MANITOBA
There are decent ice conditions finally with some colder nights but warmer temperatures are on the way. Lake Winnipeg has been producing some really solid fishing for numbers and size of walleye. Travel is good and Jay Siemens put together this video recently with Kannuck Outfitters, one of the three operators on the lake to offer overnight accommodation. Jay looks like the kid in the candy store!
For those looking for ultimate mobility on the lake, friend Mat Hobson runs Icebound Excursions. He has a fleet of SnoBears. You can rent one for the day or use his guide service to get you on the fish.
LAKE MANITOBA
While Lake Winnipeg gets all the publicity, Lake Manitoba has been on fire this winter for both walleye and perch. Ice travel is excellent and water clarity is excellent. Has always the bite has been from five pm to well after dark in two to seven feet of water. Fish are aggressive but live minnows help when the bite slows.
LAKE OF THE PRAIRIES-ROGER & SUE GERES
It is a little more work to find the fish but there is still a lot of active fish!
Lots of jumbo perch showing up, still some beautiful walleye , in depths from 10 to 25 feet. The mild weather has made for very easy travel so moving isn’t a problem.
Try and stay away from the crowds and you’ll catch more fish. We are still using glow jigs and glow spoons , with frozen minnows. It is important to constantly work the jig,
The best bite has been the evening and into dark! Reaction bites are working #5 Jigging Raps and #5 Rip n Raps.
NORTHERN MANITOBA
Lake trout activity is increasing as the days become longer. Travel is also excellent on many lakes the north like Clearwater and Lake Athapapaskow. Many Master Anglers are being landed and released including this beauty by Kyle Fisher
Rocky Lake is not the only smallmouth water near The Pas. Just south of Clearwater you have Bradley Lake down the Moose Lake road. I fished the lake some 20 years ago with friend Rick Hubbs. It still has some great smallies to this day!
NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO
Ice conditions in the this part of the world have stabilized somewhat with 16 inches or more on most lakes. Most anglers are using quads or snowmobiles to get around.
There is another operator on Lake of the Woods offering overnight accommodations. Dustin Brown and family have set up some deluxe ice castles out of Sioux Narrows. You can find Dustin at https://www.lotwicesleepers.com/
SASKATCHEWAN
WHERE TO FIND THEM-THE MIGHTY CISCO-MICHAEL SWEATMAN
Cisco are distributed from the Qu’Appelle River system to the top of Northern Saskatchewan, favoring deep, oxygen-rich lakes. There are lots of great options, but Mission or Katepwa Lake are two hotspots.
Spawning between October and December, they school up in large numbers and get aggressive during the ice fishing season. Cisco are pelagic, meaning they associate with open water more than bottom structure as they roam in search of suspended zooplankton and small insects. Knowing this, a good place to start looking for them is to find a 30–50-foot basin and set up near the edge. School after school of cisco will move through, so there is little need to move once you find some on your sonar.
GOOD EYESIGHT
Cisco put their large eyes to use while feeding. Many times, I’ve jigged a small spoon way above a suspended mark on the sonar and the cisco will shoot up 20 feet to satisfy their curiosity. It is important to use tackle that incorporates some flash. Bright sun seems to fire them up too—likely they try to capitalize on the visual advantage. They tend to display a slow bite at dusk and dawn, so targeting them during the mid-day lull will round out a multi-species day.
Lures with glow or UV coatings doesn’t hurt either. Cisco have small, soft mouths so it is important that the terminal tackle will fit and keep them pinned. Using a drop chain or a leader to get some distance between your hook and your lure is a good technique. Tipping your hook with a mealworm or a synthetic maggot gives the cisco something to key in on.
ALBERTA
THE MIGHTY BURBOT-DAVE SHMYR
Don’t forget about those fish with the whiskers !
As the ice fishing season moves toward March, many anglers target schooled panfish like yellow perch. Some of the best perch fishing happens from now until ice off. You will also have a good shot at some real trophies in the two pound range with the big females putting on extra weight with eggs. That same holds true for walleye and pike. I love last ice because of the variety of opportunities that are presented. All are extremely great options to make for late ice memories, but there’s one tasty fish we all seem to forget about, the mighty burbot. How can anyone forget a pretty face like that?
Check out the whole story here
WES DAVID-FISHING THE WILD WEST.
Great news for Fishing the Wild West TV.
Fishing the Wild West TV season #7 is uploaded to My Outdoor TV (MOTV) with more seasons being uploaded soon. This is a true honour as Fishing the Wild West TV is the only Canadian fishing show featured on MOTV. The MOTV app allows avid outdoorsmen/women to watch hunting and fishing shows at their convenience wherever or whenever they wish. https://app.myoutdoortv.com/series/fishingthewildwest
The Calgary Boat & Outdoor Show February 9-11 was a huge success. The Calgary BMO Center was filled with avid outdoorsmen/women booking hunting and fishing trips and purchasing hunting, fishing, and outdoor gear for the coming season and the FtWWTV Tracker Targa V19 was showcased at the Wild TV Outdoor Stage where a variety of hunting and fishing seminars were held.
Show season is one of my favourite times of the year. Where else can you talk with hundreds of avid outdoorsmen and women surrounded by the latest outdoor gear under one roof?
The Red Deer Sports & Outdoor Show is the next Alberta outdoor sports show on March 1-3. Edmonton Boat & Sportsmen’s Show March 14-17, and Southern Alberta Outdoor Show (Lethbridge) April 5-7.
It’s finally time for me to drill a few holes and bring a few unsuspecting walleye through the ice!