A Fly Fishing Season Start Unlike Other Places
Well most places have their seasons start early like ours does the target species is usually trout. Now our trout season, at least in streams, doesn’t start until the middle of April. But it might as well be April Fool’s Day because most of our trout are stocked fish in lakes and this far north, are still ice covered The middle of April most of our rivers are unfishable. If we’re lucky it’s thawed but they’re just running high and brown but typically they’re still very very low with lots of water locked in the in the hills and valleys around the handful of trout rivers we do have.
So our start of the season tends to be the Fairford River in Fairford Manitoba
Because of the drop, from the control structure, it is water that is open all year round but it’s pretty hard to stand in when it’s minus anything. Sometimes we get up there earlier in the year, if we have a mild spell that gets it close to above or below freezing. So spring break is our official start to our fly fishing season and we are just waiting for the ice come to come off of lakes from that point forward.
Back in the old days
We used to find giant schools of Tulabi, better known as Lake Cisco, in recent years those numbers have dropped way down but our experience of fishing this water has enabled us to find other target species that happened to be there feeding on the tulabi, like pike and walleye. But on really warm years, as the climate is circular, we’ve been able to get carp as well! This year was mostly just the Lake Cisco but I did catch like my biggest one ever close to 14 inches. We were there for 4 hours ’cause we still don’t have the good light and it’s still bloody cold but it was a good time.
We got lucky with a high of +4° C that day The fish were caught on a Bucktail streamer with holographic black collar. Only three fish caught but they were good ones. and by good I mean these fish actually put a bend in a 10′ 8 weight.
After that much fishing that much cold, it was time for a high calorie high protein meal before the trip home.
July Fly Fishing North/Central Manitoba
July has us doing a second (annual?) trip to Cranberry Portage Manitoba. Like last year, first stop is the Pine River, just north of Dauphin Manitoba.
I am pretty good with the bugs in the province, but it was a record year and I was ill prepared. One, no amount of bug spray or pipe smoking stopped the onslaught and two, the road was in too rough a shape to hazard bottoming out the SUV again!
Next year I am definitely bring a bug net to wear and possibly renting a more robust vehicle!
Barbe Lake Manitoba
The next day we only ventured to the 1st crossing on the Pine. it has been good in some years but the last 2 no fish to even scare.
the next day we made our way up to Cranberry Portage and our first day fishing was good old Barbe Lake.
Webster Lake Manitoba
The next day I went and got skunked at Webster Lake I actually got one small fish near the end the lake was quite weedy and hard to fish The other guys went to Amphipod Lake and did quite well actually.
Amphipod Lake
At the insistence of the other guys in the party, I went to Amphipod Lake. The always generous Stu lent me his float tube because my fish cat is just too much boat to try and drag into a portage so that’s what we did and I had a great day and got a bunch of really big fish here are the video and photos.
Language Warning
Sorry, but the first two fish got off way too easily and a little frustrating so I admit to possibly swearing.
Webster Lake Manitoba
A lovely lake that reportedly was stocked with a rainbow trout and has fished fairly well but by the time I got to it was very very weedy had a large populations of loons working the shallows. I got like one small trout kind of in the middle of the day
Beautiful lake probably better there to get earlier in the season or maybe not in the middle of a heat wave.
Scotty Lake
Another gem of a lake in the middle of all this beauty. Again, another lake that was supposedly stocked with two or three kinds of trout. All we managed was perch but being far away from everything it was actually quite nice there.
Dauphin Manitoba
Since the Pine River was such a bust we decided to fish the Vermilion River. It’s a shorter drive easier on the car.
Nice catching some chunky small mouth bass in a river .
Halfway through it I did switch over to my fishing partner’s Stephen Jay 7wt bamboo, that was made by Marcel Duval, and caught a few fish that way.
Summary
This will be the second time going up north and stopping off in Dauphin to go up to Cranberry Portage and hit some of those lakes up there. Overall it wasn’t as good I got skunked on some of the trout lakes, Goose was unfishable Pine was a disaster. I definitely going to be prepared for bugs next time but it was nice to finish off with Vermilion and some bass
Some big fish were caught and some lessons learned.
June 2024 Fly Fishing Report
The first weekend of the month had us a our favourite healing space.
We explored a northern blue ribbon that looked great on maps and in real life. While it was interesting there was zero fish of any sort.
Also the bugs where extra so we headed south to more familiar waters
Didn’t take too many pictures as we were a little busy catching
We also went two weekends later
Robert Burton
info@flyfishingmanitoba.com
204-770-0846 (Texting only)
May Fly Fishing Manitoba and Ontario
My true opener
I did go to Ontario for the Victoria Day Weekend but the fishing areas and opportunities were poor
Back home to fish the Lac Du Bonnet Ponds
Robert Burton
info@flyfishingmanitoba.com
204-770-0846 (Texting only)
Big Creek Manitoba
I need to make better notes on these trips if I am going to wait so long to post them.
I remember thinking it was a bonus trip as we no longer have a closed season but no one told the fish
I am guessing it was too early and too cold.
Robert Burton
info@flyfishingmanitoba.com
204-770-0846 (Texting only)
March 2024 Fly Fishing
I went one place, froze and got skunked…great day
Robert Burton
info@flyfishingmanitoba.com
204-770-0846 (Texting only)
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
January 2024 Fly Fishing Florida
Fishing the last few days of our annual Florida Christmas Trip.
Last day in the Destin area
Then 2 days later I fishing the pond in the parking lot of Coronado Springs in Disney
I only Got one bass and that was while trying to avoid a small gator
No More fishy until March at the earliest
Robert Burton
info@flyfishingmanitoba.com
204-770-0846 (Texting only)
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
R3N 1P5
(Texting only) 204-770-0846