MANITOBA
It was a fantastic three days of fishing and celebration this past week during the Hooked 15th Anniversary event on the Winnipeg River. Headquartered out of Kendall Point Lodge, 18 invited guests enjoyed friendship and experiences. The event was highlighted by the appearance of Bassmaster Classic winner Jeff Gustafson.
Gussy has contributed to Hooked since the beginning and he was able to free up two days of his packed schedule to be there. On Day One, Jeff fished with Wes David and his cameraman Chuck McPherson. With many fish caught and information shared, Gussy showed how it’s done. This episode will air next year on Fishing the Wild West television show.
That evening Gussy was presented with a print of the cover of the Spring 2023 Issue of Hooked, celebrating his history making win at the 2023 Classic. Jeff was the first Canadian to the win the Superbowl of Bass fishing and Hooked Editor Don Lamont and professional photographer Darrin Bohonis were there to cover it live. You can read all about about the win in the archives of this website.
Of course Gussy brought his trophy and everyone got to have a picture with him and his special prize!
The second day saw more fish caught and a beautiful shore lunch hosted by Maureen, Carter and Vance Hrechkosy. They own both Kendall Point Lodge and Trail End Camp at Pointe du Bois.
Over the two days on the water the bite for bass and walleye was spectacular with pike everywhere. Anglers found the biggest bass on mid lake rockpiles in 5 to 10 feet of water. The walleye were loaded in current areas and on humps and points. In fact on the second day while fishing with regional fisheries biologist Eric Mullen he caught 12 walleye in 14 casts in five feet of water on a medium diving crankbait. Tough to get much better than that. Eric also got to fish with the master himself, Gussy, for a half day.
During the event, the anglers competed for bragging rights of longest bass, walleye and pike. Robert Karpiak got two out of the three with a Master Angler walleye and a MA smallmouth to go with it.
Friend Paul Conchatre, the Senior Policy advisor for the Manitoba Lodge and Outfitters measured the longest pike, close to 87 centimetres. I got to fish with Paul for a half day and we landed tons of walleye as well in 5 to 15 feet on a mid lake hump. All were caught on soft plastics that represented the smelt those fish were feeding on.
Kendall Point Lodge is a special place. They have refurbished all their cabins and are just a treat to stay at. It is the perfect place to relax with friends and family. The cabins have all the amenities and there is great fishing right out the front door! Gussy and the rest of the crew couldn’t believe how awesome a setup it was.
During the event, Publisher Kevin Stobbe cooked some fantastic meals and Jeff and Chad from Peller Wines paired their products with the meals.
The bass fishing in this section of the river has really picked up and is now a reason to go just by itself.
Everyone knows that Gussy is tremendous multispecies angler and it showed on this trip.
Also a shout out to Matt Gelley from MGOUTDOORS. He came along to film the event for the Hooked YouTube Channel. He promises to have it out shortly so you to can come along to the event.
Special thanks to our sponsors of the event. These included Trail End Camp and Kendall Point Lodge, Peller Wines and Stone Angel Brewing from Winnipeg.
FLY BITES”
reports from members of the Manitoba Fly Fishers Association (MFFA)
The MFFA will add to the weekly fish reports available through Hooked as members are out and about this summer. Please note this part the fishing report will only refer to fly-caught fish only! We typically target the smaller lakes early season and follow temperature trends as most of us transition from Trout and Char to post spawn Pike/Bass/Musky. When the Hexagenia hatch (aka Fish Flies) happens in June, it is our time to shine as most species shut down on eating bait.
You will also find members targeting the world class Channel Cat fishery at Lockport.
Lockport
MFFA members are reporting that Catfish are scarce in the main river channel although large Freshwater Drum to 26” and numerous Goldeye have been reported. The Drum are taking dark coloured minnow patterns and the Goldeye any small nymph pattern. The main river channel is wadeable now, but the water is warm so safe and quick handling of the fish is needed. Sink tip lines are preferred.
