Author: Don Lamont

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…

Despite the poor weather all last week, the open water fishing season has arrived in some sections of Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario. Fishing for trout in Manitoba is allowed all year and in Northwest Ontario, some species like pike and smallmouth remain open all year in certain areas. Make sure you check regulations. Both the Manitoba Anglers Guide and the Ontario Fishing Regulations are online. I have both downloaded on my phone in case I need to look up a certain region or lake I want to fish. Since water temperature and current flow is a key at this time…

As we wait for the transition from frozen to open water, it’s time to go through the tackle and clean up the boat. I always like to spend time looking up new tackle on the market and planning some of my fishing adventures for the open water season. Over the years my use of live bait has diminished to almost zero. There are isolated situations when I will use a leech or nightcrawler, but those have become extremely rare. Recently I took a tour of our local tackle retailers in Winnipeg to see what new plastic lures were on the…

Anglers in southern Manitoba always look forward to the last two weeks in March. While ice conditions can be a bit tricky, usually the fishing is very good, not to mention the weather. Friends and I managed to get out last week before the season closed. We had originally planned to hit Lake Manitoba but when we arrived on the south shores of the lake, a couple of other anglers came over to talk to us. They warned us not to head out unless you wanted to get stuck. Seems there was a double layer of ice with slush in…