Fly Fishing Reports for 2023
To save time and to have pleasant, fly fishing stuff to do in the winter, I have just made one large report.
As I didn’t go to Florida and it was a long winter, My first report is not until May.
1. May 14th Secret trout creek
If I am going to wait this long to fish, better make it a good one! Lots of walking and small trout to get the cob webs out.
2. Manigotagan River May 22nd
A couple hours north, in the middle of nowhere for bass, pike and red fin suckers.
3. Manigotagan River May 28th
Go to the same place twice in a row? Well give the sucker runs and presence of big female bass is temporary, get will the getting’s good!
4. Secret Creek June 18th
Pretty much Father’s day fly fishing
5. Pine River Manitoba June 30th
1st day on a 9 day trip. First stop is the lower crossing of the Pine river. No fish really but beautiful shots from my drone.
6. Pine River Manitoba July 1st
Canada Day Fly Fishing For Native Brook trout!
7. Goose River Manitoba July 2nd
Near Cranberry Portage. Took a while to get a feel for the place. Managed a sucker and to crash my drone. It was retrieved and flew fine!
8. Goose River July 3rd
We explored the lower Goose River searching for the Brook Trout.
Then headed back up closer to the canyon.
When you’re the trip photographer, getting pictures of your own fish can be a challenge.
Not much chance to get a night sky photo on this trip
9. Goose River July 4th
Repeat
Stu Trying for a resting pike in the shallows.
When we say it’s a one fly situation, it means the fly lasts one fish.
10. Barbe Lake July 5th
Is it pronounced Barb or Barbie?
Stocked Trout Brookies and Rainbows
I took only a couple of photos of landed fish as I was counting on my GoPro Footage to cover the rest but the GoPro 11 defaults to HVEC format and that is a whole layer of processing. Suffice it to say I caught quite a few big trout both Brookies and Bows
11. Barbe Lake July 6th
The rest of the group did a day trip into Amphipod Lake I returned to Barbe.
Again, I counted on the video to capture my success but I manage a few more pictures.
We finished the day at Goose River.
12, 13. July 8th and 9th Pine River
On the drive back we revisited the Pine.
Kinda a repeat of last time, lots of nice fish and scenery
14-15. More Brook Trout
I will never tire of brook trout. Our little secret was in high water mode (with the help of a beaver family)
16. August 14 Downstream of the private access brook trout section
Nothing but chubs. But they take a fly well (especially drys), fight hard, grow big and there are large numbers! Hardly picture worthy though.
17. August 22nd Fly Casting Class
I joined fellow club members in teaching a fly casting and fishing class. I am not a fan of this approach (large numbers varying levels of interest) but people learn to cast a bit and saw fish landed.
18. Aug 26 Brook trout Stream
Never disappoints
19. Trip to Ontario for Labour Day
My sister rented a cottage in Tamworth. The dock fishing was amazing but also a nearby stream to wade for smallies!
20. Dock at Tamworth
Actually the dock. As mentioned the fishing off the dock was spectacular!
21, 22, 23, Sept 29, 30 Oct 1st. Failed Pine River Trip
Thought a fall trip to the Pine would be awe some. Turns out the fish disappear at this time. We tried the lower mid and headwater sections and got zero fish. The scenery was spectacular but we needed to go to an old standby to actually get fish.
25. Oct 15th Lyon’s Lake
I remember when the bulk of my reports would be out of the Whiteshell area with the River and this lake making the majority of trips. Still a beautiful easy access place to fish.
26. LDP Trout Pond
As the light fades it’s nice to have a couple of trips that don’t entail driving back in the dark with every other car having headlamps with X-Ray strength.
27. Fairford River
When the weather changes here, it changes hard. Now we have ice flows and snow on the ground. Walleyes on a fly rod!
28-35 Florida Dec 23rd-31st
Every year we go to Florida to celebrate Christmas. What’s Florida without fishing bass ponds and what’s Christmas without flyfishing?
A mix of Largies, Shell Crackers, and Pumpkin Seeds…some of which got photos
That’s it folks. 35 fishing days. Some all day some just a few hours. This is a number I strive to beat each year. This was a low year for me so next year should be easier.
Fly Fishing Manitoba
info@flyfishingmanitoba
Winnipeg,
Manitoba
Canada
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(Texting only) 204-770-0846
Stonfo Razor Blade holder
It is not news that trimming and shaping materials like spun deer hair and sculpin wool, is best don with a razor blade. But, as a professional musician and educator, I can’t take a chance of slicing my fingers for the sake of a fly.
