Jumping Cracks on Lake Winnipeg

The spanish-named, Pacific-driven weather patterned that rule Manitoba's December left us with odd ice conditions on Lake Winnipeg.

No snow, ridges, cracks, open water have made for some tenuous travel.  Also large patches of extremely rough ice have left a few areas less than desirable to travel.

A few cms of snow the last couple of days was enough to take the new sled out. (Polaris Voyager 155, which is an icefishing beast)

Jumped some cracks, that were wider than expected but made a full scouting run.

We were rewarded with a good suspended bite on some big fish and lots for the pan.

Even managed to tempt a goldeye on a rattle bait!


Be safe out there, don't assume any ridge or crack is safe, test, travel in pairs, bring safety gear.

Getting involved

Sitting down with a cocktail following the first day of the MLOA (Manitoba Lodge & Outfitters) Convention had me wondering. Why aren't there more faces in the crowd?

I see this as a no brainer to be involved with. I'd just like to encourage my guiding/outfitting colleagues to take the time to be involved in similar groups in your jurisdiction. Having a group to be on top of the myriad of issues facing this industry and being an advocate for operators is invaluable. Trying to navigate these issues is a full time job and being present to be apart of the conversation is key.

Check out the MLOA website at MLOA

PS. 17" of ice on the westside of Lake Winnipeg. More reports to follow this week.

PPS. New sled is getting picked up Thursday...pumped. Westside Honda/Polaris took good care of me again on this. Great local dealer!

Saskatchewan whitetail

What a few days. Friend and Saskatchewan outfitter Greg Hamm from Bonequest Outfitters invited me out to see what hunting deer on the forest fringe in Saskatchewan was all about. After some insane scouting and prep, I arrived and we went through the Bone Show, made a wish list, checked the wind and a plan was formed.

This was the 7th buck that came into that stand. Unbelievable!

Keying in on Whitefish movements for big northern pike and lake trout

Fall has arrived at the 60th parallel, the birch trees show this in a new yellow cloak.
Geese are high in the skies riding north winds and water temps are dropping. This is a
time of year you can key in on water temps and fish movements to score big time.
As temps drop in the 50Fs whitefish and ciscos collect on windy shorelines or
 inflow/outflow in preparation for the spawn.

A couple days ago we did just this at the outflow of a medium sized lake.
Large pike and trout were stacked in 5' of water and looking for big meals.
Large herring and whitefish patterned flies (6" or larger) elicited vicious strikes
 from these predators. Working baits fast was key.

Manitoba's Offical Fish....

...and we chase 'em!

Walleye took on all challengers.  I like to think Greenbacks is what was meant!

Til next winter my emerald-sided friends. Time to enjoy the summer at Scott Lake Lodge

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/walleye-official-fish-of-manitoba-1.2650804

Has Spring made it to Lake Winnipeg?

Well for a few moments this past weekend, it sure felt like it. No jackets, no gloves and a few greenbacks...man we waited a long time for this March run.

Fishing was nothing short of spectacular. I had the right crew of guests who wanted big fish and were willing to sacrifice some numbers to key in on a big fish bite. Literally every bite we got was a giant!! These fish were going on live targets, psycho shads and spoons. Lake Winnipeg convention shows lots of movement this time of year. We fished the same spot 3 days in a row. Arrived drilled a bunch of holes and waited for the big girls to cycle through.

Burying a 20" extension on the auger with every hole. Pulling out a tracked Escalade stuck in 3' of slush and banner numbers of trophy fish, all under the sunny skies of March.

Where are you going on March break?

AYA Icefishing Derby Saturday March 8, 2014

Be sure to check out this event on Lake Winnipeg this weekend. The site is being plowed, the weather is warming up and I fished around the derby site....there are fish and big ones!

There are some incredible prizes and the event supports efforts to get young people involved in angling and the outdoors.


Tickets are still available at Pro Am Tackle, Winnipeg Sport and Leisure, Howard Johnson/Hat Tricks or at Chalet Beach Rd the morning of the derby.

 

A cool moment caught on film at Scott Lake Lodge

This is the sight some of our guests were treated to upon landing at one of the flyout lakes at Scott Lake Lodge. Hungry fish!

