Author: Don Lamont

MANITOBA It has been a cold, miserable start to the open water fishing season. There is hope though, warmer weather is on the way but a forecast for 31 Celsius early next week is a bit extreme. It does mean if the forecast holds for next week the water will be warming rapidly, driving many different species into shallow water. These will include smallmouth bass, crappies and walleye. You will be finding fish in less than eight feet of water which means using your side imaging on your boat if you have one. Mark likely looking spots, like weed edges…

MANITOBA The new angling season is about to begin in certain parts of the province. It is always great to check the regulations before heading out since they have changed over the years. For those close to Winnipeg a friendly reminder that the upcoming angling walleye/sauger opening date for Lake Winnipeg is May 16th and not this weekend. You can find the 2026 Manitoba Anglers Guide online here https://www.gov.mb.ca/nrnd/fish-wildlife/pubs/fish_wildlife/fish/angling-guide.pdf Friend Rick Gergatz, who runs the Lake Winnipeg Report on Facebook says while the Red up to the mouth and the Winnipeg River up to the mouth of Traverse Bay will…

MANITOBA Conditions are rapidly changing as we start south and head north. In the south we have open creeks and rivers with runs of suckers at full steam. Ice conditions are not stable so now is the smart time to wait for open water. Up north there is a ton of snow on the ground and ice conditions are still stable for the most part. For example an auger extension was still needed on Paint Lake last weekend. Heavy snow cover though, is restricting travel, especially with slush. Kayla Jorgensen headed up north with friends recently and laid a licking…

In Manitoba we are waiting for the arrival of spring. It looks like it is on the way with temperatures rising dramatically over the next two weeks. This definitely increases the risk of overland flooding and the province has issued a warning for the Interlake region of the province in the Fisher River drainage basin. It probably means iffy ice conditions for those still wanting to get out for stocked trout and the other species that remain open. There have been some vehicles through the ice so it is usually a good time to get ready for the open water…

SPRING BEAR AND WATERFOWL IN SASKATCHEWAN One of the advantages of doing a podcast is the interesting and passionate people you get to talk to. When one of our regular writers was unable to supply a story on spring snow geese and bear, I decided to see if I could find someone else that might be interested giving it a shot so to speak. A couple of phone calls later I was talking to Jordan Rowswell. Turns out that he and his family have almost 30 years in the outdoor industry guiding for both big game and waterfowl. Jordan and…

MANITOBA It is Mid Term Break week coming up next week so families will be out in force before the walleye and sauger season close. Here a the list of division closures: Those fishing for walleye and sauger are reminded of the following fishing season dates: Conditions are still brutal with uneven ice and another cold snap. Hopefully the weather will break soon. While the walleye and sauger season closes on April 7th in the southern division all other species remain open so still plenty of ice fishing to be had. If you are unsure of the regulations you can…

Editors Note: In the last of our three part series we feature ancient recipes that were used in the past by royalty to prepare the burbot, especially the liver. These were supplied to me by Steffen Bunge who was inspired to share them after reading Eric Mullen’s feature story on burbot in Hooked Magazine. Steffen has been fishing for burbot for almost 40 years on both sides of the Atlantic. In Europe, Burbot is an absolute delicacy, particularly the liver. You can pay a lot for this in restaurants in the East and South of Germany, as well as parts…

MANITOBA Snow cover continues to hamper travel on many of our bodies of water in the province. Snow machine is still the preferred mode of transportation. In the eastern part of Manitoba, crappie are supplying some good action and great eating. Meantime don’t forget about the mighty burbot. This is the time of year when these fish become very active as they prepare for the spawn. They will also be moving a bit from their deep water haunts to shallower reefs and sandbars. Stay tuned for a three part post on the website next week that puts these great sportfish…

PONTOON BOATS ARE HOT SELLERS This is the time of year when people start thinking about purchasing a new boat. With the pandemic somewhat in the rearview mirror dealers are back to full inventories for the most part. If you have a cottage at the lake and family and friends you want to take out on the water, more and more people are looking at pontoon boats. Three years ago I got to spend time with my family fishing on one with friend Ralph Smart. Ralph owns and operates Prairie Pro Outfitters on Rafferty Reservoir in southern Saskatchewan. Ralph has…

MANITOBA Some sad news to start off this weeks Fishing Report. Long time guide, tournament angler and all around great guy Don “Sticky” Stokotelny of Dauphin passed away on Tuesday, February 3, 2026 at the age of 64 years. Don owned and operated Sticky’s Tackle store in Dauphin and I would often drop in on my way through to see how the fishing was in that part of the world. Don and his friend Bill Griffin were on one one of my first ever Complete Angler TV shows back in 1990 when we caught a bunch of walleye ice fishing…