I have just trimmed with scissors and accepted the results.
Enter the Razor Stonfo tool. The grip spins to allow trimming with the razor flat or a semi circle. For me, who’s been tying for years, it is a game changer. Ya my scissor trimmed muddlers still caught fish, but now I can show them in public.
Overall, I tie to ‘throw not to show’ so I am not looking to win an tying contest but, this tool makes trimming spun deer hair fun and fast.
Here’s a short video.
Spindler Popper Body Tool
Popper bodies for exciting top water action is nothing new. The variety of shapes, sizes and colours is truly great today but, if we are going to tie our own flies, let’s make our own foam shapes!
make your Own Popper Bodies
Mike Corrigan, from the Manitoba Fly Fishers Association, turned us onto a tool for turning out popper bodies for fly fishing with a Dremel tool. Called the Spindler, it is a take on an old way I used to spin popper bodies. I burned out my old Dremel making them.
We’d take an industrial sewing needle (because they where thick enough to put in the Dremel’s chuck and also some bite to the foam. I used to make foam cylinders sharpening a bit of copper tube and hammering it into beach sandals. They were called “beach sandal poppers. Then stick them on the needle and run the rotary toll on high and apply an emery board to shape and smooth.
Introducing “The Spindler”
I bought mine from The Caddis Fly Shop but they seem to readily available online and in some stores.
Now the next stage is I got some “Hollow Punch” drill bits to create some raw popper shapes
Here’s a video of successes and failures
Yes, you can fish in Newfoundland without a guide.
I was going to have a whole video rich post of fly fishing in my favourite province from my new GoPro 10 I did but the default settings were incompatible with any normal persons computer. (HVEC) So, while I could convert them eventually, I could not do it at the end of the day. So I ended up with too many hours of footage. A year later I have dealt with less than a ¼ of it. So I’ll just tell you.
You can do a lot of fishing in Newfoundland without a guide.
Yes. Now the rules change yearly so you do have to be aware but one thing to never do is ask a local. They don’t need a guide they don’t need a trout license so they don’t know more than what affects them directly. Even many CO are not clear on the rules for CFA (Come From Away)
Trout, Trout and Trout
First off, there is a tonne of salmon free trout water all over the province. In the town of St. John’s there are 3-4 viable trout streams. All around the province there is plenty of trout water. You do have to be careful that a random stream is not a tributary of a scheduled salmon river.
Salt
Another worry free option is the salt. All rivers are open to anyone at the mouth. Sea trout are in many if not most. As in all things fishing, some places are better than others. There is also the option of fishing the salt from shore. On year I was in Bonne Bay and caught mackerel on a fly from the dock.
Salmon!!
That is the main attraction for many. A guide is a great idea and gets you on desirable water. In my investigations, I have found that guides are either attached to lodges or just not that internet savvy. That may have change but looking up guides, in a jurisdiction that requires guides, provides shockingly few results.
Within sight of a highway bridge.
The actual rule is 800 meters of a provincial highway. That usually means a bridge but can mean a highway parallel to a river. That gives you over a kilometer and a half of river. Maybe not the best water, but the locals don’t fish it so you might have it to yourself and you don’t need a guide. These areas are not marked so you have to know how far you are.
Gros Morne National Park
You need a Gros Morne salmon license as well as a provincial salmon license but you can fish 100% of the salmon rivers in the park without a guide (not Terra Nova National Park for some reason) Lomond is awe some but a bit of a hike but Deer Arm is right by the road.
Some Things To Consider
Non residents need a trout license and to cover your @$$ (even if you do not target salmon) you should get a Non resident salmon license.
I am only fly fishing so I didn’t have to figure if it was fly only or spin allowed water. barbless is a habit with me so that wasn’t an issue either.
And Some pictures.
NFL is missing out on a great tourism idea
I really feel the wide variety of trout rivers and stream are a missed opportunity for Newfoundland tourism. They could still guard the salmon stocks (or guard them harder) while promoting the trout fishing for tourists not wanting a guide. Imagine catching brown trout on the fly inside the city limits! Locals could rent gear or even low cost guiding.
Manigotagan River Manitoba May 22nd 2023
Time for our semi annual trip the Wood Falls Section of the Manigotagan River 200km north east of Winnipeg Manitoba.
Each year we go open minded and so far it has given something different each time.