WEST CENTRAL MANITOBA-MIKE CORRIGAN
West Watjask Lake, MB
I had a chance to try the new Musky lake in Manitoba, north of Roblin. It is an intriguing fishery with breeding Musky transplanted by SVSFE and supported by a donation from the MFFA. The Musky are now reproducing and there appears to be a decent population. The access road is in great shape as is the launch area. The launch is designed for smaller boats only as the gradient at the ramp is a very low profile and quite soft. When I was there it was quite popular with 8-10 vehicles in the parking area (apparently there were 20 vehicles on opening day).
The lake itself has a lot of Musky “cabbage” as well as numerous shallow bays plus a deep basin of up to 12-14m. When I was there a very obvious thermocline was present and most of the fish seemed to be suspended and not feeding. A few have moved into the shallows and were feeding. I hooked one on a chartreuse popper and it immediately went airborne, releasing the fly. No fish were landed on the second day I was there (12 anglers), but that is Musky fishing. Check the Master Angler website for the historical sizes of caught fish.
NORTHWEST ONTARIO-MIKE CORRIGAN
With Musky season now open I have changed my focus. I have spent 4 days on the smaller lakes with some mixed results. There are lots of healthy fish around, but it seems the combination of cold fronts and unstable weather has them in a funk. We are seeing a lot of fish, but generally the follows on baitfish patterns are less than enthusiastic. Poppers, on the other hand, has been successful at times; the louder the better it seems!
Bass fishing on Black Sturgeon Lake and the Winnipeg River using a Hexagenia adult has been quite good and although the hatch is currently on pause the fish are still keying on artificials. Bass are also taking small poppers and have moved into 2-3m of water in weedy areas.
SASKATCHEWAN
RAFFERTY RESERVOIR-RALPH SMART-PRAIRIE PRO OUTFITTERS
Walleyes moving in big schools right now in the 15 ft range. A lot are pulling spinners to locate big schools of eater sized fish then jigging with long pauses in your cadence is what we are having clients do. Hovering jigs 6 inches off bottom after a couple aggressive taps to kick up sediment and make noise is key. Aggressive jigging turns them away.
Trying different colours can make a difference but cadence is key we find guiding Minnows leech’s and crawlers all working or try the new plastics by casting and hopping or dragging back to the boat perch are being caught incidentally although the lake is full of jumbos. Nice pike are also very common and reports of some huge ones being photographed with smiling fishermen coming in daily.
ALBERTA-WES DAVID
First-time fishing fun!
I donate one or two local guided fishing days on the water with me each year. These trips are donated to conservation events or fundraisers to help local conservation clubs and associations raise money for a variety of conservation programs. On Wednesday, June 21, four ladies cashed in on one of the donated trips and we fished Rolling Hills Reservoir, located about 30 minutes west of Brooks, Alberta.
Two of the ladies had never caught a fish before, and one of the two had never even been in a boat before. The other two ladies had fished before, but it was many years ago. I was hoping it would be a jigging bite so we could stay stationary, and all the ladies could fish at the same time. As hard as I tried to trigger the walleye to bite a jig tipped with a minnow or leech, the Rolling Hills Reservoir walleye preferred their bait moving. So, after the four ladies received a crash course on bottom-bouncing, I set two ladies up at a time. One on each side of the boat and we began bottom-bouncing. The ladies did very well as I moved the boat in a zig-zag pattern on and off the sand humps and weed structures ranging from 10 to 18 feet of water. After one lady would catch a walleye, they would switch so another lady could catch one. The ladies had a blast and we caught and released well over 40 walleye, northern pike, and even the odd perch all within 5 ½ hours of fishing.
The takeaway from my day on Rolling Hills Reservoir, fishing with four extremely comical friends was Rolling Hills Reservoir is fishing very well bottom-bouncing for walleye. And even after all my years of fishing, it is extremely rewarding to witness the smile on someone’s face, regardless of their age when catch their first fish.
If you get a chance, regardless of their age, take someone who has never been fishing before. The smile on their face is well worth the price of gas.