GREAT WEATHER AND GOOD SUCCESS!
MANITOBA
Ice fishers have been taking advantage of the last two weeks of balmy January weather. In Manitoba a wide variety of species have been registered in the Master Angler program. To give you an idea of the impact ice fishing has on this province, one must look no further than Lake Winnipeg. This past weekend 1544 vehicles accessed the lake via Warner Road. Wow. Despite the pressure, the lake continues to produce impressive numbers of trophy walleye in almost all sections of the south basin, including right in front of Gimli itself.
Matt Hobson from Icebound Excursions says the bite is still best in the 14’-18’ range.
The morning bite has been better (8am-10) with some afternoon flurries. My preference is Yo-zuri cranks baits in the morning and the Clam peg spoon in the afternoon. Be prepared to downsize when the bite is tough.
One of the more interesting videos that has been put out lately comes from Darren’s Northern Life. This is a must watch video as Darren and a friend head out from the Dauphin River by snowmobile to catch some trophy pike. Check it out.
Many other species of fish have been targeted, including lake whitefish from Clear Lake and perch from several different bodies of water. These include Oak Lake in Western Manitoba, West Shoal in the Interlake and Pelican Lake in the southwest corner of the province. Many anglers are still having great luck this winter catching big crappies from a variety of lakes.
CISCO BECOMING SUPERSTARS IN MANITOBA!
Ice fishing for Cisco is becoming an extremely popular winter activity. These fish are a widely distributed species in Manitoba inhabiting almost all of the large lakes and rivers in the province except for the South-West border region. Cisco prefer cool deep lakes but can be found in shallow tannic stained lakes of Eastern Manitoba and the turbid waters of our large lakes and rivers.
In Manitoba, most Cisco are encountered in commercial nets or are occasionally seen in large schools as the spawn on shoals and river rapids in fall. There are a few lakes where Cisco grow to exceptional size (over 50 cm) and in theses lakes anglers have developed techniques to effectively catch them. Being a cool-water species, Cisco actively feed throughout the winter and it’s at this time when most fish are caught. Because Cisco feed in the mid-water column in winter, knowing where your lure is in relation to the fish is the key to success.
The increase use of personal sonar has dramatically increased the effectiveness of anglers to catch this species. In Big Whiteshell Lake, the rapid increase in the popularity of this fishery has prompted a proposed regulation change. The new regulation would see a six fish limit with only one may exceed 45 centimetres. The provincial-wide regulation for Cisco has no limit on harvest. The proposed change is designed to protect the quality of the Cisco fishery while still allowing some harvest.
Eastern Region Fisheries Manager Derek Kroeker is a keen angler and did this video for Hooked explaining how to identify a Cisco.
Hooked Contributor Robert Karpiak and Robyn Grant love to roam the province in search of Master Angler fish of any species. Lately they have been focusing on perch. Here they talk about their latest adventure.
There are very few bodies of water throughout Manitoba that don’t house plenty of perch for the weekend angler. However, finding a jumbo perch bite is a little more scientific and a little less to do with the anglers themselves. If one was to search out a Master Angler quality perch in our province, three lakes should jump off the page. Oak Lake, the Shoal’s (North, East and West) and our latest hot spot, Pelican. Pelican Lake is a new favorite for many reasons. The drive through the rolling prairies is both relaxing and breathtaking. The town of Ninette offers bait, fuel and friendly people that are more then willing to point you in the right direction. Pelican Lake is fed by a nutrient rich river, creating the perfect storm, providing anglers with the opportunity to hook into trophy class fish.
It took us some time to figure out the bite as it’s not like anywhere else we’ve fished. These perch will not, or at least for us, chase a lure. If a fish was to chase you, it was almost certain to be a sucker. Robyn discovered early into the day when a mark appeared onto her flasher, that if she slightly raised her rod, gave a few subtle jigs, then dropped the lure back down to the mark and did not move, the fish seemed to be more receptive. After many dropped fish at first, we were both able to adapt our approach and landed a hand full of masters including a few master suckers.
Using light line, balancing the rod on the tips of our fingers and downsizing presentation by using a small piece of night crawler was the key to our success.
SOUTHEAST SASKATCHEWAN
Brad Graham-
Fishing on Boundary dam has slowed down substantially. Still a few perch and the odd walleye. We are seeing fish on our camera but they just are not interested in biting. Rafferty has been good for perch, with walleyes coming on in the evening. Some decent size walleyes are being caught, including Ryan Englots 28 inch walleye.
No one spot seams a hot spot catching on many different places on the lake. If you’re looking for some decent perch fishing check out Kenosee. Lots of smaller ones with some good ones mixed in. With a good chance of catching a walleye.
CENTRAL SASKATCHEWAN
The burbot bite has been steady on Lake Diefenbaker with fish being caught in the 25 to 35 foot range. Check out this video by the Fishing Geeks posted a couple of weeks ago.
ALBERTA
DAVE SHMYR -Whitefish spawn has been completed, pushing them from shallow rock flats adjacent to deeper water. The aggressive spawn has left them docile. Presentations are very small tungsten jigs and wire worms with very little movement. Adding maggots is a key.
LOCATION
Work areas straight adjacent from spawning areas in 8-15 ft if water. They love to suspend, so stay higher off the bottom 2-6 feet . Walleye bite has been good the entire month of January. I cover ground shallow in the am working deeper until mid-day . I slowly work back shallow late afternoon to evening. The perch have started to school up and can be found in the 8-15 foot range. Schools are slowly getting bigger by the day. The big pike are slowly making their ways towards the initial drops by shallow flats bays and rivers . These pike are keying on whitefish, perch and smaller walleye. Ice conditions remain stable. There is some flood water in small areas. Good luck to everyone this February!