A NEW DAWN AND A BETTER DAY FOR MANITOBA ANGLERS
With the implementation of new angling regulations taking effect April 1st in Manitoba, our angling options have blossomed. Now we can fish for pike, bass, crappie and many other species year round. While walleye remains closed until May 13th in the southern division, there is so much to enjoy. While spring is having a hard time finding Manitoba it gives us more time to organize and game plan for open water. In past years, I have always headed to Northwestern Ontario to enjoy their open season. Now I can stay closer to home.
Jeff Gustafson grew up fishing ice off species in this part of the world. One of the best anglers on the planet has a few techniques he wants to share with the Tobin’s who are now gearing up for ice out.
Here are some tips from one of the best.
Jerkbaits for Smallmouths
When I was a teenager back in the late 90’s, suspending jerkbaits were just being discovered. In the tournament crazy Ozark region in southern Missouri and northern Arkansas, anglers were drilling holes in floating minnow baits and inserting pieces of lead to make the baits suspend. Eventually the word got out on this local secret and fishing tackle companies began manufacturing these deadly fish catchers.
THE EARLY SUSPENDING MODELS
The first models I had were suspending Smithwick Rogue’s and Rapala Husky Jerks. Reading all about how effective they were for cold water smallmouths I was eager to try them the year they became available. A few days after the ice went out I caught literally hundreds of bass on the west end of Lake of the Woods on the couple Rogue’s and Husky Jerks that I had. It was incredible. There was no other lure that you could catch as many smallmouths on as you could on a suspending jerkbait. The same holds true today early in the season.
THE NEW TECHNOLOGY
Today we have much better jerkbaits than those original models, with more realistic finishes and most importantly, long casting technology so they are much easier to cast. Most of the good baits today have a weight transfer system that lets you really launch them out there.
My jerkbait of choice today is the Jackall Squad Minnow 115. It suspends perfectly and comes equipped with premium treble hooks. There are times when smaller profile or deep diving jerkbaits are better but on most days you can catch a bunch of fish on that Squad Minnow 115. I like to fish it on 10 pound fluorocarbon and use a medium action rod, something a little bit soft so that you don’t tear hooks out of fish that area short striking. G. Loomis makes a great rod that is designed for fishing jerkbaits that is 6’10” in length.
Finally, jerkbaits are very easy to use. Simply cast them out and work them back to the boat in a jerk-jerk-pause cadence. The colder the water, the slower you should fish them. By that I mean longer pauses. I guarantee you that there is no other type of lure that will put more smallmouths in the boat within the first few weeks of the ice going out.
Watch the Wind for Lakers
If you like to fish for lake trout then you know what I mean when I say you can catch the bug. Growing up fishing on the Clearwater Bay area of Lake of the Woods I spent quite a bit of time chasing lake trout around on the big lake as well as on the many smaller, inland lakes north of Kenora. Northwest Ontario is one of the top destinations on the planet to catch lakers and though we may not have the numbers of giant fish that can be caught way up north, we have some great fishing for both numbers and quality fish on a variety of fisheries.
Lake trout need cold water so as water temperatures warm as the summer progresses, lake trout move to deeper, cooler water. For the first few weeks of the open water season when water temperatures are still cool, lake trout are on a feeding frenzy, eating everything they can fit in their mouths.
The best days are always after the wind has blowing out of the same direction for a few days in a row. Baitfish move onto stretches of shoreline where the wind is blowing in, likely because the water will be slightly warmer and the trout will then congregate. Trolling crankbaits and spoons on these windblown stretches is my favourite pattern early in the season. Fish can be found shallow in as little as five feet of water and out deeper but I seldom fish deeper than 50 feet before June 1. Once you find an area that has fish you can attack them with jigs tipped with soft plastic minnow imitators but trolling is a great way to cover water and make contact with active fish.