MANITOBA
Every year at this time, hardcore walleye anglers patiently wait for the walleye to show up in the Winnipeg and Red Rivers. A warm fall has slowed the fall run of greenbacks somewhat but there are still fish being caught.
Lots of saugers and goldeyes are in the system right now, stealing all the salted shiners they can get.
STOCKED TROUT BITE IS ON
Now is my absolute favourite time to head out for stocked trout. One of the prime destinations for me is Patterson Lake and the beautiful brown trout that swim in this small aerated lake.
Check out this recent Master Angler caught by Evan Reimer
One lake that is a bit off the radar is fairly close to Patterson. It is called Corstorophine Lake. Here is a beauty rainbow landed by Jordan Single
NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO
Friend and Hooked Contributor Jeff Gustafson finished off an incredible tournament year with a win at the last local tournament of the year.
Great way to end the tournament season this weekend on the English River…we had the best crew, stayed in a cabin in Minaki and my brother Ben and I squeaked out the win by .01 pounds! Pretty lucky for us! Our four fish limit yesterday weighed 17.77 pounds.
Congrats to Ian/Motei on second and Sean/Jayden for third. We all averaged way over four pounds per fish and finished within a quarter pound. Great fishing guys!
Thank you to Rollie and the community of Whitedog for putting on a tournament at this wonderful place to fish.
SASKATCHEWAN
The big pike are rolling on the rocks right now, waiting to pick off shallow walleye and anything else edible. It is a great time to fish from shore. Michael Sweatman takes his boys out as often as he can near his home in Melfort. He also loves to fish the North Saskatchewan River.
FALL REPORT – MICHAEL SWEATMAN
For fall fishing, it is hard to pass up the Saskatchewan River system. Stretching from the headwaters in the Rocky Mountains, the North and South Saskatchewan Rivers converge in Eastern Saskatchewan to form the Saskatchewan River. Eventually draining into Hudson Bay, it’s home to many species.
Structure and Topography
While lake turnover plays havoc with fish patterns as the water cools, rivers are a great option. On weekend excursions, we generally experience steady action all day and night. All species are in a race against time to feed aggressively before winter. Transitions are ideal topography: rock to sand, fast water beside slack current, shallow flats that drop into holes, the convergence of rivers and so on. On one trip, we set up on a run of boulder spree at the tail end of a sandy, slack water channel. Our group did well on lake sturgeon and sucker while less than 50 meters away at the sandy channel, another group landed a monster walleye!
Meantime guide Rylan Parrott got out the slip bobbers to lay a licking on some Qu’appelle Valley pike and walleye.
ALBERTA – WES DAVID FISHING THE WILD WEST TV
Throughout Alberta, most of the docks have been pulled from Alberta’s lakes and reservoirs for winter storage. Many anglers have booked their boats in for winter storage and have turned their attention to the fall hunting season. However, if you haven’t put your boat away for the winter and you aren’t out hunting, the fall feeding frenzy is taking place throughout Alberta’s waterbodies.
Fall is the best time to consistently catch quality and quantity of fish regardless of the fish species you’re targeting. If you are bottom-bouncing, jigging, or running crankbaits for walleye, your presentation is sure to get hit.
Anglers with jet boats are having great success running the rivers keying in on prime fish locations. Shoreline anglers are also setting the hook on a variety of Alberta’s River systems.
Goldeye, walleye, and northern pike are all being caught under a bobber or casting a jig and jigging it back towards the shoreline.
I was recently speaking with my friend Nick, the owner of Lunkers Fishing Adventures. He said they had an incredible summer guiding anglers on the North Saskatchewan River. However, they guided their last clients of the 2023 season on the North Saskatchewan River over the Thanksgiving long weekend. His jet boats and camp are now closed up for another season. He also said it was hard to come off the river and pack up knowing the lake sturgeon and walleye were still aggressively hitting their presentation. However, a quick search on social media indicates shoreline anglers on both the North Saskatchewan River and South Saskatchewan River systems are also having great lake sturgeon success during the first two weeks of October. www.lunkers.ca
Fall fishing across the western provinces can be one of the best times of the year to be on the water.