Stay tuned for more videos and a video contest. 14 guides with cameras for 100+ days turns up some crazy footage.

Conditions on Lake Winnipeg / Being an Icefishing guide

What a weekend....whiteouts, wind, deepfreeze and slush.

Despite mother nature's best efforts we still got out, got around and caught fish. Some damn nice greenbacks at that.

Anyone coming up to fish Lake Winnipeg....THERE IS SLUSH. Most often associated with ice ridges and rough ice but also elsewhere. With all the snow you cannot see the rough ice often times and this caused issues for some vehicles the last few days. Travel in groups, bring shovels and tow straps, ice anchors to winch yourself out and a charged cell phone.

After dealing with the weather, slush, breaking auger #6 for the season. We found fish deeper. Very strong suspended bite going on.

Snowy days on the Lake Winnipeg

Piles of new snow out on the lake make it a year to love tracks. With all the white stuff its almost time for 2 auger extensions. Fish are shallow in the mornings 7' under 42" of ice and are hitting rattle baits well. Midday sees them slide out deeper this is where my 2014 bait of the year shines. 1/8 oz blade spoon in pink glow. Tipped with a tail hooked live minnow. Rip a rattle bait to bring 'em in then let them eat the snack. Try fishing the same holes in the evening as you found fish in the morning, the fish seem to be cycling back through.

A new sight on Lake Winnipeg

A few people may have noticed something new at the Chalet Beach access point last weekend. Ron Walker was there in his food trailer Ronnie's.

This is a great stopping point for anglers coming on and off the ice on Lake Winnipeg. Hot drinks and food! Ron tells me he will be at the access weekends starting at 6am. As the weather warms up in March look for him during the week as well.


Fishing on Lake Winnipeg has continued to be good. The greenbacks are still in a neutral mood but they will come in and bite. Deadsticks and smaller jigging spoons are sealing the deal for the fish. Hot depths for me have been 7' and 14' (under the ice)

Downsizing for giant Lake Winnipeg greenback

Pretty well everyone you talk to has the same topic of interest....the damn winter weather. Its getting downright cold! Wind from all directions, fronts, vortices and cold. Any chance of the fish getting into a pattern? Not even close. This winter has even Lake Winnipeg walleye acting like, well, walleye. The arm wrenching strikes on targets have been missing the last few weeks. The fish are still in the area but a lot of lookers are showing up on the Vexilars. Time to downsize. And again. Finally we found what the fish are interested in eating. 1/8oz Clam Blade Spoons in pink/gold with a tailhooked live minnow.

When setting up the shack (because lets be honest there's not a pile of run and gun fishing in -40C) I drill 3 holes and use the center one for ripping a load rattle bait. The fish will still come in on this but want something more snack sized to chew.

Travel is tracks only now and extensions are the norm. 

Ice Team @ Tolen's Pelican Landing Resort on Lake of the Woods

I was lucky enough to be asked to help represent Ice Team at a contest giveaway from the St Paul Ice Show. 1 lucky winner was picked out of thousands of entries to head up to Tolens Pelican Landing on Lake or the Woods in Morson Ontario, with fellow Ice Team pro Jeff Andersen. Joining us were Clam Outdoors president Steve Geertsen, his son and contest winner Dustin and his father Bryce.

Like much of the ice belt, temperatures were brutally cold the previous couple of weeks, however luck was on our side as the weekend warmed up to near 0C. Perfect to run and gun to get after the myriad of species in this untapped area on Lake of the Woods, which in itself is the best multispecies freshwater fishery in the world.

Tolen's is the perfect base for mobile ice anglers running snowmobiles and portables. New cabins, a comfortable main lodge and access to great fishing. Robert and his family run an first rate camp. We made a amazing scenic run to chase lakers, walleye were found on any main lake point with a deep hole off it. Most surprising of all was the crappie bite. Slabs! we caught big numbers of fish in the 14-15" range. Actually we caught 11 species on the weekend and all on the 1/8oz pink Clam Blade spoon. Pink has long been my go to colour on the northern part of LOTW and it sure transferred here.

Bottom line, great fishing, company, and resort.