Author: Don Lamont

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…

After the worst winter in 116 years anglers in this part of the world in 2014 we are ready for it all to end so they can get out on the water. Do you want to hear the good news? With another late ice out, just like last year, the fishing should be just crazy when the season opens. All species will have to make up for lost time as the water finally warms. This was certainly the case last year on the two spring trips that I took. A number of lakes in southern Manitoba were still frozen when…

If you love to bass fish, chances are that love affair started with a topwater bait! I can personally recall numerous violent and awesome topwater strikes that happened more than a decade ago. Day dreaming of such events can often evoke goofy ear to ear grins, try not to do that at work, people will think you are weird. I have two go to topwater baits over the course of a fishing season: a Rockpile Lures popper, and a walking bait, something like a Heddon Zara Spook or Lucky Craft Sammy. I have a few general rules of thumb about…

The weeks following ice-out provide some of the best lake trout fishing of the season. Simple trolling tactics like long-lining and using planer boards are all that’s necessary to catch fish. Lake trout are a cold-water species, preferring water temperatures of less then 55-degrees. During the summer months they spend most of their time in cool, deep water, where it’s more challenging to target them. However, in the weeks following ice-out, water temperatures in the upper portion of the water column are within lake trout’s comfort zone. This creates a unique window of opportunity from an angling perspective. First, lake…

We decided to start by slowly trolling along the out flow of a muddy creek. The line between the brown river run off and Superior’s crystal clear flow was easy to follow. My son Devin Ellis, and myself, trolled #7 Rapala Shad Raps. At the front of the boat, Sandro Fragale cast a Mighty Mitch and Jungle Jig fly. I kept the boat moving relatively slowly and we cast the Shad Raps out behind the boat. Sandro started working the river mouth , swimming a black headed bucktail slowly back to the boat. Then he loaded the rod but his…

Stay late and get Big Fish!With the ice fishing season winding down in the southern part of the province, many anglers are making arrangements to try the variety of ice fishing opportunities in the northern part of Manitoba. One thing I would suggest is to stay late. At this time of the year you will catch the biggest walleye at first or last light if you are fishing clear or water that has any kind of clarity. It doesn’t matter if it is a reservoir or a medium sized lake, it pays huge dividends to fish until a half hour after…

Russ with a nice one!Pike fishing gets really exciting in this part of the world in March and for those of you further up north April as well. In Manitoba, northern pike are one of the most sought after trophy fish for anglers from all over the world. Most prefer to try for them in open water but if you want a really big fish, last ice can be the ticket. On this particular day we were fishing a large reservoir with extensive mud flats which averaged about two metres in depth. After we arrived at the spot we…