Top water tactics for explosive summertime muskie action. One of the first times I brought my wife muskie fishing I set her up with a Top Raider surface bait. They are easy to cast and even easier to retrieve. She was getting the hang of throwing the bigger muskie baits and her figure 8’s were coming along nicely too. We hadn’t been out long when I noticed the tell-tale ‘wake’ behind her bait and I calmly told her she had a follow and to just keep reeling and be ready to do a figure-8. As her bait approached the boat,…
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
While the Castle River is one of the more popular in the region, it can, like most rivers, be tough to fish. On our third day we headed southwest from Castle Falls on Road 774 past the Castle Mountain ski resort. This is rugged country and four wheel drive is recommended if you are going to access stretches of the river off road. Not only that, but you have to be prepared to do some work to get to different sections of the river. There is fallen timber everywhere, which means you can only access short stretches of the…
DAY TWO: On day two of our trip, we headed over a nearby mountain pass to fish the Carbondale River. Access to this steep sided smaller river was somewhat difficult. We ended up finding an old access bridge and walking down the bank near a busy campground. Phil and I stared fishing a deep pool but I quickly decided to work on taking both still pictures and videos with my new Nikon AW1. Phil lands a small cutthroat in a back eddie This rugged camera is shock proof and waterproof to 49 feet. In other words, a camera that…
STREAM FLY FISHING THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS PART ONE It was five thirty in the morning when the moving house that was to be our home for the next ten days pulled up to the driveway. Soon we were on the road for our fly fishing adventure to southern Alberta. Four of us were planning to explore the rivers and streams that dot the landscape near the Crowsnest Pass region. FIRST STOP Later that evening we pulled into the Castle Falls Campground, located on the shores of the Castle River. This glacial feed stream holds cutthroat trout, whitefish and a few…
C It had been about year since I had caught my last channel catfish but when Travel Manitoba extended the invite to fish for a morning as part of their media event titled “Fish Tales” how could I refuse. I picked up publisher Kevin Stobbe at seven in the morning last week and we headed from Winnipeg to Selkirk Park were the guides had their boats ready to go. We were teamed up with Brad Melnyk, who is know more for his smallmouth exploits. He had caught plenty of catfish over the years and in no time flat he had…
FLY IN FISHING!Have you decided this is the year you your buddies have always dreamed about, a fly in fishing trip? Now unless you are going the five star route, here are some things you should consider, especially if you are going to an outpost camp.Check to see the size of the motors on the boat and if they have electronics on them. At an outpost camp, the chances are not good.On a recent trip to Harrop Lake Outpost, I made sure to bring my Humminbird depthfinder with a battery and charger, the same one I use for ice fishing.…
It was cold and rainy as we headed through the Whiteshell on our way to Lake of the Woods on Monday of this week. Friend Phil Brake was making sure I had a pair of rain paints for him tucked away in the boat. Little did he know that he would still end up very wet and cold by the end of the day. After getting our rain gear on and launching the boat, I trolled out slowly from shore, checking to see what the water temperature was on my Humminbird 897. For me at this time of the year,…
I must apologize to my readers for falling down on the job with my fishing exploits.I have taken a position as editor of Hooked Magazine and it has been very busy but extremely rewarding. I am currently working on the summer edition which will be out the first week in July. We have a special person on the front cover and I get the pleasure of interviewing this famous person! As a hint he loves to fish and hunt, plus play a bit of football.I haven’t forgotten to get out and fish though and have been on a couple of…
It was one of the most miserable weather days I have ever fished in. And believe me in 31 years as a professional angler I have seen my share of bad weather including a case of hypothermia after getting soaked in three degree weather in the middle of a huge lake in northern Alberta. This time I was fishing in early June on one of the best walleye lakes in the world. Gunisao Lake produces more master angler walleye than any other place probably on earth. Located in north eastern Manitoba this body of water is a trophy factory and…
The trail into the small lake was a mess. Dead trees were everywhere, and there was a smattering of snow to deal with. Yet expectations were high as we got closer to the small jewel sitting on the very top of the hill. When my partner got his first look, he said “uh oh.” The reflection of the grey skies made the alpine lake look ice covered, and we knew that it was an unusually late spring. On closer inspection, however, the lake proved to be ice free. “False alarm,” said my relieved friend. “It’s wide open.” We had no…