Fishing Stories
Fly Fishing in Manitoba
by Don Lamont
PARKLAND TROUT HIT PRIMETIME
For those who would like to come and have a chance to catch a monster in the thirty inch range, biologist and avid angler Ken Kansas recommends the “Parkland four pack”. That means a collection of
flies that represent the forage available to these fish; minnows, backswimmers, scuds and leeches.
“There are two kinds of trout lakes in Manitoba’s Parkland” says Kansas “and each required a different management approach.”
“The more pristine, oligotrophic lakes of the Duck Mountains are cool and clear due to elevation and semi-solitary confinement from human activity (Childs, Laurie, Gull, Glad, Perch, East and West Blue, etc.)
The other types are the eutrophic, mountain periphery lakes south and west of the Duck and Riding Mountain escarpments (Twin, Spear, Tokaryk, Patterson, East and West Goose).
These lakes are generally shallower, warmer and subsequently more productive than the upland lakes. What this essentially means is both kinds of lakes grow huge trout. The periphery lakes just do it faster!”
In other words, thirty inch fish are a reality.
MASTER ANGLER RECORDS
If you really want to get an idea of the size of the stocked trout in Manitoba, just go online and visit the Master Angler All Time Records at Travel Manitoba.
The Parkland region of Manitoba is not the only region in Manitoba that has stocked trout lakes. In fact, they are scattered throughout the province and most are stocked on an annual basis. The Manitoba Fly Fishers Association in cooperation with Manitoba Fisheries has produced a pamphlet that lists 100 drive to trout lakes in Manitoba. Included is a numbered map with lake locations, including GPS coordinates. This map is available through Travel Manitoba and select tackle stores throughout the province.
Fly fishing has also gained incredible popularity among those fishing for other species, especially pike. Many of the lodges across Manitoba offer fly fishing packages for pike and other species like lake trout. Some of the biggest pike caught every year in Manitoba are caught fly fishing, some over the magic fifty inch mark. Salt water flies are a good choice when fishing for large pike because of the heavy duty hooks they come with.
NON TRADITIONAL SPECIES
More and more fly fishers in this province have discovered the challenge of trying to land a Manitoba Monster channel catfish on a ten weight fly rod in heavy current. Many wade below the dam in Lockport, casting to current eddies that hold monster fish in the thirty pound plus range. This type of fishing requires a stout fly rod and heavy duty equipment in order to have any hope of landing these fish. In the eastern part of Manitoba, including the Whiteshell and Nopiming Provincial Parks, smallmouth bass thrive, growing to Master Angler proportions of three pounds or better. In Manitoba, fly fishers are only limited by time and their imaginations!