Once known as White Bass hot spot the last few times we have been there has been Smallmouth Bass Northern Pike and Shorthead Redhorse Suckers.
This trip we were into bass, lots of bass and good size. They were females fresh from leaving the males on the beds protecting fry. So they were hungry!
A few bite off and one pike landed.
I was using a 6wt Switch rod and my partner was using a 7wt. Fly of the day was the Black over white Clouser. Other flies worked but not as well.
Also included is this video I shot between fish. A mix of drone footage, hand held and still photos.
The End of the Fairford River Freeze Off
With the new regs in place, giving us year round fishing (except for the Holy Walleye), the need to scream 2½ hours north to the only fly rod friendly water in the province, before seasons end, is gone.
It was a great run. 20 years of getting some fishing in before the 6 week closure.
We had good years, brutal years and everything in between. The thought of going another 6 weeks after a long winter propelled us northward willing to brave brutal winds bone chilling temps a icy waters and frozen line guides.
Now, if you want to scratch that itch, we can go any mild day of the year.
In some ways I’ll miss it.
It really was thing to look forward to.
It really attracted new comers to the sport
It highlighted the hardcore fly rodders.
But 20 years is a good run for a tradition that helped build fly fishing in the province.
Getting the Province’s Longest Running Fishing Forum Going Again!
As you may all be aware, the forum has been tapering off as each person decides social media (Facebook in particular) is their better option.
I get it, a one stop to have your own page and visit all your hobbies in one fell swoop.
I even tried to start a FB version of the forum but I didn’t want it to become like all the previous MB fishing forums and current FB groups (ruining spots with over sharing and spam) so I made it private with admission restricted to members there, only 17 have joined.
Since we have so much excellent info archived there and many are becoming disenfranchised with (or never liked) FB I am taking a shot at bringing the longest standing fishing forum in the province off of life support.
The first step is with you.
You need to participate.
An easy step to remind yourself to go there is to change your email notifications settings.
If you go to Profile -> Edit Profile -> Notifications (tab), you can set forum and/or email notifications there. The checkboxes are for on-forum notifications while the dropdowns are for email notifications.
You can also email or PM if you have thoughts or questions
Tight Lines!
Robert
Whiteshell Manitoba Sept 2022
I will do a round up of our fishing year later but I thought I’d generate a report about a recent trip to the Whiteshell Provincial Park
What makes this different is using my DIJI MIni 2 Drone and my GoPro 10 to document the fun.
I used both previously but have not posted yet. One problem is the GoPro produces files that are not compatible with most editing software. As well, with the larger card I can produce 20 hours of video and that’s a lot to edit. The drone is great for scenery but fishing with it is problematic.
First, here’s some drone footage of two of the 3 spots we hit. The 3rd place is more popular and populated so I didn’t bother.
The first stop was the Dorothy Lake Trout Pond.
Not a Sniff. No jumps rises hits. Now they kept stocking it even though years of drought reduced it to a puddle and they didn’t stock it (or report it at least) this year. But as you will see from the video, it is at peak levels between the rain and the snow melt and the spring at its bottom. The fish might have died in the low water. Hopefully the water levels remain the same and the stocking continues. As far as ponds in the province go, this is a very quiet and pleasant place to fish.
We spent the next bit on the Whiteshell River near Pine Point. Some bass and pike were caught. It was real nice to see the river at a good strong flow. Last year is was shockingly low!
We finished up at the popular Rainbow falls (were I did not fly the drone) and caught small bass and pike.
We had visions of hitting one more spot but, a stop at the Night Hawk Cafe for a burger and the earlier sunset, made that a no go!
Here’s the GoPro 10 footage. My two complaints about this camera is 1) the already stated incompatibility of the files (I have to run them all through conversion software to work in any editing program) and 2) it shuts off if ‘it’ gets too hot. It shut off a few times (and missed capturing a couple of fish). It was only 23 but I am guess it runs hot and the direct sunlight exacerbates that. I think I need a bigger hat!
2021 Round Up
For what ever reason I didn’t do one fishing report or blog update. So I’ll do a slam on the whole season
Drought Drought Drought
As you can imagine the 5-7 year decrease in rain and snow had an awful effect on water levels and the fishing. Places that were good went to being good only in the spring and eventually, not even then. So off my list was any local streams.
The Warm early in March Fairford Trip
A skunking no fish even seen.
