Author: Don Lamont

Manitoba may not immediately come to mind when talking about smallmouth bass. The big three of walleye, lake trout, and northern pike receive most of the press around these parts. World-class channel catfishing and stillwater trout fisheries are also highly regarded in this province, and rightfully so. But in the ever-growing global obsession with all things bass, Manitoba is a hugely untapped landscape. The Keystone province is home to a host of lakes and systems with solid populations of Master Angler smallmouths. ‘Bigguns’ regularly surpassing the trophy benchmark of 4lbs are abundant in our various waterways. The following are just a…

No that wasn’t a typo. While Falcon Lake is indeed one of the top destinations in Eastern Manitoba to catch fish, you can also literally ‘cash’ fish on any given trip all year round. The Falcon Lake Tagged Fish Contest is a unique opportunity for anglers to hook a tagged fish and win some big-time prize money. In 2017, ahead of the annual Falcon Lake Winter Fish-Off, I helped Ian Young owner of Faloma Beach Marina catch and tag three northern pike at the west end of the lake. Two of the tags are worth $1000 each with the other…

It was late May when Hooked publisher Kevin Stobbe, Garther Cheung, (Big China) Ryan Montgomery and I headed up the east side of Lake Winnipeg to Sasaginnigak  Lodge on the first fly in trip of the year. My only visit to this popular angling destination was back in 1993 so I was not sure what to expect as we drove to the St Andrews Airport for our flight in. It didn’t take us long to find the brand new Northway Aviation terminal. This huge building was a beehive of activity, people waiting for a number of different flights to all…

With the ice season now closed in the southern division of Manitoba, many folks are packing up the ice gear and getting ready for open water. For those willing to drive, there are plenty of destinations within the province with reasonable accommodations and stellar fishing near by. I’ve just returned from five days of fishing up at Cross Bay on Cedar Lake and I can assure you that there is still plenty of ice and snow up that way. Pike, burbot and whitefish were our target species while up there and when using an underwater camera we spotted more than…

On the Cisco Hunt One of the impressive features of the Manitoba Master Angler program is the incentive it supplies for anglers to try for qualifying fish of different species. Anglers must work extremely hard to catch all 30 of the qualifying species listed in the program.  Only four anglers have managed to register all 30 in the history of the program! https://youtu.be/H-N0xDlyFlo Over the last forty years I have caught my share of qualifying fish, but I stopped entering years ago. It just wasn’t something that really motivated me. I just love to get out on the water, whatever…

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…

EDITORS NOTE:  In the 2018 Manitoba Anglers Guide the province came out with the following insertion in the regulations on page 10: “Winnipeg River between the Manitoba/Ontario border and the Pine Falls Generating Station – closed to lake sturgeon fishing all year.” This has many guides and anglers upset. Biologist Ken Kansas, who has done years of research on the sturgeon population in this section of the river, offers some solutions to the closure. Confusion corner on the water. Back in the early nineties, a Conservation Closure was implemented by the Manitoba Government to protect critically low populations of Winnipeg River lake sturgeon…

The Mid Canada Boat Show  runs Thursday March 1 – Sunday March 4 and has got over 135,000 sq ft on the 3rd floor of the RBC Convention Centre with everything you need for summer fun – the newest boats and motors, from the top manufacturers and suppliers in the industry. BUY YOUR TICKETS ONLINE HERE The Hook & Bullet Show has taken over the entire 2nd floor. If you are a hunter or angler you will want to check this out. One ticket, two shows! Something for all.  Fishing and Hunting Equipment and Supplies Manitoba Wildlife Federation Member Suppliers…

It’s a constant grind on the FLW Tour. For those pursuing their dream of becoming the champion of the Forrest Wood Cup, tournament anglers understand the commitment involved. It’s a long winding road, that starts in Florida and covers an number of states as far north as Michigan. The weather changes, the competition is intense. Three Canadians have been making an impact on the FLW Tour over the last three years. This past week, two of them, came through on the big stage once again. Chris Johnston and his brother Cory from Ontario have been pushing the envelope on the…

For anyone who ice fishes for trout, if it isn’t already in your tackle bag, one thing you must have are white tube jigs. They are an absolutely dynamite bait for winter trout, and something that just about all trout can’t resist.  They are one of my go to baits for lake trout, stocked rainbows and splake, and even slightly smaller tubes for whitefish. Here are a couple quick tips to make your tube jigs even more effective. When jigging, I’ll often jig with a bare tube, and don’t really feel a minnow is always necessary. If fish are being…