MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS
It is a great time to spend time with your family and one of the best ways is in the outdoors. Anglers across the west have been streaming out to lakes, rivers and reservoirs to enjoy ice fishing. Here at Hooked we wish you a safe and happy holiday season.
MANITOBA
The Red River has returned to its glory days with many Master Angler fish being registered. The walleye fishery continues to bounce back and many of the Lake Winnipeg guides attribute it to the increase in mesh size on the south basin from 3 1/4 inches to 3 3/4 inches. This increase in mesh size is allowing the younger walleye at least one opportunity to spawn. Kudos to the government for working with all the different use groups to help manage the sustainability of the resource. This has been a province wide push for our fishing resource in general. With staff hiring’s and increased funding for both fish and wildlife departments in government, we are now able to get a handle on resource management and enforcement. As a result we are getting more days like this.
BIG WINDY – LAKE WINNIPEG
MATT HOBSON – ICEBOUND EXCURSIONS
I predict the story of the year will be travel. I ventured further afield this weekend to test some new waters. The good news is I found fish every area I tried, with the usual spots holding bigger fish. The bad news is until we get a decent snowfall to smooth out the frazzle ice, it is creating quite a barrier to deeper water. Travel between locations was taking 2-3 times longer than usual as routes need to be carefully picked, and back tracking was required on a few occasions. We have gained 3-4” of ice since last week, but there have been open water areas recently that will be less than 4” thick. If you are looking to plan your trip, iceTime.app is a great tool. I have used it to locate the ridges and frazzle and plot the shortest route through before I hit the ice.
You can find Matt at https://snobearrental.ca/
WESTERN MANITOBA
LAKE OF THE PRAIRIES – ROGER GERES
Walleye action continues to impress anglers who have been venturing out. Roger Geres says with the water clarity as good as it is, the best action is low light. He has been using glow jigs for the last hour before dark and into the night. Roger says you can fish during the day, but you have to slow down and live minnows on a dead stick improve your chances.
“We been spending some time chasing tigers, always fun! Time , patience, jackers and paste , watching down the hole while jigging will definitely increase your success and be quiet!!
For lures he has been using Lindys , tinsel hugs small tubes anywhere from three to nine feet of water has been optimal. Remember if it’s cold quick photos in the tent!!!
NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO
LAKE OF THE WOODS – JEFF GUSTAFSON
Got out on the ice for the first time on Sunday and caught some walleye and perch. Action was good and it was nice to get out. Dropped a 1/4 oz. Buck-Shot Rattle Spoon down and they still like it. Since the early 2000’s this has been my number fish catcher on the ice and it still works great, even though there are many more fancy, creative baits out there. Those spoons just catch fish.Jeff Gustafson Outdoors
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VERMILLION BAY AND AREA – GLENN MACDONALD
Wishing everyone a safe and happy holiday season, and a very Happy New Year!
As 2021 winds down, as every year, the countdown is on until lake trout opener on January 1st. That has not kept the anglers off the ice. In northwestern Ontario, around the Eagle Lake / Wabigoon Lake area the walleye and crappie bite has been fantastic.
CRAPPIE BITE IS HOT
I reached out to good friends, Jeff Moreau and Henry Salinas, manager and pro guide, out of Temple Bay Lodge on Eagle Lake. Both have been out fishing as they get ice shacks and winter fishing gear prepped up for guests. Look for the most recent Hooked Magazine for a full article where I mention Temple Bay Lodge, as well as a few others that offer ice fishing packages.
Henry tells me the crappie have been set up in 20’ down to 26’ off the sides of main lake basins. They are foraging on small shrimp coming out of the mud bottom. The crappie are hugging the bottom but will rise and chase baits. Apple green jigs tipped through the tail of a small minnow seem to be a preferred presentation.
Some crappies have been on reef edges, at a similar depth. The bonus of fishing open water reefs? The walleye are set up there as well, leading to a nice mixed bag of pan fry sized fish. The average sized crappie has been 13” to 15”!
EAR FALLS SHALLOW WALLEYE BITE
My father in law, Harry Sawchuk was fishing around the Ear Falls area over the past weekend and reported walleye in shallow water areas. In depths under 10’, the active walleye were hitting ⅛ oz jigs tipped with live minnows. Dead sticks were also tipped with live minnows, through the tail, to allow for life-like movement. Average sized walleye were 15’ to 17”, perfect for a December fish fry!
