[wayne.l.foster]

Have to say that this was one of my best seasons in memory! I hit lake Winnipeg this year for over 30 days on the ice with all fishing days on the west side. I would say that I caught at least a dozen fish throughout the season each time I was out(mostly as i was surrounded with awesome fishermen!!!)....though on the weekend before the end of the season only caught a small one, though my buddy who caught only 2 fish ended the day with 2 trophies!!! I ended the season on a high note camping out around Riverton for the last 6 days of the season in my insulated tent with arctic sleeping bag(no heat on while sleeping CO2 ....anal...). Awesome thing about being in an area for a period of time is that you understand the bite better, which did not disappoint...awesome fish fry each evening.......biggest thing with spending 6 days out on the ice is the support cast! I was fortunate to have buddies I could exchange batteries with for charging etc though I did bring a solar charger and will not be an issue in future seasons...it certainly was the ultimate way for me to finish off the season with all my fishing buddies coming out to join me each day!!! I did manage one trophy in an area rare for trophies....however ended the season in the best possible way! I am curious to hear about how others ended out the season....I will have an Otter Lodge flip over for next season hopefully........please use this thread to share your end of season adventure......I treasure reading them until open water opens up!!!

Catching this trophy on day one kept me hoping for another until season's end, numerous 25", 26".....can't say I was disappointed after catching over 30 walleye each day!!

Wayne

 

[outdoorsman al]

Congrats Wayne! Sounds like a pretty epic season!
Mine was boom or bust, and didn’t really have any days I’d consider average. The days that were good were really good, the days that were bad I was typically completely skunked or maybe managed one fish.
didnt Get to camp on the lakes as much as I’d hoped but there’s always next year…might try an overnighter in the boat this summer.
One of my last outings, i walked out on the local reservoir to try for some crappie. Managed to find fish after drilling maybe 20 holes but couldn’t get them to bite. Had to leave before prime time since I had committed to volunteering at our last community bingo night.
Cheers

 

[Crimson Night]

Mine's was ok in terms of fishing.

Very poor outings on Lake Winnipeg but I only went twice.

I've hit up more backcountry lakes and while it was not productive, fishing new lakes is a win.

Learned lots about Lake of the Woods lake trout.

In terms of learning, it was a good season.

Sent from my VOG-L04 using Tapatalk

 

[wayne.l.foster]

Cool Crimson Night, I really miss the lake trout fishing I had back when I lived in the Yukon and in Flin Flon where I would have awesome continuous action, nothing like the strike of a big lake trout when you are bringing your bait up past it. Have to admit that LOTW lake trout have frustrated me when I have been there, so different from my fishing up North. I will have to put them back on my list when I hit LOTW in the future. For lake Winnipeg I had a great season as a result of having a sled, this year with high snow pack, I found I did better as a result of less pressure in the areas I targeted.

Wayne

 

[avidangler]

First ice was good fishing on the west side this January , then the snow finished me off , only travel by truck and couldn’t . Got out twice in late March , one day easy limit , next day two greens that were too big, and were released , no other bites all day . Was hard to get excited about getting out and fighting with the snow , lol so stayed home. Got out very little this year , hopefully next year will be better accessing the big lake .

 

[660catman]

I got out on LW once this year and failed. After that I spent more time on the tractor clearing snow due to the constant winds this year. I got real tired of winter quick. Early April I got up to Flin Flon for a trip shortened because of flooding on my property. I did manage 4 walleye and 2 jack to bring home. Didn’t get out for lake trout or burbot like I wanted to.

Winter rig: 2016 AC Bearcat XT 570. Eskimo F1 Rocket, Eskimo 3i, Humminbird Helix 5 ice, 798Ci HD SI

 

[MBameteurFisher]

This was only my second year of ice fishing excluding the occasional time I went as a kid. Best day was our first day of the season in December. I caught a Master Angler walleye and my wife caught a nice 20” walleye. We don’t have a snowmobile and live in Winnipeg, so we fish mainly on the Red River. I did try fishing at Gimili on Lake Winnipeg twice with no success. I also tried tip ups for northern pike for the first time. Went out to Eleanor lake in the Whiteshell Provincial Park. Did manage to catch a few pike, no monsters but nice to have success with a new technique. I used large smelts and mackerel for bait on predator rigs. I also tried walking onto West Shoal lake once to try for some perch. It was an unsuccessful trip not knowing the lake and difficult walking on, but I will try agin in the future. Overall it was a good season but looking forward to the open water season.

 

[manitoba_hunter]

extremely short season. Horrible weather winter wise. had storms that rolled in one on top of the other. winds blowing snow in 1 direction for several days then it switched & blew the other way. have hour clock on my snowblower & I put on more hours this winter than I have the 2 in total. there’s still a few more days of this storm & I may find myself snowblowing a few times. it was either too cold, storming, blowing snow or any combination of the 3. only fished the last weekend of the season with group of good friends including wayne foster. met some new peo

 

[manitoba_hunter]

Ugh. met some new people as well. saturday was slower. only about a dozen that day. no big girls. solid 19-21”. Sunday was much better. went through 2 tubs of minnows & had around 30. again 19-21” size. a fantastic way to end the season. looking forward to open water.

