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One of my favourite things about spring is chasing lake trout once the ice goes off. It's a great time of year for getting lakers in relatively shallow water. Trolling with planer boards, Dipsy Divers and even long-line trolling is all it takes to catch big lakers. Covering water is the name of the game for finding spring lake trout. Minnowbaits, spoons and small in-line spinners all have their place in the spring trout trollers arsenal. Here's a nice one from the weekend on my annual G.bay trip with good pal JP Bushey. This fish hit a jointed Rapala, 110-feet behind a planer board.  In other news, I am happy to share the May cover of Ontario OUT OF DOORS. It's an honour for me to grace the cover of this magazine. Thanks to James Smedley for snapping the photo. Inside this issue I have an article on post-spawn walleye fishing. Check it out.  Coming up next, gobble-gobble, it's turkey time. My favourite hunt of the year. Spring came early this year in NW Ontario. Usually we're still ice fishing in early April, but not this year. The ice has been unsafe for weeks now and a lot of areas are open water. The ice isn't totally gone from the big lakes, but it will be any day now. Early ice out like this gives us a unique opportunity to fish walleye from a boat before the season closes on April 15th. It's been a real treat with some awesome action and big fish. We're getting fish in 15-25 feet as they stage near spawning areas. Males are already milty and the females are fat with eggs. 
This is the earliest I've ever fished Lac Seul in a boat. It sure felt great to get out and set the hook on some walleye.
Coming up - ice out lake trout and wild turkey hunting. Gotta love springtime! |
AuthorBen Beattie is a fishing guide and outdoor writer living in Sioux Lookout, in northwestern Ontario. Archives
November 2023
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