Middle of March To the Whiteshell. Low but open water and little snow
Again no fish seen
Mid April Trouting
Not a lot of fish but a few chubs and small brookies
Early May Same Place
More and better fishing
Lyon’s Lake
A few Small ones
Back to the secret location
The next Weekend we were off to the Manigatogan Falls as they enter the Winnipeg River System. Lots of male smallies and a breed of sucker (Silver Red Horse) that were not only feeding but took flies!
Well that was so much fun I decided to go again the next week armed with my 4wt switch!
Then back for more brookies with the Tenkara (reel-less fly fishing).
Then back to Manigatogan the next two weekends
You Guessed it! What can I say I love the place.
Haven’t been to the Red in years and I picked the wrong year to try again…drought
Next two trips had us back chasing brookies.
Hit one of my favourite spots on the Whiteshell…again the drought has taken its toll.
And then my oasis in walleye lake fishing desert
Another of my Haunts is MacArthur Falls. Here we see Stephen with a fly reel he 3d printed (and a small bass. I caught a real nice pike on a switch rod that I am still waiting for a picture of.
Staying at a friends cottage in the Whiteshell had me looking at the river by the hatchery. I have real issues with how this place is run. They can stock little ponds down the road that summer kill fish but can’t put fish in the river RIGHT BESIDE the facility because the levels are too low. While this is a drought year the levels are always too low because they are constantly raising the dam on the river to placate cottage owners.
3 weeks in a row, small stream fishing.
To finish our year we end where we began. Fairford. The greenback run was on and the fishing was good. It was depressing because of the family/crowd on the bank there all day taking everything.
As I write this, we have had a very good snowy winter followed by a very wet April. This bodes well for the coming season!
The Rest of 2020
This year, I am trying to do something else as far as reporting goes. Rather than post my weekly trips and then fend off inquires as to ‘where is that’. I though I’d wait until those sorts were safely hovered over their ice-holes.
June 19th Whiteshell River Headwaters
This stretch of water has been the jewel of river trout fly fishing in Manitoba, for as long as I have lived here. The hatchery is “RIGHT THERE” and yet there were no fish. The water levels were great. I fished till sunset. No rises not pops no dimples…nothing. Sure they have fallen on hard financial times due to cut backs and mismanagement but they are still making fish RIGHT THERE. To stock this river would require zero effort or expenditures. The pothole farmer ponds with aerators are getting their fish out west but the creek beside the fishy factory, nope. Well a creek did get some fish. 4,000 fish they dumped into McKinnon Creek to die when the truck broke down heading to one of those aerated ponds.
Lyons Lake August 2nd
And then the Heat Wave
The blistering prairie heat from late July to mid August is why we go to the east coast every year. So my tying output went up.
Back at it Fall Fishing
Alright, fall feed bag! Last time I was here caught a bruiser!
September 30th Whiteshell
The fall colours, the cooler temps.
It’s a beautiful here in the North central Whiteshell, a rare chance to wade and fish in Manitoba. It is also a lovely walk and chance to see birds and other wildlife!
Lac Du Bonnet Trout Ponds
Too small to call a lake and bigger than your average pond. The only aerated pond east of Winnipeg. It is well stocked and, even when it winter kills, it gets a fresh load while other places languish. I usually use a 6wt on these types of trout ponds. The fish grow fast and large on the fecundity and living in warmer water. But the first fish was of salmon proportions in a brown trout. Probably a brood stocking, maybe it over wintered but, either way, it was a hell of a fish with lots of fight! I landed the fish and was able to catch a few more good fish be fore the stress THAT fish put on my rod caused it to break. One of the rare times I hit the water with just one rod so that was the end. But it was a good day!
Western Brook Trout Oct 4th
I won’t tell you where. You’ll have to do your own homework. The fishing can be spotty and they are not big but what the place doesn’t need is a lot of fishing traffic and the accompanying litter Styrofoam, sunflower seed packs, Michelob cans. Also we have permission as this runs through private land.
The rest of the year
So I went went out a few more times and places nearby but mostly to sort out my 6wt switch rod. As well, I wanted to check out some spots to see if they iced up at all. Given that my 2 weeks of Christmas Fishing in Florida was cancelled due to the restrictions, I figure some open water might be a good salve on a mild day.
So I bought a new line for the switch and it works fantastic as well ordered a 4wt switch. As it stands right now I have booked a week on and near the St. Mary’s River in the Kootenays for August and sorting out the gear needs for that and the coming season.
Till next year