Harley Read was fishing Wabigoon early this week and using a combination of 1/16 up to ¼ oz jigs was able to catch walleye and crappie from the same holes.
LAKER SEASON JUST AROUND THE CORNER
Early ice season is a great time in northwestern Ontario, fish are set up in predictable spots and it’s not uncommon to have multiple species in the same areas.
With just over a week until trout opener, I know many anglers in the area are getting excited to catch the first trout of 2022. For all you trout anglers out there, go check out the new colors from Droptine Tackle in their popular Hunger Strike Tube series. One of the most popular tube jigs in our area, and one that I personally use. They certainly deserve to be a part of every ice anglers tackle box. Check out Temple Bay for lodging.
Look for the brand new 54 or Bust website to be live, January 2022.
SASKATCHEWAN
For Tobin, ice off most access points is 14-18”. Travel is good with only one major ridge off the resort at Tobin Lake, but crossings possible. Some vehicle traffic is more prevalent this weekend and the road to the flats is plowed. Fishing has been inconsistent both on the flats and the more river section. The 20-23 foot range has been a depth that some better fish have been using. So far current has been low/moderate.LAKE DIEFENBAKER – DARYL GILBERT
With the recent colder temperatures Lake Diefenbaker has been building ice extremely fast increasing accessibility to numerous fishing locations. The lake has numerous large ice heaves this season currently restricting safe access to some prime locations. The whole lake from east to west is now frozen over with the east being the last to ice over. Ice huts are starting to appear on the lake at traditional holes on the west end.
WEST END OF LAKE DIEFENBAKER HOT!
The west end of the lake has been producing big walleyes, burbot, pike, and whitefish. The large bays on the lake have been very good multi species angling in 18 feet or less of water where baitfish are still schooled up in.
Walleye have been extremely active in the evening hours and into the dark. Aggressive jigging baits have been producing quality walleyes along with traditional finesse rigs with bait. Rapala Slab raps have been my top jigging bait of choice for these early ice Walleyes this season. Hot colours have been orange tiger uv and chrome blue.
The pike have been finicky turning down larger baits set on traditional tip up rigs. Most pike currently are being caught on smaller more aggressive baits such as Rapala Rippin Raps and other similar rattle baits jigged just off the bottom. Small 1/8 ounce jigs/minnows and hair jigs tipped with frozen minnows have also been more effective on pike recently. Deadsticked baits set on jaw jackers or tip ups have rarely been hit by pike in the past few weeks.
BURBOT ACTIVE ALL DAY LONG
Burbot fishing has been good all hours of the day in the right locations. They have been aggressively feeding in the late hours of the daylight. Top baits have been jigs deadsticked with minnows, and hair jigs tipped with minnows jigged pounding the bottom.
DON’T FORGET THE WHITEFISH
Whitefish have just started to heat up in the shallows bays. Target 8-16 feet of water in the bays and you will find these rarely targeted fish spread across the water column. Hot baits have been small jigging spoons such as the Northland forage minnows, and as always wire worms are hot for whitefish at all times of the season. A good medium action rod with 8lb mainline tipped with light fluorocarbon and small baits will help you catch more of these fish.
Editor’s Note: You can catch up with Daryl at www.darylgilbertoutdoors
You can visit see with Daryl and his partner Emily at https://youtu.be/vYzYzyvwqwA
ALBERTA – WES DAVID
Host & producer of Fishing the Wild West TV
It has been a crazy busy two weeks in the editing room getting the first six episodes of Fishing the Wild West TV and all the commercials into the networks before the Christmas cut-off. I also made it a priority to venture out and purchase my wife’s Christmas presents as no presents under the tree Christmas morning for my number one would surely mean there would be no ice fishing for me in the future.
With everything going on at the office and in the editing room, I didn’t get a chance to get out ice fishing in the last two weeks. However, I have been receiving some amazing ice fishing photos through text and email and seeing even more amazing ice fishing pictures on social media from anglers of all ages from across Alberta. It appears the walleye bite is on!
I truly enjoy the Christmas season. Friends stopping by for a visit or me stopping at friends to visit and maybe even a little adult eggnog. Eating Christmas baking, visiting with family and friends, Christmas morning, and of course, Christmas dinner! Everyone seems to let their guard down and forget about the stresses of the outside world and enjoy family and friends and it’s amazing to be apart of.
We at Fishing the Wild West TV would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Until next year, good luck fishing and safe travels. The world is a better place with you in it!