the lake via Warner Road on the southwest corner, many anglers were in four wheel drive vehicles, snowmobiles or All-Terrain…

It was five years ago that I first heard about the fantastic fishing for jumbo perch on this shallow prairie lake. Having to check it out for myself the first perch I caught on East Shoal measured 38.10 centimetres or 15 inches.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 important part in all of this is to remember to release those trophy fish. A perch…

Mike shows how it’s done!It was 1991 when I last visited Nestor Falls Ontario! Now that is a long stretch in anyone’s books but when I heard the crappies were back on the bite, I knew it was time to return. Friend Brent Kruger had lined up a two day trip with the owner of Sunset Cove Resort, Mike Gate. Mike and his wife Erin had purchased the resort three years ago, and have worked tirelessly to build up the business and update the resort and building. Located right on the shores of Sabaskong Bay, Mike has plowed a road…

A nice eater (Gene Collins photo)Dealing with the Deep freeze!Conditions at this time of year can be extremely tough to deal with when temperatures plummet to the -30 Celsius and below range. This year so far, anglers have been able to drive out on Lake Winnipeg with their vehicles. A lack of snow has allowed a pretty free range of access up until one hits an ice ridge. This is where it gets tricky. One angler on Saturday decided to test a soft spot with his foot. When it gave way he lost his balance and plunged into open water…

It has been a busy week on Lake Winnipeg as anglers take advantage of the warm weather. A couple different groups of friends were out this week, with both reporting excellent action for walleye. Jim Price found a way to get around the pressure ride on the west side near Warner Road to get out to deeper water and away from all the angling pressure. It paid off in spades with a number of nice walleye caught in 13 feet of water. This pattern was repeated yesterday with Gene Collins and friends headed out on snow machine. They landed 30…

STAYING DRY STRYKR Jacket and a big Tobin Lake walleye!For years I have been searching for raingear that would actually keep me dry. As editor of Hooked Magazine, I have to research new product that I can tell our readership about. I also like to test things out so when I checked the ICAST Awards for this year, I saw that a company I had never heard about won the award for the Best Technical Apparel: Stormr Fusion Bib Stormr has experienced exponential growth in the fishing markets over the past two years, owing to its comfort level, impenetrability and feature-rich design.…

Jim Price fools a Lake Winnipeg fish on a spoonAt the start of every ice fishing season anglers are looking for information that will help them be more successful. The funny thing about all of this, is that in my years in the business, there are many things that have been tried and forgotten only to be reinvented. I can remember fishing for stocked trout on a small gravel pit with a light flutter spoon some 25 years ago. Here is that rainbow from the archives!The slow flutter and drop of this light spoon was a great trigger for these aggressive…

Targeting suspended lake trout under the ice By Tom Armstrong This day ended up being a trip for the books, although it started out as more of a relaxed outing with friends than a serious fishing expedition. We headed to a lake trout lake that’s not known for numbers of fish, but known to hold a serious beast of a lake trout or two. With fairly easy access, it was a great place to fish a few hours with friends who aren’t much into ice fishing, more for an excuse to get out than hopes of leaving with limits of…

Embarking on a long anticipated fly fishing trip to realize that you arrived ill prepared or without the right tools to effectively capitalize on an amazing angling opportunity is something we have all experienced a time or two. Parkland lakes offer the “grand slam” of stillwater trout fishing, rainbow, brown, tiger, splake, brook and lake trout are all attainable targets, but each lake and their available species require their own dedicated strategy to maximize success rates. So let’s elaborate on the pre planning and get you on the right track. Lake Research The pinnacle item to a successful stillwater fly…