MANITOBA
There are currently two big concerns in both Manitoba and Saskatchewan and much of the Prairies. Heavy rainfall in the south and central parts of the prairies has caused widespread flooding. In some places you might be fishing out of your front porch. Meantime in the north wildfires are an issue since most have not received significant rainfall along with hot temperatures.
One positive out of all this is with high, fast water, fish hold tight to shore to get out of the heavy current. This means shore angling can be spectacular. That includes the mighty channel catfish that are gorging themselves right now in the Red and Assiniboine Rivers
For those of you who want to get away from the rain many of our northern lodges have been enjoying some spectacular fishing. I have been to Gunisao Lake twice in my life and both times the fishing has been spectacular. Nothing has changed for owner and friend Dusty Budd as his crew of top quality guides keep getting guests on trophy walleye. Check out this 30 inch monster caught by Kevin Jones of Minnesota!
NORTHWESTERN ONARIO
Jeff Gustafson continues to explore Sunset Country in Northwestern Ontario. He recently spent a couple days fishing The Winnipeg River.
“Got on a little adventure up north yesterday to Two Rivers Lodge on the Winnipeg River…we caught and bunch of walleyes and smallmouths on Ned rigs and swimbaits. Only my second time on this water but the fish were not hard to find! If you want to catch a bunch of fish, this place is as good as it gets.
The shore lunch remains undefeated!!!”
SASKATCHEWAN
Last week three friends and I headed to Kenosee Lake in eastern Saskatchewan for a four day adventure. We stayed at the Kenosee Inn and combined both fishing and golfing during our time there. Friend Wes David had told me about the area so we thought we would give it a try. There are two top notch golf course there, with Kenosee and White Bear.
Just down the road from the Kenosee Inn is a top quality boat launch and fish cleaning station. While we struggLed a bit early to find the walleye by the end of the trip we had them fine tuned. They were out from the week edges, on the mud flats feasting on the bug hatch that was happening. We ended catching them on jigs and minnows for the most part in 16 to 18 feet of water. All in all a great trip!
ALBERTA – WES DAVID, Host and producer of Fishing the Wild West TV
The North Saskatchewan River is loaded with a variety of fish species and is well known for its fishing. However, it is the lake sturgeon that swim within the North Saskatchewan River’s murky depths that draw many anglers to the river.
We were fishing with Nick, the owner of Lunkers Fishing Adventures, targeting the lake sturgeon.
Edmonton and the surrounding area have been hit hard this spring with record rainfall, and the river is at record highs. During our first day of fishing, we found lake sturgeon in sharp, deep cutouts along the shoreline. The lake sturgeon were holding tight to the shoreline in an effort to stay out of the fast river current. We were baiting a 3/0 Gamagatsu Octopus hook with nightcrawlers, two feet in front of a 10 oz weight. We were making short casts into the slower-moving water, which was about 8 to 10 feet deep, letting it rest on the bottom. It would take time, but lake sturgeon would find the bait. Whenever you saw a slight bounce in the rod tip, we would do a three-count and set the hook. Lake sturgeon of all sizes were caught and released as we watched the river rise and the debris floating downriver increase.
Boat & Dock Recovery
We spent the night in the Lunkers Fishing Adventures cabins, and on the second morning, we woke up to find the river had risen three vertical meters overnight. The water was darker than chocolate milk, moving fast, and massive amounts of debris littered the surface of the river. Just before we left the area where we had cell service, Nick received a text and phone call from the Edmonton police. The Edmonton Rowing Club’s dock had been ripped away, with four aluminum boats still tied to the dock. Also, the Edmonton Dragon Boat Racing Club had lost several of their dragon boats. This was all due to the drastic increase in the water level and the speed at which the water was moving. We were told that if we spotted them, we were to call it in.
Fishing was postponed as we shifted gears to boat and dock recovery. We found the Edmonton Rowing Club’s dock and boats. It is estimated that they floated 300 (river kilometres) from their home. However, with no cell service and the river moving fast, there would be no telling how far they would flow before someone was contacted and got there to deal with them. The four boats were chained and locked to the dock, so we had to take the boats and the dock as one rescue. We managed to push the boats/dock to the shoreline and, with a rope, secured the boats and dock to a large pine tree at both ends of the dock, where the Edmonton Rowing Club could retrieve their possessions once the river subsides.
It was a great reminder of how Mother Nature can get cranky, and a river can show no mercy.
