Manitoba Fly Fishing
You bet there is, and for all kind of species.
How about a thirty-pound channel catfish on a ten weight in heavy current? Now that’s a battle you won’t soon forget. Of course there are more traditional species, like monster rainbow and brown trout, or even tiger trout, a hybrid between brown and brook trout.
We have one of the finest brook trout rivers in the world, the Gods in northeastern Manitoba. In the Parkland region in western Manitoba there are lakes that have become known worldwide for their still-water fly fishing. These prairie lakes grow big fish quite fast, with massive trout in the thirty inch range a possibility.
Many lodges in central and northern Manitoba now also offer fly fishing for huge northern pike. Each year in Manitoba pike over fifty inches in length are registered in our Master Angler program. A large percentage of these trophy fish are caught on a fly rod. Salt-water flies are a good choice when fishing for large pike because of their heavy duty hooks.
Jeff is an avid fly fisher from South Dakota. Each year he comes to Manitoba to try to catch the fish of his dreams, a fifty inch pike. He almost realized that goal a couple of years ago. “As we moved to the back of the stream to a small pool it happened,” Jeff explains. “A moment earlier I had seen a huge puff of mud caused by a large pike that had been spooked by the boat. I don’t know if this was the same fish, but a monster pike appeared from nowhere, opened a mouth that could swallow a goose and took my fly that was the size of a small minnow!”
Jeff then says “Taken off guard, I hauled my fly line down to set the hook and keep pressure on the fish.” All seemed under control, as both Jeff and this magnificent Manitoba monster grappled for position. While the pike was figuring out the game Jeff tried a different strategy. “I started to try to pick line back up on my machined fly reel; this was just about when this pike decided it was time to exit stage right.”
As Jeff started to pick his line back up on the fly reel, the pike swerved. “Unfortunately my fly line looped around my reel as the fish moved. Ping went the line, and what was left came shooting back into the boat beside me.”
Jeff figures that he has caught about 70 Manitoba monsters previous to this incident without every losing any. When asked about this incident, Jeff ponders for a moment and then quips: “To me, seeing such massive fish on a repeated basis is what keeps me coming back to Manitoba year after year”.
Millions more Manitoba monsters remain in the depths of the cool, clear waters found in Manitoba…Come and try your luck against the Manitoba monsters – the nastiest sport fish on the planet!
