วีดีโอ

Yeah bud, moved a little over a year now. 🍁

Thanks, Just be aware that the fish was caught on the river and not the lake.

Yeah, but finding those active fish can be tricky.

Do you mean pieces of bait, or a live minnow? I have caught some with a spoon and bait but not yet the lipless and bait. Just need to get that first one to be convinced.

Thanks!

Thanks, still loads to explore.

the bay is a huge flat basin there's nothing down there but mud so you can pop a hole anywhere

It’s a big flat mud basin. Just drill a hole, check depth with a weight on a line, and head further from shore to reach deeper waters.

Like the other people said, there's not much to Lake Winnipeg. But it is a good question. I do use a depth finder to check how deep I am. But, often I will just randomly select a spot. Kind off a what feels like a good spot. There are also some hints and clues in the ice that people sometimes overlook. Big Cracks often form in the ice over drop-offs. That's a good place to try and fish. I do also spend time looking for depth maps of lakes and trying to use that as a guide to look for spot to set up. Back in Vegas I used Google Earth to look for lower water years to find structure, but that does not work here in Manitoba.

Yeah I should stop playing ring toss or corn hole with the fish. Need a different chair to make it easier to get to the hole. That is part of the problem is not having all the gear I need. I actually don't have a way to measure the ice depth nor the temperature. But thanks for bringing it to my attention, I will try and provide more info.

The general idea is that it is safe to drive on the ice with a car from 30cm or 12 inches. Trucks or pickups are 15 inches or more. On this day, the ice was more like 60 cm and the temperature was -20 Celsius or -4 Fahrenheit. I try to pick days with no wind as wind chill makes the temp feel worse. But it seems the wind is always blowing on lake Winnipeg.

That's true. We also have to remember that Canada is closer to the North Pole, where as South Africa is closer to the equator than the South Pole. And you need those cold temps for thick ice.

Thanks Ralph, we all know what I consider the best catch of my life. But I also have to say that I feel bad for taking the wife out on the ice. The female body just responds differently to the cold. No matter how much layers you have.

@ I’ll tell you what Vernon any woman that will go out on a boat. And fish all night and not have to relieve her bladder. That makes her super special. Yes my friend you hooked a good one.

Thanks Joe. The echoing and moaning I can stand, it's the random snaps and cracks that got me jumpy.

Yeah thanks Baffi. I will try and make it out to East Shoal lake this season. Witch is best east or west Shoal lake?

@ looking at the master angler Manitoba page, you can see the most recent submissions. It looks like West Shoal is the lake for big perch this year

I will indeed try Jordan. Is east or west Shoal Lake better?

Thanks. Well seasoned and spiced in a good broth...

Thanks Ralph. It is indeed a massive change with loads of new gear to acquire. But we will get there, slowly but surely we will get all the gizmo's and gadgets.

It may sound stupid, but that is really comforting to hear. Thanks.

Yellow Perch

That little heater is a game changer. It's the difference between braving the cold for a few hours, and being able to stay out a whole day. Highly recommended for Ice fishing.

Good to know, thanks. I thought that spot looked good. I did try some pink crappie jigs, but my have pulled the plug to early on that spot.

Yes indeed. I will try and make a video out there, still need to get my tiger trout. Just remember, I ain't no pro, so no guarantee that I will figure out Hunt Lake. But Thanks!

Yup, and good to have some fun and action. do you know what they are?

@@FinallyFishing hard to tell from the shots...possibly some kind of shiner. Could also be a juvenile trout. They usually look a bit different colour wise here in the Yukon at that age as well.

Just to be clear, the Bluegill was from Reynolds Ponds, they stock them there sometimes. And I have seen people calling smallmouth bass largemouth in Hunt Lake. But people often release or stock fish they shouldn't, and these bodies of water are close and connected...

@@FinallyFishing actually the province has never stocked any bluegill in any of the ponds there by “Reynolds ponds”. Province provides info of all recorded stocking events. Those were put there by people ignoring provincial regulations. I’m pretty sure thats the same way all the fish in the Lafarge pits showed up too

That might be the case, but when ever I am not sure, I won't claim it. The colors look like the Fine scale dace, but the scales don't look right. Next time I will try and take better photos.

@ do you have the “Freshwater Fishes of Manitoba” Book by Douglas Watkinson and Kenneth Stewart? If I catch something I can’t identify, I take a few closeup pics and use that book to compare

Yes I do, and I ain't no expert, but ask and you will receive. Check the next video.

Thanks Joe. It was a unseasonably warm 0 Celsius that day, still cold but better than the normal -20.

Thanks Ralph, and I don't know if she is luckier or better at fishing. But I did catch the biggest trout right at the end of the video, so maybe I won this one.

@ well I guess bigger is better as they say.

forceps but its super hard when they swallow it

@Streamerpluggy yeah it's difficult with anything when they swallow it. I just saw his big bulky pliers 😂

All true. I have found that the perch tend to move to the deeper warmer water in winter. That's why we wanted to try up shallow, as to not get a ton of small perch. As far a the pliers, I do use forceps most of the time. I just lost 5 of them this year while out fishing. That's 5 forceps and 3 measuring tapes. I'll be sure to stock up on some again.

Thanks! You too!

Thanks Richard! And it was well over 11 inches, but had an inch or 2 of snow on top.

Perch fishing is wild there. Big fish, and lots. Nothing like catching multiple masters in a day

Cool thanks Gabe. At some stage I will try and get Pb's and Masters, I will remember this spot for that. Thanks

Any time

@Gabe-d7o is the bite good on west shoal? I was trying east shoal a few weeks ago and only found one perch lol. Was just shy of 13”

@@FinallyFishing you can also access East Shoal, which is connected to west shoal, coming down 415 off #7 highway by teulon. It’s all perch and pike. And can head to North Shoal and it’s mostly pike. Province used to stock north shoal with pike in the 80’s, and tried stocking walleye in 2012. Floods from Lake Manitoba in 2011 filled the lakes with perch when the waters receded. Biggest perch in the record books were caught out of west shoal in the following years.

It's micro fishing, but hey, a fish is a fish.

Thanks Bud, let's hope for some good fishing for us both next year.

Thanks, I wish you the same!

Thanks, tight lines!

Happy new year! Let's see what 2025 has in store!.

It's only great because of my super fans! thanks for all the support.

Lol, doppelganger... another live... who knows?

Thanks for the kind words, I appreciate the support. Have a happy New Year Ralph!

Thanks, hope to bring you loads more!

Thanks Bud.

It has been a great year, Looking forward to an even better 2025!

Thanks Richard. The wife has not had many trips this year, but her favorite was the big Saugeye she caught at Lockport.

@@FinallyFishing That was indeed a good catch! 11th on my list of your best catches was your sculpin. Not very impressive sizewise, but definitely weird looking and worth a closer look.

Sound advice, thanks. I will look into getting a gear upgrade.

I am planning a couple trips to lake Winnipeg my self, so might just see you out there.

Awesome I’m going on Thursday would you like to come with us?

Thanks Gabe! It's great to hear from a fellow angler! If you ever see me out there, be sure to bring your dad over to say hi.

Nice, glad you can enjoy the videos. Now we just need to find the good fish.

I am excited about the ice fishing, just need to figure out how to get the fish and I promise you will see more.

Merry Christmas to you too Richard, and thanks for watching! More Ice to come.

Thanks Joe. I do try and pick good filming days for fishing, but that won't always be the case. The shelter does have some ice spikes and wind support ropes. So guess we will see if they work in the wind at some stage.