So, it’s spring..they say. I look out and see the snow flying and know that there is a lot of ice on the lakes, this doesn’t seem like spring to me. But, officially it is and as spring as the sun rays are this time of year it shouldn’t take to terribly long for things to melt down. I have Lake Winnipeg on my mind, I have turkeys on my mind, I have guiding season on my mind and a whole lot of “other things” roaming around up there. I was up on Lake Winnipeg last week with a friend of mine Jim Pfaff and we had a good time at the annual SnoBear migration based in Gimili, Manitoba. We caught numbers and size after we got things dialed-in!  We each had a 28 incher and numbers other fish under that mark. I still have aspirations to get back up there to close out the season (March 31st). Will it happen? I sure as heck hop to make it back for one more crack! This year has been fantastic up on the 300 mile long lake and it is certainly encouraging to hear (and see). It was last year when we though the fishery was going into the tank, due mostly to overfishing (commercially). This year there are a lot of BIG fish being caught, and we all know it takes more than a year for a “greenback” to grow to 30″. We caught our fish on a myriad of lures and whether your favorite is a Live Target or Rapala lipless crank or a spoon tipped with a “salty”, you can’t really go wrong on this amazing fishery. We stayed in Gimili, at the Lakeview Resort and Conference Center, but there are many other places to stay in the surrounding communities. We caught fish in 1.5 feet of water and we caught fish in 13 feet of water. The key to finding fish, like about anywhere else on the continent, is to find the bait! The one thing that Lake Winnipeg has over any other body of water that I have ever fished is the fact that the odds of catching a big walleye a really good (especially if you can stay for a couple of days). As soon as I can get over my greenbackitis, I will be focused on the gobblers! In fact, this morning on my walk, I backtracked a flock to their roost from last night. It’s pretty easy to do with a fresh snow on the ground! We will bang down some gobblers this spring, that is for sure (well, God willing). My new Larson FX202T is not due out of the chute until late April or early May, how perfect for someone like me that doesn’t need another distraction in my life. I guess you could throw late ice pan fish in the mix too, but until the Winnipeg season is closed, I’ll have a hard time thinking pan fish. So, that’s a little taste of what’s going on right now, but let me tell you, there is a lot of other things in the hopper. Oh, how about those Minnesota Wild! I love hockey and to hear they are bolstering their line up with a potential super star, I’m loving that. Better go before I think of something else.

He is risen,

Walleyedan