MANITOBA
Water temperatures are starting to drop and more and more bait is moving into the tributaries and rivers. Find the bait and you will find fish. On the Red River it could be channel catfish, sauger, pike and the much sought after greenback walleye.
Tony Shirley and Jeff Laurin did an outstanding job this past weekend finding some Master Angler class walleye. This allowed them to take home the first place prize of $10,000 at the Selkirk Walleye Open.
Their two-day total of 71.79lbs for eight fish (Day 1: 26.50”, 27.00”, 27.75”, 26.75” – Day 2: 30.50”, 29.50”, 28.75”, 26.75”) .
It goes to prove there are some good fish in the system right now and anglers are catching quite a few pike mixed in with a ton sauger as well. For an in-depth story on fishing the Red at this time of year check out this feature .
For those looking for other species it is prime time crappie season as they school up near main lake basins. For a simple primer with one of the best anglers on the planet check out this video that Jeff Gustafson shot back in 2016. While the technology used might have changed the tips are still the same.
NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO
Speaking of Gussy while he doesn’t have his own show anymore he certainly has no shortage of appearances on YouTube and other channels. Gussy had Bill Lindner and Mike Lehner out filming an episode for Lund Boats last week on Lake of the Woods. The bass fishing was on fire. The show will air in the new year.
SASKATCHEWAN
The big fish are rolling on all the big reservoirs across the province right now. Tobin Lake is once again providing some outstanding walleye angling. It has been a few years since I have been back but the lake fishing remains special. Once again the key is finding the huge schools of ciscoes that are getting ready to spawn.
Last Mountain Lake is similar and that is why the walleye grow so big, the high protein forage available.
While Rafferty Reservoir in the south kicks out numbers, it doesn’t quite as the same trophy sized walleye as these other two. Get your long underwear on and enjoy some of the best fishing of the year.
ALBERTA- WES DAVID, FISHING THE WILD WEST
It’s a good time to smoke
Unfortunately, this is one of my least favourite weeks of the year. The week my boat goes into Tracker Marine to be winterized and put to bed for the winter. It is also the week(s) that I have to do everything on my wife’s honey-to-do list that I have been putting off all summer. Not to mention, my pre-winter chores. However, even with a large to-do list, I found time to do an experiment that I have always wanted to try.
I have always wanted to smoke lake trout, rainbow trout, and coho salmon side-by-side utilizing the same brine and recipe for all three species and do a taste test to see if there is one clear winner.
All three species are from the salmonoid family and all three species are somewhat of an oily fish and smoke very well. I have smoked all three species before, but never side-by-side. However, I wanted to taste them side-by-side smoked the same way and host a taste test. We even videoed the project for a Wild Cookhouse segment on Fishing the Wild West TV and I was greatly impressed with the results.
I used Hi Mountain Seasonings Gourmet Fish Brine Mix and let the fillets (skin on) brine for 12 hours then dry uncovered in the refrigerator overnight. The next day I smoked all three fish species side-by-side at 160F to 170F for 4 ½ hours basting them with 100% Maple Syrup every hour. The results of my little experiment were amazing. I had a few friends over for a few adult beverages and a taste test, and truthfully there was no clear winner. However, I can tell you the rainbow trout was completed first followed by the lake trout and coho salmon simultaneously.
For many people, when the topic of smoking fish comes up, they quickly think of smoked salmon. However, lake trout and rainbow trout smoke equally as well as salmon so don’t be afraid to substitute lake trout or rainbow trout with smoked salmon recipes.
Next smoking test. Halibut, northern pike, and ling cod!