troutologist

Really cool video...plus some great Canadian tunes

Offering guided icefishing trips on famed Lake Winnipeg for trophy greenback walleye. A variety of packages available to suit the needs of individuals or groups up to 12 people. On ice transportation provided. New, top of the line products supplied to ensure your trip is comfortable and successful Clam shelters, Mr Buddy Heaters, Vexilar Electronics, Clam/St Croix rod/reels, along with hot lures and bait. Safety and first aid equipment is always along as are navigational aids to safely get to and from the fishing spots. Insured, licensed, trained in wilderness 1st aid. Other trips available for lake trout or trophy rainbow and brown trout in Manitoba and NW Ontario. Jason Hamilton [email protected] 204-797-6616

At least you guys get to debate steelhead rods with a chance to fish for them....damn you prairies. The St Croix Wild River 8-10'6 have been my gear, bouncing, plug fishing rods of choice, they will work in a pinch for float fishing too. On another note I would watch the heck out of a video of anyone spey casting with a baitcaster.

Quick strikes with 2 trebles are certainly legal in MB. I was weighing the fish for the event....a 12lb northern won 10K yesterday....quite a turnout. I helped drill the holes all 3760 of them Friday then had to reopen them Saturday am....who needs the gym. This is a great event with a lot of fish caught each year. The $50K "hidden weight" prize was missed by a few ounces.

Steve has a lot of cool sites that he highlights in the show. One of the longest running outdoor shows right now. I get the opportunity to compare notes on arctic travel with him every so often...always a blast. Keep an eye out for some of the new shows, they are also on WildTv....might even see me uglying up the place.

Fish slid out a bit deeper today. I had a couple of great guests out and we didn't catch huge numbers but got a few BIG fish. Rattle baits were king today. This was the biggest greenback I've seen this year. I even managed a nice one for my only fish today....can't answer the phone with me around. Been waiting all year for March on the ice...good way to kick things off.

This weekend was great on the big lake, the weather was warm, winds were less than gale force and a recent blizzard had smoothed out a lot of the bumps and drifts on the lake. Although stay away from permanent shacks...drifts on the south side of these were nearing 5'...could be dangerous in not paying attention. Saturday I was with a group fishing under a special permit to fill up the Mid Canada Boat Show Lund Mega Tank, Manitoba Fisheries granted a special permit to retain these fish for educational purposes at the show next weekend. Through a lot of hard work by a number of folks this venture is pulled off every year in fine form and fish handling and health is paramount. We concentrated on 8-10' of water under the ice, which is approaching 48" in many locations. Rattle baits were the ticket and saw a number of fish come in super aggressive, like lake trout, chasing the bait all over the water column. Around noon the bite slowed to a crawl, fish were still looking but less interested in eating. Downsizing to a 1/4 and 1/8oz Lindy Frostee spoon tipped with a minnow head iced a few more fish before we called it a day mid afternoon. March is going to be on fire on Big Windy, if you are considering catching the fish of a lifetime, this is the time to do it, as warmer weather facilitates mobility...which will make you successful.

I ran the 1725 pro guide and loved it, I found the 1825 hull to be a little faster . Beat mine up for 3 years and nary an issue. Even with the 90hp I never found an issue with the tiller and no hydraulic steering.

I feel for you Bill. I am waiting on a complete rebuild or new engine. Bearings let loose and blew up both cylinders....sleds = $

There is a lake right at Morden MB Minnewasta that has crappies and is easy to access. Beyond that I would suggest the Red River if confined to using a truck. If you have a sled you should get out on Lake Winnipeg.

Going outside the fishing industry would be my biggest suggestion. Locally I am involved in a number of events each year, most of them charity or fundraising type events. However, they are big business, 10K 1st prize or boats etc. With a number of events and a number of groups going to the same well for support all the time, budgets get too thin and this causes confilcts between groups. Broaden your search initially if it grows your sales pitch to fishing companies becomes easier.

South shore Strawberry Island, near Lutsle'Ke, 35 feet...she lives there...seen here 2x...biggest laker I've ever seen.

Tragic loss of a great guy way too soon. A lot of the companies (like Clam) don't offer floatation as the process to get it approved by Coast Guard is extremely long and costly. Advertisiing floatation also opens up a liability issue. Thoughts go to those he left behind.

I have the Nanook Thernal and have nothing but glowing recommendations for it. The new quick clips make setup/take down very easy. Its been on the ice almost 30days this winter and no signs of wear. If I can tow it 10km across Lake Winnipeg in -30c it is decently tough.

What a blast this weekend was. Started predawn on Saturday chasing lakers on NW Ontario and managed a few good ones. We brought shacks but never set them up and were constantly on the move. Fishing flats and the mouths of bays were hot. Tubes and Darters were on the menu. Follow this up with a Sunday morning fish on Lake Winnipeg. Caught a few greens and kept a few for a nice fish fry tonight. (reward for the tough weekend of fishing) The fish were all caught on rattle baits but we had to down size to get them to hit, very odd mix of aggressive but finicky.

All reports about the Ion are excellent so far. I do hear that the battery should come off and be kept warm in -20c or below to ensure long life that day. I will be using on next year for early ice and different applications. Still need the 10" 3hp for Lake Winnipeg.

Short answer...yes, because high quality eggs are more likely to survive early life stages when natural mortality is higher. Long (short) answer...some many variables. Environmental conditions, food availability etc. The reason a lot of slots protect "spawners" (say 18-22") is there are simply more biomass of these fish in any given population, and will contribute overall more to the reproductive capacity of the population.

Read an interesting article about waterfowl populations being affected by increases in corn production which in turn reduced other food crops and reduced CRP land across the prairies as the drive to produce more corn arose. Always domino-like effects...

There is some merit to older fish being important to the reproductive capacity of the population. There is a point at which numbers of eggs peak, however older fish with more fat reserves tend to product higher quality eggs. This means (or could mean) offspring that have better yolksacs and are able to grow quicker etc. Lots of literature available for pretty well any species out there.

Can't beat early ice. The fish will come!

Been out for a few years now...just let me know what you're coming! Heading out on L Wpg in the truck for the 1st time tomorrow after some greenbacks...can't wait, scouted today and theres a solid 14-16"

Interesting reel, this is my first time trying one out and had a blast. It certainly adds to the challenge of fighting the fish.

Ya not exactly what you think about in MB, a program called FLIPPR is responsible for creating a world class still water trout fishery in the western portion of the province. Lots of hard work goes into keeping these lakes viable for trout (e.g. aeration)

Wow! When did basketballs enter the food chain?

It does have a drag system, but it is fairly light, I believe mostly designed for panfishing. I backed it right off and did my best to keep up with these bullets.