SOUTH DAKOTA ICE INSTITUTE SHOW
Before we get into this weeks report an update on the past weeks activity down south. Hooked and Travel Manitoba headed down to Sioux Falls for their big ice fishing show November 10th to 12th.
Representing Travel Manitoba were young guns Nolan Phew and Petro Hrynda.
Wes David came all the way from Alberta to do seminars and talk about the great fishing to be had in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Over the course of the three days Publisher Kevin Stobbe and I gave away hundreds of issues the Winter Edition of Hooked Magazine which is now out.
It was amazing how many anglers from the upper Midwest of the United States make the pilgrimage to Lake Winnipeg for our famous greenback walleye. The new Hunt/Fish Manitoba merchandise was also popular. Wes David has more on the show later in this report. Now to some fishing!
MANITOBA
A week of warm weather had most of the snow melted in the southern half of the province. More snow has arrived though but ice conditions remain almost non existent on our larger lakes. Even many of the potholes opened back up so most anglers are waiting for cold weather and much better ice conditions.
There is some early ice action up north. Bryan Bogdan has been out on Wekusko Lake catching walleye and perch. He is also hosting the team from Cast and Conquer. Jay Siemens was there as well!
Anglers are still fishing from shore along the banks of the Red River north of Lockport. There are still plenty of walleye in there. In fact, they are being caught on a fly rod as well on the edge of the current.
NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO – GLENN MACDONALD
Early November in Northwestern Ontario brings the first real sense of winter, lakes start to freeze up and all fishing ceases. During most years. 2023’s bizarre weather has continued late into fall. The warmer than normal weather has kept lakes up right up to the time of writing this, November 17th.
As a musky angler, as most die hard musky anglers, fall is the time we wait all season for. These past two weeks have been magic on the water for myself and my fishing partners. Those that read this report, or the articles I write for the magazine, know me from “54 or Bust” on YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/c/54orbust
This fall I decided to do a vlog series of videos to follow us through November. I have a full time career outside of fishing, however we have managed 5 successful days on the water, beginning Nov 1st. The choice to film, edit and release as close to the fishing date has been popular and has been fun to watch the weather change in real time.
DAY ONE
Beginning on November 1st, Dave Chaval and I started our late season push with a rare double header musky catch, part of a three fish day. Fishing through ambient temperatures of -3 C is not for everyone, and water temperatures of 44-46 F already showed the significant change the lake was going through. Trolling baits from Supernatural Big Baits were the choice, and will be a common thread, as you will read. Double header catches are rare, only the fifth one I’ve had in my boat in my life.
DAY TWO
November 2nd, Kyla, my wife joined us for a chilly day on the water. -2 C ( windchill of -9C ) and dropping water at 43-44 F. This was to be the last day we had suckers to use as bait, unfortunately despite a couple hook ups, we could not land them. However, while trolling between spots, Dave’s rod almost got ripped out of his hand. After a short battle a near four foot musky was resting in the net. Those are the fish that keep us going this late in the season.
Early in the day I had picked up a parcel at the post office, a box of baits from Musky Innovations. The new Quad Dawg, prior to public sale. Catching a musky while casting in November is tough, the reel freezes, the line guides freeze. I was determined to try. It didn’t take long, 25-30 casts later I had a mid 40’s musky in the bag.
DAY THREE
November 3rd, once again Kyla was with us. Again a cool -2 C and water holding at 42-43 F. Out of suckers, it was a trolling day. It didn’t take long and Kyla was hooked up, a gorgeous tiger musky had crushed her Supernatural Big Baits Mattlock. Ya, that bait again. Less than an hour later the same bait had Kyla hooked up to a much heavier fish. A true mid 40’s class tiger musky. The kind of fish anglers fish a lifetime for, and the second Kyla has caught in as many years.
DAY FOUR
A week goes by before we can get back out, November 10th, -1 C and water cooled down to 39-41 F. The end is getting near. Once again Dave, Kyla and I are set up for trolling, after a few missed opportunities we finally have a rip. Kyla’s Mattlock bait is hooked up. A nice chunky musky slides into the net without incident. Twenty minutes later my planer board disappears under the water, followed by peeling drag. I gain control of the fish and as Kyla tries to remove the planer board, it becomes stuck. In the heat of the moment, I drop the rod and hand pull the fish into the net. Thankfully it was a smaller fish. My first fish on a Blue Water Bait, so that was fun for me, just the same. Day 4 ended with Dave losing a fish as we headed for the landing. Still a success.
DAY FIVE
November 11th, Remembrance Day. Dave and I took a moment of silence at 11am to honor our veterans and active service men and women. A frustrating day on the west arm of famous Eagle Lake shattered our confidence. With only time for one or two spots left, Dave made the call on the location to try, as well as a bait change, that would prove to be a clutch call. Switching to the same Mattlock Kyla has been having success with, 15 minutes later our confidence was back. A short and stocky Eagle Lake musky was in the net! We truly let out a sigh of relief. Day 5, a reluctant success.
All of these days are documented on our YouTube channel. The morning I write this, I am also preparing for one final push on open water. Today and tomorrow we plan to give it our all, no matter the outcome, November 18 will be the end of the season for us. That will be a success for us.
SASKATCHEWAN – DARYL GILBERT, LAKE DIEFENBAKER
Fishing early ice can be extremely rewarding and exciting, it presents anglers with a great opportunity to catch trophy fish to start off the ice fishing season. The key is find early safe ice.
Always remember basic ice safety when targeting early ice opportunities on any body of water. 4” of clear solid ice or more is required for safe walking on ice fishing conditions. Lake Diefenbaker freezes in different stages depending on the location, depth of water, and wind conditions. Be aware of currents and gas pockets in certain locations that can affect the quality of ice. For more information on early ice check out the story on the Hooked website.
ALBERTA – WES DAVID
The Caribou Distributer Show kicked off on Monday, November 6th at the West Edmonton Fantasyland Hotel. Buyers from across the western provinces and from all our favourite outdoor sporting stores were there putting in their orders for the 2024 hunting, and open-water fishing season. It was the second time I was invited to the show by Brad and Jessica from Len Thompson Lures.
I truly enjoy being a part of these shows as it not only allows me to meet and talk with a variety of people within the outdoor industry, but it also allows me to see and appreciate another side of the industry that is often overlooked or forgotten about by the everyday consumer.
Then it was on the road to South Dakota. For me, along with supporting our Canadian booths, it was a real honour to be invited by The Dakota Angler Ice Institute to present ice-fishing seminars. All this was aimed at educating anglers about Manitoba and Saskatchewan waterbodies. It was a real eye-opener for me to learn how popular ice-fishing in Canada is to our U.S. neighbors, especially the anglers in the northern U.S. states.
Kevin Stobbe, the owner of Hooked Media and Don Lamont, the editor of Hooked Magazine had a busy booth at the show. They were also representing Hunt Fish Manitoba. Don and Kevin had invited two up-and-coming Manitoba anglers, Petro and Nolan, whom I’m now happy to call my friends, to help promote Manitoba’s angling opportunities.
And I can assure you. The future of Manitoba’s hunting and fishing is in good hands if there are more young, respectful, and knowledgeable young anglers like Petro and Nolan.
Also at the Dakota Angler Ice Institute was Fish and Hunt Saskatchewan. Daryl from Tourism Saskatchewan was manning the Fish and Hunt Saskatchewan booth, and they couldn’t have handpicked a better person to talk about hunting and fishing in Saskatchewan.