Author: Joel Wiebe

It is with immense sadness that we announce the passing of one of the Hooked team of writers. Joel Wiebe penned many stories over the years for us. All had to do with his love for fly fishing. None embodies his passion better than the one he wrote for the 2021 fall Issue of Hooked. As you will read below Joel felt a special relation with this part of the world. Joel’s funeral will be held Thursday September 15th. You can read more about Joel and his life here. DREAMING OF THE DUCKS – BY JOEL WIEBE THE ROAD…

TOO HOT! TOO FUN! I made the promise. The one that is so dreaded to keep this early in the season. “I will only fish one day this weekend, probably Sunday.” I was excited to explore a Nopiming lake that I had not fished before but was a touch anxious about rock hazards. I fired off some text messages to a friend. He kindly sketched out the reefs on a Google map image and teased me with a picture of a smallmouth bass with a deerhair popper in its mouth. In passing he mentioned he’d be banking Sunday to get…

UNCONVENTIONAL BUT WHO CARES It was the winter of 2009, in my second semester of university. I was tucked away in a dark corner of the campus basement, when the urge was starting to resurface.  Again, I caught myself flipping through tabs on the internet of all the local fishing forums. And then I came across it, an idea so far-fetched I was destined to fall for it. The thread was titled ‘Fly fishing the Red River.’ Scrolling through the photos of drooping bellied channel catfish was enough to convince me, “I need that!” The better part of me spoke…

CARP CRASH COURSE On the walk back from the water I often overhear anglers whispering amongst their group, “That guy was fly fishing,” as though I was a celebrity or perhaps an alien from an alternate dimension. I try to eavesdrop on the conversation that ensues. “What is that?” Someone else explains, “Fly fishing is when you float an insect or fly on top of the water” and gestures with flailing arms how to fly cast. Out of nowhere one of the anglers stops me “Hey, do you fish in British Columbia?” A little baffled, I respond, “Not often, I…

EARLY SEASON TROUT Stocked trout lakes remain fair game year long. Be it through the sheet of ice, or through the first pockets of water opening up as the ice rots away. For die hard fly fishers and trout-bums an April ice-off is the first remedy to the lingering cabin fever. This spring does not look too promising. As I am writing this, the cold April morning has once again brought with it a layer of fresh snow. Well, there is no better time to look through old photos and journal logs. The memories start to flood back, and that feeling of anticipation begins to mount…   MEMORIES ARE MADE OF THIS We crest the hill, and there is that familiar vista I’ve come to love. A small reed-lined bay to the left, a large island in the distance and a parking lot…

The Early Years Like many young anglers in Manitoba, I grew up fishing a healthy dose of Len Thompson spoons, pickerel rigs, and gummed up jigs left over in Dad’s tackle box.  As years passed, gaudy push button reel combos were upgraded with spin reel setups. When I was old enough to carry a wallet I started purchasing more expensive lures for my own tackle box. At some point in my teens the routine pike and walleye fishing lost its allure. I was curious about other species and eager to learn different tactics. Being opportunistic I poked around the local…