Author: Don Lamont

BIG DAY FOR GUSSY It was a long and exciting Day 1 of the on the water action. Darrin Bohonis had gone down to the Volunteer Dock to the catch the kickoff of the tournament. He was joined by thousands of others who had come to cheer on the home town heroes. While there might have been 55 Australians cheering for Carl Jocumsen, there were hundreds here from Canada rooting for the four Canadians in the field.  This included Cooper Gallant, the Bass Open Qualifier from Bowmanville, Ontario. This guy is the real deal, having finished second the Opens Angler…

Editors Notes It is an abbreviated fishing report this week because I am down in Knoxville covering the Bassmaster Classic for Hooked Media. As I file this report, Gussy is in first place. Check out the interviews with the 4 Canadians we did at Media Day yesterday here. Follow all the action over the next three days at http://bassmasterclassic.com Visit Hooked every evening for UpToDate reports on the Classic. Check out us on Instagram at @hookedmagazine @dlamont46 and Darrin Bohonis @ darrinbohonis who is down here with me doing all our media. Great job Darrin. Here are some images Darrin…

MEETING THE PROS The sun finally decided to shine and the temperature climbed to above 20 Celsius (mid 70F) as all 55 qualifiers for the Classic gathered for Media Day. This is the culmination of the year for these pros and the thousands of fans who are gathering to follow the three days of competition. Darrin Bohonis and I arrived early just to make sure we were on time. Gussy was our first stop, but he was busy tying on lures so we left him alone. It was key to let him get his work done. Our first four interviews…

THE SUPERBOWL OF BASS FISHING! You might not know it but bass fishing is one of my all time favourite pursuits. In my first big time event at the Inaugural Kenora Bass International, my partner and I were in the lead after Day 1. Of course, I messed it up and finished 10th. it was just the beginning of what was to be an intense pursuit for a number of anglers in Canada. Don’t forget this was 30 years ago. Jeff Gustafson was still knee high to a grasshopper. AT THE TOP! Well look at him now, a pretournament favourite…

MANITOBA GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCES NEW PROJECTS TO PROTECT FISH AND WILDLIFE The Manitoba government is protecting the province’s abundant natural resources by awarding $780,660 in funding for 21 fish and wildlife improvement projects from the Fish and Wildlife Enhancement Fund (FWEF).  Natural Resources and Northern Development Minister Greg Nesbitt made the announcement earlier this week. “Manitoba’s fish and wildlife are precious resources that should be preserved to ensure its sustainability for future generations of Manitobans,” said Nesbitt. “We recognize the important contributions of licensed hunter, anglers and trappers that support the conservation of fish and wildlife and these investments will provide…

MANITOBA – HUNT/FISHMB PETRO HRYNDA March Madness is on! With the Lake Trout season in full gear across Northern Manitoba, it’s been an incredible month for anglers with countless giant Lake Trout caught. The Northern drive-to lakes such as Clearwater Lake and Athapapuskow Lake are popular trophy lake trout destinations and for a good reason. Not only are they some of the most accessible and well-accommodated trophy Laker Trout lakes across Manitoba, but the incredible fish that roam them would seem anything but. This month, anglers caught and released a true once-in-a-lifetime catch with a massive 46” lake trout from…

It’s almost that time of year! The days are getting longer, the sun hotter and the fish hungry. In one short week it is official March Madness time. I must admit there probably is nothing I would rather do that sit out on the ice on a late March day with family and friends catching a few fish and sharing stories. Enjoy! MANITOBA Plenty of great stuff happening on the ice this month, despite some stretches of cold weather. The Hunt/Fish Manitoba crew have been up north for a couple of weeks chasing a wide variety of species in northern…

MANITOBA After a week of colder weather, things have improved once again. It seems the fish have responded as well, with some great ice fishing in all sections of the province. One of the big stories this year has been the number of jumbo whitefish caught on Lake Winnipeg. For whatever reason for years anglers who targeted this fun sportfish had little success on Big Windy despite repeated efforts. Anglers knew there was a good population, judging by the number caught in commerical nets. Suddenly the bite is on, most as incidental catches while targeting walleye. It might have something…

GREAT NEWS FOR ANGLERS IN MANITOBA!  For years anglers have been wanting more simplified angling regulations. Over the last couple of years the Manitoba Fisheries Department has been seeking to make those changes. They developed a Manitoba Recreational Angling Strategy which they then took to the public forum. Stakeholder organizations that represent over 10,000 anglers participated in 15 engagement meetings and events. In addition, over 1,440 responses were received through EngageMB. “We’ve heard from Manitobans that they want angling licences to be modernized. Our government has listened, and we are taking concrete action.”  Those words from Natural Resources and Northern…

MANITOBA A cold blast of air is set to send temperatures plummeting across the prairies over the next couple of weeks. This will slow down the walleye bite, which has already slowed down considerably. Friends Roger and Sue Geres have been enjoying the last couple of weeks to chase perch and walleye on Lake of the Prairies. While it has been a bit of grind, they have gotten on some big fish! Here is their latest report. LAKE OF THE PRAIRIES – ROGER AND SUE GERES Fish are still active if you can find them, lots of work with all…