 

[abousetta]

extremely short season. Horrible weather winter wise. had storms that rolled in one on top of the other. winds blowing snow in 1 direction for several days then it switched & blew the other way. have hour clock on my snowblower & I put on more hours this winter than I have the 2 in total. there’s still a few more days of this storm & I may find myself snowblowing a few times. it was either too cold, storming, blowing snow or any combination of the 3. only fished the last weekend of the season with group of good friends including wayne foster. met some new peo

That pretty much sums up my winter. I'll add to it that I cut several outings short due to my heater catching fire, not starting or leaking propane. You can't last long in -30s with no heat. Also, got frostbite when trying to fish outside in -20s. Luckily I still have all my fingers but a good reminder to take the cold seriously.

 

[wayne.l.foster]

It was an awesome end to the season meeting up with you, Precious, and other good friends out on the ice in gorgeous weather Manitoba Hunter! I remain quite envious of your toy box! Hope to meet up with you again during open water season in the nice weather!

Wayne

 

[manitoba_hunter]

Absolutely. Was great to catch up again & fish with ya. Will get together in my boat. Put a group together & hit Hecla. Hit the red in search of cats. Cannot wait for summer & open water.

 

[abousetta]

Precious stopped inviting me to these events or I would have met you Wayne. I guess I'm the Black Sheep of the family and will go back to sleep in the basement.

 

[wayne.l.foster]

LOL Absousetta, when I fish and hang out with Precious, he cracks me up with the good times he has had with you, unfortunately he only got out once this Winter with Manitoba Hunter during the final weekend due to family circumstance. I look forward to meeting up with Precious and yourself during open water!!! I will be sure to link up with you during open water Manitoba Hunter, look forward to seeing your Summer toy box....LOL!!!!

The latest snow storm got me pumped up again for Winter, couldn't resist taking a final spin on my AC Panther......also took advantage of the end of the season and purchased a new play snowboard for the mountains next year(out of context I know except for those I fish with wondering why I still use a flasher lol!!!!).

FYI for those frustrated trying to buy out of stock fishing gear in the Summer, I hit Cabela's before the storm and was able to easily stock up on Cat tackle, walleye tackle etc...things are fully stocked pre-season....

Wayne

 

[SereneCarbine]

I caught fish in late Dec and in Jan before slowly losing interest. A final trip in the first week of Feb confirmed that feeling so I packed up the gear and delved into another hobby.

 

[lirwin4]

Congratulations Wayne on a successfull season and your excellent stories!

Like most, I didn't get out that much this hardwater season! When I did it was always the same routine. Hop on the snowmobile, drive onto the ice near home, set up the flip up and fish inside my heated, Otter Pro Lodge, home away from home. Ice thickness around home was quite variable, with open water strips until late December. Most all January and February were -30 and/ or snowing every second day. I just lost all ambition for fishing, even though my time out in the actual cold would only be limited to set up and tear down. Several times I got up early in the morning to go out, but changed my mind when I looked at the thermometer. I must be getting old because that wouldn't have bother me in the slightest a few short years ago.

I did manage to get out a few times in early January, and then a fair bit later on in March. Ice thickness got to 64" (measured) in late March. The area where I fish is not like the relatively flat, shallow, trophy rich waters of the South shore. It is more of a deeper water, transition area. Numbers and size are not normally that good, but I just enjoy the peace and tranquility of getting out. I always managed to catch some fish, mostly around 20", several up to 27" with a 28.5" fatty for the biggest, but some days were quite slow. I also caught a few incidental Perch, Whitefish and Bot, including a 34.5"er.

On the last day of the season, I got ambitious and drove my truck out to a spot on the South shore with my son for the afternoon. We got onto a pretty good bite of mostly 20" with a 26.5". I am very much looking forward to softwater season but I suspect we will still have ice on the lake, well into June!

 

[BigH65]

I haven't lived in Canada for very long and although I've been ice fishing with Canadian friends a few times over the years this was my first season of ice fishing on my own. It was pretty disastrous. I managed 4 trips in December and January, all fishless. The last 2 trips I did at least find and hook fish, so felt I was progressing on the learning curve, but on my way home from trip number 4 I had an altercation with a large deer. My car was off the road for 2 months, and although we eventually had a courtesy car it was 2 wheel drive and didn't even have winter tyres. By the time I finally got my car back a combination of the depth of snow (I have to walk out onto lakes) and high winds was enough to put me off any further trips.

 

[btrain]

For myself,it was like most others above. By Xmas holidays it got pretty cold. Thought no worries lots of season ahead. Except the snow and winds never stopped which pretty much had me staying home saying no thanks. And the snow depth was beyond my 4x4. All in all I got on the river by breezy once, a smaller lake in the interlake once and the big lake once at season end. No problem boys in 8 short months we will be back at her lol….cheers!

 

[UrbanAngler766]

This year was my first going out ice fishing on my own and oh boy was it a learning curve as someone previously mentioned. Had a few crappy outings, but a few great ones as well. Best day was on lake Winnipeg with my buddy early March, worst day was float plane base (Selkirk) in mid Jan catching nothing and almost losing a finger lol. All of the damn snow made it pretty difficult too as a guy who strictly walks on. All in all, learned a TON, challenged myself, and had some fun. Will know exactly what to do for next year.

 

[bigcountry]

This year I managed to get out ice fishing about thirteen times with my son. We mostly stayed on the river due to not having a quad or snowmobile to access a lot of different areas. Where we couldn’t drive on, we walked on like many others did. For us, the season was pretty good. Mostly we caught sauger and we never had a day where we were skunked! In addition to the sauger action, my boy was able to catch a Master Angler pike, walleye and catfish, all through the ice ! The definitely made braving the cold and snow this year, a little less painful. We can’t wait to get out on the ice again next year when hopefully, the boy lets me catch a big fish too ! 👍🏻