Howdy Briank! The action should continue to be strong.
Last year, Feb./March were great! Lake Winnipeg was absolutely magic and with any good fortune it will be again this spring as well. I said I was heading out on the lake ther other day. Unfortunately strong winds deterred us and we put in a morning on the Red instead! Are plans are to hit the lake tomorrow morning, hopefully the wind doesn’t kick up again!
If it’s possible, try and make it up here a little on, I don’t think that you’ll be disappointed!

Todays action was not fast & furious, but it was productive for those that paid their due’s!
Personally I stunk with little (two small ‘eyes) to show for the effort, however others faired much better including one of my longtime fishing bud’s Eso! The fish he’s holding was just a hair under twenty eight inches but it was still a trophy in his eyes!
The boys from Mn. also faired well, today they managed two trophies, one at 9.1 pounds and the other at 8.5 pounds. They’re were also a number of ‘eyes from 1 1/2 to 7 pounds range caught by this group. For the record, every fish over twenty inches was safely released, including those trophies!
we’re heading back to the same spot tomorrow morning, once again I’ll post the outcome!

No doubt Ripper, 36″ is a piggy! This fishery has all the potential to produce something really exceptional, I would never rule out a twenty pounder.
We started off slow today and only had two smaller ‘eyes and two goldeye after a three hour session. We decided two relocate about six miles south and are we glad we did, good call TC! In the course of four hours, we ended up icing sixteen ‘eyes, the largest was an honest eight!
I invited a group of nine guys from Mn. to join us and although they never iced anything real big, they were catching their share! We left them around 4:00 pm so I don’t know how they ended up. We’re all planning to hit his area again in the morning and I’m feeling very otimistic!
I’ll post tomorrow’s outcome, good or bad!

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Here’s some pictures.

I guess I should have been a little descriptive as too where we are fishing, my fault! The area I’m reffering too is north of Lockport/Selkirk, in other words on the Canuck side of the 49th!
The ice conditions are perfect, only about twelve inches. Another blessing this year is the river isn’t covered with deep snow, this makes getting around a lot easier.
Walleye are being caught on a wide selection of jigs as well as lures, Chubby Darters have been very productive.
The largest ‘eye thus far was caught (and released) last week, it measured 36 inches and weighed 16.5 pounds No doubt that’s a serious walleye, I’m waiting for someone to crack a twenty

I’m pleased that you had mentioned the Rainy river. Two years ago, a long time buddy of mine Don Lamont and I were planing a trip over to the Rainy. The spring bite was hot and we wanted a piece of the action. We decided to do the smart thing and call over there before making the trek.
Glad we did, the feedback we were given was that the bite was finished. The reason! You guessed it, spring run-off had begun and the water discolored. Look what happens to the walleye bite on the mighty Miss. when she takes on excessive water discoloration!
When this portion of the Red decides to make ice, she makes ice. During an “average” winter, with normal temperatures, ice can get as thick as three feet. Some years we have to use extensions on our augers.

Walleye are the most sought after species during the fall and winter, sauger would rank number two.
The Red also offers excellant pike opportunities during the hard water season! For the most, old toothy doesn’t generate to much enthusiasm, with the locals. On any given day, you could realistically catch a twenty pond plus, the potentials are that good!
As for old whiskers thru the ice! Not really, for the most part they become very lethargic during winter months. I would have to say that those that are caught (which is few and far between) thru the ice, are incidental. They simply become inactive, kind of like an old bear!
Immediately after spring break-up, old whiskers puts on a completely different game face! If this face could be translated into a single word, I would call it, “trouble”.
Trouble for the other fish, that happen upon old whiskers!
I kid you not, these bad boys come fully loaded to the dinner table. The pre-spawn bite,(May thru mid June) goes around the clock. During this period, it could best be described as “TOTAL MAYHEM” on the Red!

Fish Hard!

Stu McKay

It’s a shared opinion, that the main reason fish grow tp such proportions in lake Winnipeg is food orientated. There are many different forage species in the big lake. Sisco, tullibee, a number of shinner species, when the emerarld shinner being the most common and the list goes on and on.

More recently, the self-introduction of rainbow smelt, is now part of this ecology. We all know what this means for

big predators like walleye, northern and catfish, they’re

only going to benefit in the long run.

There could be many reasons, as to why lake Winnipeg produces, but if were truthful, no one really knows for sure! Personally, I kind of like it that way.

Stu

Cats On The Red