Angling effort has been substantial over the holiday season due to improving ice conditions and limited snowfall in many regions, combined with mild weather. The holidays season has also delayed this fishing report. It’s finally here and thanks to the number of anglers who have contributed to this first edition of 2020.
MANITOBA
With a lack of snow cover, anglers are pretty much driving everywhere on the big lakes, including Lake Winnipeg and Manitoba. Hooked Editor Don Lamont was out on both lakes over the holidays.
Lake Winnipeg- Matt Hobson, who runs Icebound Excursions says the bite has slowed somewhat this week. Small lipless cranks seem to be working the best. Lamont, who was out yesterday, confirmed that. He caught a number of nice walleye on a small perch colour Salmo Chubby Darter. It was important to add a small live minnow on the back hook to get those fish to commit.
Most of the fish were getting spooked by larger rattle baits. A more subtle presentation during the day, seemed to work the best. The bite has been good early morning and late in the day. Lamont fished until 6:30 p.m on Friday, with the most of the fish caught between 4:30 and 6 p.m. He found the best depths were between six and ten feet. He fished out in 15 during the day and caught a couple of fish.
This was also the case on Lake Manitoba. While there were a few fish caught during the day, the hot bite started later in the day until half an hour past sunset. It was a shallow bite, with the fish caught between three and five feet. Anglers are driving on at the various access points on the lake. Ice conditions are better than Lake Winnipeg, which has a lot of rough ice. Lure selection on Lake Manitoba varies with time of day. Jim Price, who has already put in 23 days on the lake since first ic, says silver spoons and blade baits have been best during the day. He tips these with a minnow head or tail. He works them with a slow lift and fall followed by a pause. After 3:30 he switches to a lipless crankbait, gold the preferred colour
Lake of the Prairies is still producing walleye and perch. Roger Gere and his wife Susan have been getting some big perch, but with no consistent pattern. West Goose and East Goose in Roblin still decent for rainbows.
EASTERN REGION OF MANITOBA
Robert Karpiak
With the lack of snow fall over the eastern region of Manitoba at the start of the ice fishing season, accessing your favourite fishing spots comfortably by vehicle, ATV and snow machine within the Caddy Lake Chain couldn’t be any easier than it is this year. Combine these ice conditions with our delicate, mild winter thus far and you have a recipe for a fun filled comfortable crappie fishing day.
Over the holiday’s we convinced an entourage of family and friends with all levels of angling experience to follow us off to Caddy Lake. We set everyone’s lines up with 1/16 to 1/8 oz jigs tipped with plastic maggots or grubs. Black and white jig heads proved to be the hit, tipped with a red coloured plastic. Lots of holes were punched during this trip and we all moved from about 20 feet off shore to the middle of the lake throughout the day to stay with the fish. First time crappie anglers and experienced anglers, caught fish with and without electronics. Our master angler crappie count was up to 7 or so by the end of the day. Loads of perch were also playing with our lures, and there was even a decent sized sucker successfully iced. We will let you in on one secret, fluorocarbon leaders!
SASKATCHEWAN
Last Mountain Lake- Layne Maier
Fishing has been consistent but expect to stay on the move, the fish are moving constantly and if you want to stay on a bite then expect to move multiple times daily to stay on action. Ice conditions are improving and trucks are now moving around the lake but proceed with caution, heaves are forming and at least 2 trucks have already found their way to the bottom of the lake.
The south and north ends of the lake are producing good perch and pike with some walleye action mixed in, the mid section of the lake has fair action for walleye and perch with some large pike coming out. I find myself having the best success in 19-21 and 25-28 feet.
With colder temperatures approaching please be mindful of our fish. Fins and eyes freeze quickly so have all the necessary tools for a release on hand to get them back in the water quickly, there are no excuses for a frozen fish. Barotrauma is also an issue, the best way to prevent it is to limit yourself to 28 FOW or less and bring small fish in slowly.
SOUTHEASTERN SASKATCHEWAN
Brad and Travis Graham
The Graham team has been fishing Boundary Dam south of Estevan.
“The ice is 16 inch thick. Lots of good ice to drive on. The fishing was slow but, caught fish all day. Had to downsize to small tungsten jigs with minnows. Fish where sitting on bottom and had to play with them for a bit for them to bite. Found the fish sitting in 20 ft plus of water. The walleyes and pike where biting really light.
NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO
GLENN MACDONALD
The start of the new year officially starts the hard water season for Lake Trout in Northwestern Ontario. While I didn’t get out for laker’s myself, that will be this weekend, I reached out to some friends who did. Dean Lachapelle had a great opening day, as did Andrew Rideout. Both were able to locate and put some fish on the ice using “Hunger Strike” tube jigs from “Drop Tine Tackle”. These tubes are proving effective for both Trout and Walleye. Made locally in Nestor Falls, they are available in Winnipeg at LOTW Sports Headquarters and will be coming soon to Bobby’s Sport Shop in Vermilion Bay.
Many reports and posts of successful opening morning trout trips are a positive sign to the start of the Lake Trout season. Unseasonably warm weather has allowed more anglers to get out and enjoy ice fishing over the Christmas season. With continued nice weather in the forecast it should be a great weekend to get the family out on the lake before most kids head back to school.
The past couple weeks have seen great walleye action on most area lakes. Around the Ear Falls area the walleye have been up very shallow, in 5’ to 8’ of water. On sand flats in front of creek mouths have been preferred spots. The tried and true Northland jig and a live minnow on a tip up, or dead stick has been most effective. Jigging a puppet minnow or jigging rap over the deeper areas has proven effective as well. Most of these areas are also home to pike, and it’s not uncommon to land a large pike in among the ‘eyes.
The Crappie bite has been very good as well, with my friends Dean and Tracy having a fantastic trip out on Christmas Day, including crappie in the 15” class size!
Ice conditions are great throughout the region, although reports of ice ridges are coming in from Eagle Lake, so be mindful of that. The weather can’t be beat and the fresh snow has made for great snowmobile conditions, no reason not to get out and enjoy hard water fishing in Sunset Country.
ALBERTA
WES DAVID- FISHING THE WILD WEST
Over the holidays, many families spent a day or two ice fishing Alberta’s stocked trout ponds. Stocked rainbow trout were finally willing to take an angler’s offering and parents had the chance to enjoy the look on their kid’s faces as they fought scrappy rainbow trout under the ice.
Southern Alberta reservoirs have also heated up during the holidays. Not only for northern pike and walleye but for big northern pike and walleye. Ice anglers on Lake Newell and many of the southern Alberta reservoirs are catching large walleye and northern pike and in-between landing the large fish, consistent numbers of smaller pike and walleye are also being caught keeping ice anglers entertained.
DAVE SHMYR
Our focus over the break was finding walleyes consistently throughout the day. Rather then waiting for them to return to their shallow feeding areas at night where they were feeding in the morning, we slowly worked our way out deeper during the day. As soon as the bite would slow down, we would plunk another series of holes a little further each time. Before we knew it, we were slowly working our way back and ended up back where we started. A very effective way to stay on them more consistent. We started with more aggressive jigging sequences during the morning and evening. During the day more subtle action was required with smaller jigs and Minnows. Twilight periods we used a little bit of everything and fished aggressively.
Not sure where this was shot but always expect the unexpected from Aaron Wiebe. Check out is latest video here.