When you’re a trout angler, it’s important to love the truth that Manitoba’s large Lake Winnipeg, probably the greatest walleye fisheries wherever, and the best winter walleye fishery on Earth, lies smack dab in the midst of the province. Winnipeg’s recognition attracts consideration away from the extraordinary trout fishing alternatives present in each different nook of Manitoba. And these items come wrapped in so many great methods.
From far north fly-in alternatives for mammoth lake trout and football-shaped speckled trout, to a number of the finest central and southern drive-to waters for rainbow trout, brown trout, splake, and tiger trout, Manitoba is a trout fisherman’s dream.
Let’s not neglect, too, the wonderful number of methods you’ll be able to catch trout right here, together with all the pieces from trolling with downriggers and wire line outfits to casting with spinning, baitcasting and fly fishing gear. Then there may be the seasonality issue. You’ll be able to trout fish from early spring to late fall and all through the winter months.
Is that this loopy good or what?
Commercial
“With over 100,000 lakes, Manitoba is legendary for its far north fly-in fishing for lake trout and speckled trout,” says very long time information and provincial fishing marketing consultant, Ryan Suffron. “Gods River and Hayes River supply phenomenal speckled trout alternatives for each the fly fisher and hard-tackle fanatic. And should you head to the Hudson Bay shoreline, you may get in on a number of the most ultra-remote alternatives for each resident and sea-run specks. My favourite wilderness rivers are the Manihook, Mistikokan and Kaskattama.”
It’s humorous listening to Suffron extol the virtues of those spectacular speckled trout fisheries, as a result of so a lot of them lie adjoining to the province’s finest lake trout lakes. Huge Sand Lake, Nejanilini Lake, Kamuchawie Lake, Gods Lake , Bolton Lake and Kississing Lake have been on my “bucket checklist” for years. So now I’m questioning, how can I mix a visit to catch each species?
After I point out this to Manitoba information, Dave Kozyra, hoping he can assist me remedy my dilemma, he solely provides to the predicament.
“There is no such thing as a query the trout fishing is nice within the far north,” Kozyra says, “however remember in regards to the epic ‘nonetheless water’ alternatives you will discover a lot nearer to house.
“My favorite space is the Parkland Area of western Manitoba that’s plagued by fastidiously managed pothole-size lakes which are filled with trophy-size rainbows, browns, brookies, splake and even tiger trout. The variability and measurement of fish make it a marquee vacation spot for anglers from around the globe.”
Manitoba trout fanatic, Jon Hyrchuk nods his head in settlement, noting that splake, the distinctive speckled trout/lake trout hybrid is his favorite fish to catch within the Duck Mountains.
“Splake have the urge for food and ferocity of lake trout,” says Hyrchuk, “however they have an inclination to feed in shallower water, like speckled trout. That makes weed beds, beaver dams and beaver lodges nice spots to search for them.
“If I used to be to pick out two shows for splake, I might suggest jigging a four-inch white tube jig in the course of the winter months and casting or trolling a big crankbait in the course of the open-water season.”
Suffron, too, is a nonetheless water trout aficionado, confessing to a selected love affair with “large bows.”
“There is no such thing as a better problem than fly fishing for rainbow trout that exceed 26-inches in size,” says Suffron. “I have been lucky to land a number of over 29-inches within the southern a part of the province. The one hassle is the extra I catch, the extra they gasoline the hearth.”
Suffron targets the beautiful flaming crimson rainbows with full floating and intermediate sinking traces and presents his flies extraordinarily slowly.
“Lengthy leaders with a dropper fly and level fly maximize your success,” Suffron notes. “One other essential key’s finding the energetic a part of the water column, which is sort of at all times inside two ft of the underside. Varied micro and customary leech patterns take up nearly all of house in my fly field, however I additionally carry a token number of midge, caddis, scud and backswimmer patterns.”
Kozyra, then again, prefers spinning deal with to focus on Manitoba’s trout, noting that day in and day trip, you may catch extra and larger fish adopting the “maintain it easy” precept.
“I like casting 1/8- to 1/16-ounce white marabou and bucktail jigs round wind blown gravel shoreline, underwater factors, pencil reeds and any sunken wooden I can see,” says Kozyra. “I follow a 7-foot lengthy, medium-light-action rod and spool my reel with 8-pound check braid. I at all times tip the principle line with a 4 foot lengthy chief comprised of 6-pound check fluorocarbon line.”
When you do not assume it might get any higher than this, nicely, have I acquired information for you. The identical lakes that produce so many trophy trout within the open water season, ship up as many or extra within the winter months.
“The one hassle you could have within the winter time,” Kozyra chuckles, is deciding the place you wish to fish. There’s the Whiteshell to the east, the Parkland area to the west, the Turtle Mountains to the south and the Footprint area to the north.
“I particularly take pleasure in taking my spouse and youngsters ice fishing. I arrange a pop-up shelter and activate a small heater for them. Then I drill a few massive holes contained in the tent so we are able to watch the trout swimming round. Outdoors, I’ll drill some extra holes and set traces with bells connected. The youngsters love working round because the bells begin jingling. Each winter they catch some wonderful trout and make recollections that may final a lifetime.”
