Author: Don Lamont

Wet snow was falling from the heavens I loaded up my vehicle with fishing equipment for my annual fall trek to Tobin Lake, Saskatchewan at the end of October. Stopping in Portage la Prairie to pick up friend Jim Price, we headed up the Yellowhead Highway during the night, slowing down to sixty kilometers at times as we navigated slippery, snow covered road conditions.Located near Nipawin, Tobin Lake has been producing trophy walleye for years. I first fished it in 1979 when working in Prince Albert and since that time I rank it as one of my top three favourite…

As I stood on shore in the darkness of a cool and windy October evening on the shores of Lac Du Bonnet I was mesmerized by the object that’s was moving towards me through the darkness all ablaze. Thinking about in afterwards it reminded me of the flame throwing monster in Dr.No, that kept all the unwanted riffraff off the tropical island. Of course, for those of you who are James Bond fans, it turned out to be an armored vehicle painted like a dragon. In this case the boat that was emerging out the darkness, lit by a brilliant…

Smallmouth bass have been a fall fascination of mine for years. Great sport on the end of the line, cold October days see these aggressive predators schooled up on deepwater structure chasing down anything that moves. One key point to consider when looking for areas that are holding fish at this time of year is that all spots are not created equal. On a medium sized lake like Falcon you might have most of the large bass in the lake in three small areas. This can make finding them somewhat of a chore but when you do, look out! One…

It was a beautiful fall day, the leaves a blazing orange in the distance on the shores of mighty Lake Winnipeg. Unseasonably warm after one of the wettest summers on record, we were on Traverse Bay in the southeast quadrant of this massive body of water. Water levels were up at least two feet in the lake and the Winnipeg River, just a half kilometer away, was ripping massive amounts of water into the lake. Water quality in the river was good, meaning decent visibility in the bay itself, a fact that is critical when trying to catch these sight…

As the Calm Air flight rose through the clouds towards Flin Flon last week, four young anglers from the inner city of Winnipeg, stared wide eyed out the windows of the plane. They were to be guests of Curt Enns at Kississing Lake Lodge for three whole days of fishing at a world class fly-in resort. Enns has been contributing a fund raising trip to his lodge every year since the inception of the Fish Winnipeg program fourteen years ago but this year was special. Through a generous contribution from a private donor, Curt called me this winter to ask…

If you are looking for some very good fishing for walleye Grand Rapids is a great option at this time of year. Rainbow smelt run up to the dam on the Saskatchewan River and big walleye are close behind. There are a number of ways to catch this walleye in the river but my two favourite methods are trolling Rapala Shad Raps or bottom bouncers and spinners in the two river channels about a kilometer below the dam. I have also headed out to the lake and caught a few more walleye on the many rock piles out from the…

The year was 2006, and I was on my first visit to Aikens Lake Lodge as part of the first ever Catch, Picture and Release event on the Professional Walleye Trail. What a week it was as I met celebrities like Les Stroud of Surviorman. DON AND LES AT THE PWT EVENT IN 2006My pro angler, Andy Kuffer, was just a blast to fish with, one of ten PWT qualifiers for this eventPWT TOURNAMENT QUALIFIER ANDY KUFFER WITH BONUS AIKENS LAKE TROUTDespite all of that, it was the hospitality and fishing surrounding Aikens Lake that impressed me the most. On…

Mike Asher has spent the last eighteen summers of his life guiding fisherman at different lodges in northern Canada. Before that he fished bass tournaments and guided for muskies in Ontario. Dave Mercer has called him the best northern pike and muskie guide in Canada. For the last three years I ‘ve been trying to get together for a day on the water with Mike but between his busy days as the fishing store manager at Cabelas and my travels we never connected until this week.It was a cool overcast day as we headed out to the Lake of the…

The float tube was loaded and ready to go, three fly rods packed and the open highway in front of me. It was time to head to the Parkland region for some world class trout fishing. In the last three weeks, the weather has been absolutely ideal for those who like drift around on a lake in a small craft, either a float tube or small pontoon float boat. I can remember just such a trip ten years ago to West Goose Lake in the town of Roblin. I was fishing with trout master Bob Sheedy, who was introducing me…

Late Ice in Northern Manitoba It was day three of our ice fishing adventure to northern Manitoba and on this particular day we were headed to Barbe Lake, one of the more famous of the stocked trout lakes in the province. Located north of The Pas on the Sturgeon Landing turnoff, this lake has been making headlines since the world record brook trout was caught there in 2006. Tim Matheson of Sherridon (northeast of Flin Flon) and a friend had launched their boat on October 21st in search of a trophy trout. Little did he realize at the time that…