Fishing in Northern Manitoba

If you live in northern Manitoba you can expect long winters that are followed by short summers. Some hardcore ice fishermen refer to the summers as poor fishing conditions. I moved to The Pas Manitoba in 1977 and was immediately impressed with the angling opportunity's that the province had to offer. There are many species to fish for here in Manitoba, some are native while some are stocked. Trophy fish such as Walleye, Pike, Lake Trout, and Smallmouth Bass can all be caught within a short distance of The Pas. On a personal note I can walk across the road from my home and fish the Saskatchewan River.

BARBE LAKE
One of my favorite fishing lakes is located about 45 minutes to the north and holds some of the largest rainbow trout in the province. Barbe Lake (formerly Long Lake) started as a fish farming project approximately 30 years ago, however there was a small (actually a large) problem with this operation. The fish in this lake grew so big and so fast that they did not have much of a market. The reason for the phenomenal growth of these fish is due mainly to the abundance of freshwater shrimp being a major part of their food intake. Many people, usually from out of province make negative comments on these fish such as "they are just stocked fish", "they don't fight like native fish", and "anybody can catch those". I agree these fish are of the stocked variety, but that is where the truth to these comments ends. Some of my best memories involve getting up at 5 a.m. and heading out with a fishing buddy (in those days our Golden Retriever, Kelsey) just so we would be fishing when the sun began to rise. We arrive at the lake just as a bright orange glow appears in the east, the water is like glass with with patches of mist rising of it. The only sounds we hear are the resident loons calling, with interruptions of loud splashes from the active rainbow. I get the boat in the water and set up for trolling with the electric motor. I let out lots of line and try a pass over an area that has trout rising, I happen to look over at Kelsey who is already shivering with anticipation (you would think she was duck hunting). What happened next will be etched in my mind forever, I see a fish leap clear out the water about 200 feet behind the boat, I immediately sweep the rod tip up to set the hook even though I haven't felt the fish on my end yet. The 6 lb. test line begins to peel of the reel and then nothing, it looks like I have lost the fish (but I know better). The rainbow begins charging right towards the boat as I reel as fast as I can, next it changes direction and leaps for the second of a total of five aerial acrobatics. As the fish gets closer to the boat I cannot believe the clarity of the water, the fish is about a 5 lb. female mostly silver with a large pink stripe down her sides and bright red cheeks. After a few more runs and leaps I manage to gently net her just as the hook falls out (Kelsey is about to go overboard at this point, and wants to inspect the fish). We admire her for a few moments while she recovers at the side of the boat, soon she is ready to go, and with a tail splash says good bye. Another magical morning on Barbe.

Note: I don't want to give the impression that I release all the fish that I catch because I don't, maybe twice a year I will smoke a batch of rainbows and lake trout in my Bradley smoker. Awesome !

A typical 6 lb Rainbow caught and released by the author on Barbe Lake

Another sunset on Clearwater Lake

A visiting Millwright apprentice shows of a "Laker" from Clearwater