Editors Note: This weeks report is a bit limited due to travel and other work. Meantime Wes David is down at ICAST IN Orlando this week and has the all the latest
Hope you are enjoying a break in the hot weather. Great time to be on the water.
MANITOBA
Cannel catfish are still suppling some solid fishing especially at night during the hot days of summer.
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.
What makes this fishery so spectacular? Smart management is mostly the reason. Back in the early 90’s Manitoba decided to protect this fishery by not allowing anglers to keep a channel catfish over 24 inches. This stopped the harvest of large fish and secured the longevity of this trophy fishery.
In 2012 research money became available to fund a tracking study for these valuable predators. Enter Mark Pegg and the University of Nebraska. In three years Mark and his students have put spaghetti tags on 15,000 catfish.
Since then this research has expanded to include the Department of Fisheries and Oceans as well as the Manitoba Fisheries Department. There was a huge grant from the Fisheries and Wildlife Enhancement Fund ($116,000) to Manitoba Fisheries to buy acoustic tags and receivers to constantly monitor catfish movements for the next six years. This was matched by DFO who have laid a network of acoustic receivers throughout the south basin of Lake Winnipeg, even into part of the north basin as well as the Red River. Walleye and big mouth buffalo along with lake sturgeon have since been added to the list. It all means that we are finally getting hard data about fish movements, recaptures and overall fish populations that will allow fisheries managers to make proper decisions in the future.
Here is one piece of information that will blow your mind. In Netley Marsh alone there are is one catfish per square metre! That’s right, one fish per square metre! Now most of these are small catfish just over half a metre in length but it shows you how incredible the population is. Close to Lockport the size of the catfish increase and the density of fish over 66 mm. (26 inches) is 3,000 per river kilometer. No wonder the fishing is so spectacular.
It is never too old to start fishing for these massive, hard fighting predators. Check out the beauty Shirley Johnston caught while fishing with grandson at Lockport.
ICAST FISHING REPORT – WES DAVID. FISHING THE WILD WEST TV
The doors opened at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida, for ICAST 2025 at 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday, July 16th, and the event ran through Friday, July 18. I must admit, even with a Nexus card, travelling to the event felt different this year. With the political world turned upside down, and the crazy rumours and social media propaganda about foreigners in the U.S., I didn’t walk through U.S. security as confidently as I did during my last entry into the U.S. However, I had no issues entering and exiting the U.S. and even had a brief conversation about ICAST and walleye fishing with the U.S. security agent.
I look forward to attending ICAST every year. For me, it is exciting to see the newest fishing products, and in many cases, some of these products haven’t been released yet, so attendees are seeing many products for the first time. Other products are very familiar to anglers but have been approved or modified in one way or another. Everything from freshwater fly-fishing to saltwater fishing is under one roof.
Thousands of products are on full display, but I won’t be able to write about them all. However, there are always two or three products that stand out.
Gamakatsu
Last year, during ICAST 2024, Gamakatsu, one of the world’s leading manufacturers and inventors of fishing hooks and a variety of other fishing tackle, was excited to release its new line of hooks, the Nano Alpha technology. Although the new hooks were released at ICAST 2024, due to popular demand, Gamakatsu has expanded and released more lines of hooks featuring the same technology.
Gamakatsu and the Nano Alpha technology are now designed in every size, for every fish species and fishing technique, including saltwater species. After years of hook manufacturing and designing, one could argue that a hook is a hook. However, that’s just not true. The Nana Alpha technology is two times slicker than traditional hook finishes. How does the finish of a hook translate into your fishing?
The slicker finish allows for a quicker and more positive hookset, resulting in increased hook-up ratios and a more positive experience on the water. The Nano Alpha technology is also four times more corrosion-resistant than traditional finishes and is something saltwater anglers have been asking for.
Corrosion can weaken and dull hooks, which affects your hookset and ability to land fish. The additional coating provides four times the corrosion resistance over standard hook plating which prolongs the life of the hook. It also ensures the hooks maintain their peak sharpness and performance in both freshwater and saltwater conditions.
Aqua-Vu
Aqua-Vu is well-known as the industry leader in underwater cameras. Their cutting-edge technology provides anglers and underwater explorers with real-time viewing of what’s happening below the surface. Whether you’re an angler, underwater photographer, or researcher, Aqua-Vu has a portable handheld system to meet all your needs. However, Aqua-Vu has now expanded above the surface of the water.
During ICAST 2025, Aqua-Vu released the Captain, the ultimate 4K LCD and dual-camera system. The unit is compact and designed for outdoor power sports, utility vehicles, and anything else where you need a line of sight. The unit features CarPlay, Android Auto, GPS, and wide-angle HD cameras. The Captain delivers unmatched visibility and smart connectivity in any environment. It comes with recording capabilities and a built-in micro-SD card slot for easy video capture and playback, allowing you to re-watch or share your adventures. The unit can also be used for security purposes. The Captain is the ideal unit for outdoorsmen/women looking for easy and portable plug-and-play display camera systems with universal 12V compatibility.