Destination Cedar Lake
So many water bodies, so little time. That’s the quandary many of us find ourselves in when it comes to our ice fishing goals and aspirations. With handfuls of species to target and a limited window of time and safe conditions, it’s easy to miss out on many of winter’s hot bites. One of those is just North of the 53rd parallel and is one of Manitoba’s best drive-to fishing destinations. Cedar Lake is home to large northern pike, walleye, burbot, whitefish and tullibee and this reservoir is one of my favorite places to drill through the ice and get fishing.
Formed after the construction of the Grand Rapids Dam along the Saskatchewan River in the early 1960’s, Cedar Lake covers over 1300 square kilometers. There’s mud, gravel, boulder and log bottoms with slopes, flats, drop offs, sunken forests, deep pockets and bays. It really is a structure fishing paradise. Most of the ice angling is done on the Cross Bay portion of the lake in relatively close proximity to the few camps offering accommodation, with ample hot spots a quick sled ride away. Travel conditions may vary, depending on the weather and year but once there is a good foot of snow and at least a foot of solid ice, you can all but guarantee snowmobile is the way to go. This fishery is as much known for its numbers of fish as it is for its ability to crank out trophies of any species that inhabit the lake and this has been proven true for many each trip they take.
CROSS BAY A DIVERSE FISHERY
My first trip up to the Cross Bay section of Cedar Lake, the walleye bite was picking up, the burbot were dispersed after the spawn and the northern pike were beginning to stage near bays in anticipation of ice out. The weather was unstable throughout the trip leading to less than stellar fishing, but we made the best of it. Our group always had a few tip ups out and our bait (tulibee) proved irresistible to the northern pike with a handful in the 38 – 41 inch class landed. With ample forage and vast space to grow, the northern pike in Cedar Lake have a good chance to attain lengths greater than most drive to fisheries. Many folks strictly target pike during their stay and rarely leave disappointed. Some large tullibee fell for a jiggin spoon as well as soft plastics during midday providing a bit of action and fun on the light action rods, their flesh and taste were some of the cleanest I’ve had. In the evenings we were able to find a school of aggressive walleye eager to hammer large jigging spoons on a slope moving shallow before sundown, this bite provided action well into the night! We worked hard for our fish over those few days with many kilometers traveled but were almost always rewarded each session.
As the ice season rolls along, the water clarity continues to improve. By the end of March and early April you can sometimes see upwards of 15 feet or more! This makes an underwater camera an almost invaluable asset. Scouting out structural transitions like rock to mud and old tree lines can help put the angler on higher percentage areas and when fishing, lining the camera up with a lure allowing you to see how and what the fish are reacting to or interested in. A highlight for me was watching hungry pike swimming out of the sunken treeline like wolves on the prowl, some of them would even attack the camera itself. While an underwater camera may not be an asset on some bodies of water I fish, during daylight hours it certainly increased my catch rate on Cedar Lake.
Our next year back was a burbot bonanza and that was exactly what we were after. Our first fishing session of the trip was spent in one of our host’s heated permanent shacks and it was total luxury and right on top of prime structure! Armed with an array of lures, bait and rods as well as a few flashers, a graph and an underwater camera, it was prime time for burbot and we were not disappointed. Not every lure worked, but with a bit of trial and error we were slamming burbot well into the night. The rest of our trip was spent scouting around with our Otter flip-over in tow; most spots produced fish, but a few of them proved stellar. Burbot after burbot were landed and hundreds were seen on the camera!
Tubes stuffed with frozen shiners, jigging spoons and the old faithful flasher jig all produced well for us. Lipless crankbaits, tip ups and dropper rigs were also productive. Silver, white, and red seemed to be the hotter colours, with glowing lures shining at dusk and after dark. When the sun sets, the bite can intensify and glowing lures with added scent will often help attract the fish. While the pike may not be active once it’s dark, there are plenty of other species that still are. We fished well into the night on more than one occasion as the bite seemed to pick up at dusk and kick into high gear once it was dark! We were even treated to a stunning display of Northern Lights dancing through the sky as we headed back to camp.
No matter your intended length of stay, there are more than enough species and areas to keep you interested. Moak Lodge is my first choice for accommodation for a number of reasons, the cabins are modern and have everything you need (bring your own pillow, sleeping bag and towel). The hosts go above and beyond with making you welcome, comfortable and passing on some knowledge of fish location and bait/lure preferences and the camp itself has a great feel to it. If Moak Lodge was booked solid, and a Cross Bay trip was in order I wouldn’t hesitate to contact Cook’s Cabins and Campgrounds.
Wherever your ice fishing travels take you, this is one destination you don’t want to pass up. The ice season lasts longer than ours in the Southern region and often the walleye and pike bite is only picking up in April when our season closes. If you make the trip, play safe, fish smart and get ready for some lasting memories and big smiles!