Hooked Fishing Report for February 11, 2022

In the dead of winter, an opportunity opens up to chase trout deep in the heart of the Porcupine Mountains, for the ultimate winter backcountry fishing adventure in Manitoba. With a 5-hour drive to Swan River, and 2 days of fishing time, Nolan Plew and I headed off to chase a fish we’ve dreamed of for a long time – the Arctic Char. With very few lakes in Manitoba that have stocked populations and the nature of the difficulty it is to access these lakes; we had waited to partake on this adventure, until now.

Equipped with a quad and a sleigh, we headed off to the lake, not knowing what we were in for. The mountains had received a large amount of snow which made for difficult travel. As we broke trail from some fresh powder, we had sunk the quad several times, many of which we had to resort to winching out on some nearby trees. At last, after an eventful journey, we had finally reached the lake.

As the anticipation began to buildup, we quickly began to scout the lake for the spots we had researched months ahead. However, with all the fresh snow on the lake came slush and before we knew it, we had sunk the quad in what was over a foot of water with snow on top . The most important part was to not panic and to keep the slush from freezing up. We, quickly began digging and pushing yet we made no progress in getting out of the deep slush. Thankfully we had a winch, and by drilling 2 holes ahead of the quad and fishing the lines through, we were able to push the quad forwards, but not out. We repeated this process several times before we were finally able to get the quad back on good ice. The remainder of the day we had setup in a spot to try to dry out the gear and put some lines in the water but that did not produce anything. We headed back for the day and repeated the journey back much the same as we had encountered going in.

With a good night’s sleep and refreshed spirits, we headed out to the lake for day two. Knowing what now to expect, we managed to avoid any interesting situations and get some fishing time in. We explored several spots and we finally found the structure we were looking for with the use of Nolan’s Panoptix unit. It wasn’t long until I had my first encounter. Trout have a very distinct pattern on a standard mechanical flasher. They tend to come underneath your bait as a solid line and then disappear as they circle back around, and then once again pop in just underneath. My heart began to race as the fish we had gone through so much for was so close. I raised my bait and the fish followed. I knew this was the moment but just like that, something was off. The fish disappeared one last time and things settled down.

As the day went on, and the daylight began to grow short, we knew we had to return back with extra time for unexpected trail conditions. I had said the ever so famous, “5 more minutes” and that was it. In the remaining moments we talked about the adventure and although we had gone through a lot, we were happy knowing we had tried this. How awesome it would have been to get an Arctic Ch – and right there and then my rod had doubled over and my drag began to scream. The adrenaline began to pump and the excitement was real. Nolan quickly ran over to help guide the line off the ice as that can very easily result in a lost fish. With several runs and trouble guiding the fishes head into the hole, the leader finally broke the surface of the water as the fish came up. In the unbearable suspense, the sight of the distinct orange fins with the trim of white pierced through the water. Without hesitation, Nolan dives his hand and landed what could be a fish of a lifetime, on the ice. We exploded in excitement from the surreal moment. Two days of which were nothing short of a roller coaster ride, and we had finally found the fish we were looking for. We quickly documented the catch with photos while the fish was kept in a livewell we had drilled to keep the old fish as healthy as possible. With that, the fish had kicked off back into the lake fulfilling our adventure that I soon won’t forget

From a young age, I always had a natural interest in fishing. I branched out into all forms of fishing and picked up an interest in fly fishing. I was almost strictly fly gear at one point as you could target all species in the province with a fly. In the last few years, I have gone back to conventional gear and have had the opportunity to explore and chase most species in this province – from 40 pound lake trout up in Northern Manitoba during the summer to giant Char through the ice. More recently, I have got into the bass and walleye tournament scene and look forward to fishing more this summer, with a top five finish on the first go last year. Every week is another adventure that I am lucky enough to enjoy in this beautiful province!

Tracked travel is pretty much the only option on our big lakes. Lake Winnipeg has been kicking out some monster walleye all January. Guide Kris Guane has had his guests on some major greenbacks on Lake Winnipeg.

Meantime Jay Siemens and Keevin Erickson hit Lake Manitoba for walleye and perch in this video.

 

A busy couple weeks have past, and while I’ve been busy with fishing, it has not been ice fishing. In the meantime I reached out to the guys over at Temple Bay Lodge for a fishing report. And did we get a report! Henry Salinas, an all season guide at Temple Bay, gave me a detailed report. 

“Hard water season has seen the crappies definitely moving around chasing bait fish. Soft bottom at 21 to 23 feet off shallow island structure seems to be the ticket . Averaging 20 to 30 crappies a trip, one day we got 41 crappies.”

Crappies respond will to the system I use with 3 holes all close to each other. The middle hole is for your transducer, so it can read both fishing lines . I set one line one foot off the bottom, the other line three feet off the bottom. With the fish finder I can see both my lines and crappies coming off the bottom or suspended crappies. 80 percent of the time the crappies will rise from the bottom and just go by the bottom line.  They almost always hit the top line. I just use 1/4 ounce jigs, green is my go to colour. A medium minnow hooked in the top back fin keeps the bait active.  Small 1/4 ounce Buckshot Spoons are also working tipped with a whole minnows. Electronics are so important for crappies and so addicting..\

WALLEYE PATTERN

Walleyes are also at the 21 foot depth. They show up in spurts, some just off the bottom and bigger ones suspended at 18 feet . Walleyes are biting at different depths in different lakes and areas of the lake. Eagle lake for instance the walleyes bite can be later in the day at 18 to 23 feet, yet on the other side of the lake you can get walleyes right from the morning to evening. Jigs & Jigging Raps work great.”

Henry also told me the big pike have been active. His guests caught a 42” X 24” pike!!! What an unreal fish! Trout fishing has remained good, with their largest on a recent trip being 38” long and released for another angler to catch! Follow Henry at 

https://instagram.com/enrique_outdoors?utm_medium=copy_link

For an ice fishing trip of a lifetime check out Temple Bay Lodge and Jeff and the staff will set you up 

https://www.templebay.com/ I want to thank Henry Salinas for the report and I hope to be back on hard water soon. 

Good luck anglers!

Alberta Family Fishing Weekend-Wes David

Fishing is one of the easiest and most affordable ways for families to come together in the outdoors in a meaningful and fun-filled way. Fishing is also one of the greatest teaching tools we have to help our youth and new anglers of all ages to acquire a solid appreciation of our outdoors, conservation, and the environment.

In Alberta, Family Fishing weekends occur twice a year. During the 2022 season these free Family Fishing weekends will be. February 19^th through 21^st (Family Day weekend, and the weekend following Canada Day, July 2 &3, 2022.

February 19^th through 21^st (Family Day weekend) kicks off what is called Alberta’s winter fishing days. February 19^th-21^st, Alberta residents can fish for free, (no fishing license is required). During these three days, anglers can enjoy a few days of fishing for nothing more than the cost of gas, tackle, and a cooler full of food and snacks. However, all Alberta fishing regulations and catch limits and any other special Alberta regulations must still be followed on the waterbodies you plan to fish. An Alberta Sportfishing Regulation booklet can be picked up free of charge at any Bass Pro Shops, Cabela’s, or outdoor sports store.

To learn more about Alberta’s Family Fishing Weekend https://mywildalberta.ca/fishing/family-fishing-weekends/default.aspx

Don’t be caught indoors. Plan an ice fishing trip from February 19^th through 21^st and enjoy family and friends on one of Alberta’s many frozen lakes or reservoirs. And remember to practice catch and release so others can enjoy.