Well, January has come in with a vengeance and cold temperatures have tightened up ice conditions considerably. Time to get the warm clothes on and get out there.
MANITOBA
Friend Jim Price has been driving out on Lake Manitoba for over a month now . He says the walleye remain shallow and the best action is towards evening. This is pretty standard stuff for this body of water and a special approach is needed to find and catch these shallow fish. Jim uses forward facing sonar to scan the shallows. Once a school is located the team drill a series of holes. They then give the walleye ten minutes to settle down and quietly walk over to the area where the fish were spotted. This technique has put a lot of walleye on the board the last few years. Location and stealth is more important that presentation to Lake Manitoba walleye as these fish are usually chasing bait in this shallow water.
Currently Lake Manitoba does not have a high definition map so you have to do the hard work by drilling holes and searching.
POSTAL STRIKE AND THE WINTER EDITION
If you are wondering what happened to your delivery of the Winter Edition of Hooked the postal service disruption slowed us down. The hard copy should be in the mail this week but we do have a digital copy for you on the website for all to enjoy. In this issue Matt Gelley outlines how to use High Definition Maps in conjunction with forward facing sonar to improve your odds.
Here is an excerpt from that article. If this gets your interest check out the full story in the winter digital issue!
High-definition GPS contour lake maps such as Lakemaster VX in conjunction with forward facing sonar (FFS) have changed the game providing real-time, detailed underwater imagery. We can find fish in minutes and equally eliminate areas not worth fishing. One of the primary advantages of FFS is its ability to see exactly what the fish are relating too and their behaviour. Last March, we found largemouth bass mulling around boulders off a main lake point. On Lake Winnipeg for example, we watched a walleye plow into a cloud of shiners on MEGA Live 4 feet under the ice. Super Cool. Instead of drilling multiple holes in search of fish, one hole and a quick scan of 80 feet in forward mode can tell us the story. This efficiency not only saves us time but also increases the likelihood of finding active fish.
Strategies – Sniping Individual Fish
What’s that famous saying? “If you’re not scoping your hoping”. Most people that I see on the ice use their live sonar as a flasher. They camp out on the ice, set up the shack, position the live unit in down mode and watch fish react to their presentation. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. To use the technology to the fullest, it requires work and lots of it. This is where the lightweight and speedy ION alpha comes in. We have done it for greenbacks and crappies with success. Targeting individual fish is a lot easier in the boat when you can stay on the trolling motor and follow the fish around.
Setting up the MEGA Live transducer correctly is important for sniping fish. The sonar beam needs be positioned higher in the water column to see the auger punch through. A range of 50 feet with a transducer angle of 50/60 degrees forward is optimal. After some practice, you will get a good idea where to drill the hole distance wise from the transducer pole. The MEGA Live sonar beam is narrower than you think; you need to be perfectly inline to see targets. Punching a few holes in a grid pattern around the transducer hole in all directions is a great starting point.
BIG WINDY
Lake Winnipeg is busy with anglers and guides criss crossing the lake looking for the big bite. There are a number of operators now offering overnight accommodations as well as day guiding services. Matt Cornell, recently purchased IceBound Excursions from Mat Hobson. He is offering guided SnoBear adventures in the south basin. Kris Guane offers a variety of options including his Run & Gun Specials as well as overnight Yetti Ice Shack Adventures.
Reel Life with Mike and his wife Kali are once again on the ice this winter. This Christmas Eve they decided to fish Balsam Bay on Lake Winnipeg instead of Pelican Lake. They were not disappointed.
NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO
Gussy is enjoying some downtime over the Christmas holidays and he and a crew of friends have been getting some good ice fishing action.
“Got out for an afternoon tour on the ice…no trout but walleyes and perch were bitin’…cold weather is back. Loving the new Simms Challenger Insulated Suit!
SASKATCHEWAN