Author: Don Lamont

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…

There are only two things that have made this relentless  winter bearable: NHL Hockey and Ice Fishing. Although the latter isn’t my first choice in pursuit of my favourite fish species, and I would much rather be targeting largemouths donning my favourite pair of flip flops; one needs to maintain his sanity. Chances are if you’re an avid fisherman, you at least spend a portion of y our winter on the ice. It may not be your first choice, but without ice fishing I know I would probably either turn into a snowbird or have a significant mental breakdown. As…

When the topic of ice fishing for pike comes up it’s hard not to think of late season fishing with tip-ups and dead bait in shallow water spawning areas. All for good reason, too. It’s a proven tactic for catching big pike. But what about the rest of the winter, before big pike head to the shallows? In my experiences, big pike spend much of the winter hunting in the same areas and depths that walleye do. In fact, every winter some of the biggest pike I see are caught on walleye gear while jigging for ‘eyes. GEARED UP My…

The Pelican Lake Healthy Water & Fish Committeecould not believe the number of anglers that turned out to their event, with 263 adult anglers and 42 junior anglers come out to fish. The horn to signal the start of fishing blasted at 10:00 AM and the finish horn sounded at 2:00 PM. During the 4 hours of fishing, they measured 414 fish in total; 57 Walleye, 122 Northern Pike, and 235 Perch. According to chair Trevor Maguire the higher than expected revenue brought in should allow them to double the size of the current aeration field located in the northern basin for next…

Pelican Lake, in southwestern Manitoba used to be a Mecca for ice anglers from Manitoba and the northern United States. Jumbo perch were in abundance along with the occasional walleye and pike thrown in for good measure.PK PredtorThen around 2005 the lake started to winter kill on a regular basis and all that changed. Residents were concerned about their lake and for years have been trying to figure out the best way to help the lake back to health. A number of different groups were formed over the years with mixed results. Lately though the lake has staged a comeback…

Current accommodations Nestled on a small bay at the start of the Winnipeg River at Pointe du Bois, Trail End Camp is a favourite destination by anglers in the know. Not only is the fishing great but the place is affordable, allowing anglers to spend money on bait and boat gas instead of accommodation and frills. And travel you will, with some 60 kilometres of river open to check out and navigate, all of it prime fishing waters as you headquarter out of this extremely comfortable and friendly lodge owned and operated by Vance and Maureen Hrechkosy. Now get this, you…

I had the opportunity to attend the Manitoba Lodge and Outfitters Conference last month in Winnipeg to listen to a panel headed by the Manitoba of Chamber President and CEO Chuck Davidson titled “ Getting Tourism on the government’s radar.” Having worked in the past as Outdoor Product manager for Travel Manitoba even I was surprised at the small amount the province reinvests to promote tourism. Travel Manitoba has a budget in the neighborhood of $7 million a year; a drop in the bucket considering tourism brings in more than 1.4 billion a year. Davidson is advocating more of a…

RED RIVER SHOULD BE HOT!Ice conditions across the province are improving. Many anglers are taking advantage of This one was near the bottom!good solid ice to get onto the Red River north of Selkirk. Anglers are targeting deeper stretches of the river all the way to the End of Main and catching some real nice fish. Check out the Manitoba Fishing Forum at http://www.manitobafishingforum for all the latest updates.Most ice anglers are reporting ice thickness of five to six inch inches. This means walking out, not riding! Caution is always required because there are always thin spots when current is…