Author: Don Lamont

Friend Don “Sticky” Stokotelny loves to fish lake trout in the summer. One of his favourite destinations is Clearwater Lake in The Pas.  Last week he and his daughter headed up for a couple of days to enjoy both the weather and the fishing. Sticky says they found the lake trout positioned at the 50 foot level slamming into 5 inch ciscoes. By ripping spoons through them the two  had a day to remember with double headers the norm. He says they lost track of the number of fish landed. He was able to stay on the fish by using…

For years anglers from all over the world have been coming to Manitoba to experience firsthand what it’s like to fight a Master Angler channel catfish. Two of my friends from Saskatchewan finally decided this June to strike it off their bucket list. When the big day arrived so did the heat. The forecast high for June 2nd was 34 Celsius, a hot day in any angler’s book. We had overnighted at the family cottage in Gimli and headed south to launch at Selkirk Park. In no time we were anchored below Lockport with four lines in the water tipped…

Every year people associated with the recreational fishing industry worldwide stream to Orlando in July to see all the latest products that are available at ICAST (put on by the American Sportfishing Association). Publisher Kevin Stobbe and I arrived in Orlando Tuesday afternoon to view the latest products in the industry and to take part in a series of meetings with key manufacturers. On Tuesday night as accredited media we got to participate the in the New Product Showcase and vote on the products we thought were both innovative and would help improve the angling experience. On Wednesday we visited…

Nobody really knows what kind of impact the explosion of Zebra Mussels will have on the walleye population in Lake Winnipeg. People who use the beaches on the south end of this mighty lake have already felt their sharp bite. I am one of those, cutting my feet twice while swimming off the beach in Gimli last summer. It has also changed the water visibility in the lake a lot, more as you head north from the mouth of the Red River. My wife and I were up at Hecla Island in late May to enjoy a mini holiday. While…

Early last week Publisher Kevin Stobbe and I got to spend a day on the Winnipeg River with top bass pro Jeff “Gussy” Gustafson. Jeff was in between tournaments on the Fishing League World circuit (FLW) and wanted to get a little practice in on some river smallmouth before he left for the last tournament on this year’s circuit. It is being held on the Potomac River outside of Washington D.C. this weekend. Gussy needs a good finish to qualify for the Forrest Wood Cup for the second year in a row. He is currently in 41st place. We…

Flying over northern Manitoba, dropping into a remote lake, and to think how insignificant you are on this landscape, it can feel intimidating. I was lucky enough to visit this lodge more than once, catching trophy walleye and northern, seeing my first woodland caribou, and witnessing a bear fight between a black and cinnamon phase. This trip played out a bit different. I was a kid, scared by the wilderness, almost angered at how it is unforgiving. We started to salivate as the boat approached the group of islands, in anticipation of the traditional shore lunch. There was something wrong.…

With the open water angling season now upon us, so too begins the annual competitive fishing calendar in this part of the country. No sooner than the exact day the season commences in southern Manitoba, does the very first tournament of the year take place on Falcon Lake. This long running annual event hosted by the Manitoba Bass Anglers aims to crown the two-person team that can weigh-in the heaviest bag of early season smallmouth bass. And on and on it goes almost every single weekend in Central Canada right through past Thanksgiving Day well into the month of October.…

To the new millennium and beyond, the Whiteshell Hatchery continues to produce and deliver hundreds of thousands of Trout and millions of Walleye fry to the various regions throughout Manitoba. All this under a steadily decreasing budget and ageing infrastructure. These challenges were severe, which included annual operating budget cuts that scraped to the bone. This resulted in smaller trout and distribution costs that had to be offset by other regions and user groups as well. But, they still produced, the old white distribution truck heading on down the highway. THE TROUT – THE SOURCE The Whiteshell Hatchery annually produces…

When the days are long and time frees itself, there are few places I would rather be than floating down a river on a kayak. With dozens of rivers across the prairies, one doesn’t have to go far to launch a kayak and get fishing. Your body the motor, food and fluids the fuel, skill level and safety almost the only constraints (barring unseasonably high water levels). Often minimal effort is involved, except for the occasional portage or upstream paddle to repeat a drift and the mind is free to wander where it may. Meandering from point A to point…

The hunt of a lifetime! When Hooked writer John Toone and I got asked to go on a sandhill crane hunt by Paul Conchatre of Birdtail Waterfowl, we had no idea what to expect. I had grown up hunting geese and ducks in southwestern Manitoba but sandhills hadn’t been an option. Since the early 60’s, the population of these prehistoric birds has risen steadily in this part of the world to the point now there is an open fall season. Sandhills didn’t survive millions of years by being dumb, so hunting them is an exhilarating challenge. Luckily, over the course…