Fishing season is open in southern Manitoba

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 09/05/2020 (2330 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Anglers have been waiting for this day for a long time. It’s the general opening of the fishing season in southern Manitoba. Most anglers know that trout angling is open all year round. For those in the southern half of the province we will now be able to pursue a wide variety of warm water species including channel catfish and freshwater drum — not to mention the ever-popular walleye.

One species that usually gets overlooked at this time of the year is the black crappie. One of my favourite trips of last spring was for crappies. Manitoba has many lakes that hold these feisty panfish and springtime can dynamite, if you know what to look for.

When the season opens today, most of the fish will be down in deeper water, waiting for warming conditions to move shallow.

When the water temperature is in the four Celsius range, crappie position on drop-offs near deeper water, especially if there is vegetation. These are areas near where they spend the winter.

One of the key correlations for success is understanding that fish move on certain pathway to their shallow water spawning grounds. If you can figure out that road map, you will always find the fish no matter the water temperature.

Weather plays a factor in how the fish are positioned. On a cold windy day, they will hover close to the bottom. If it is a calm, sunny day they will become more active and move up higher in the water column. Crappies might not move shallower, but just suspend.

How do you find the fish when they are positioned like that?

On my Humminbird Helix 10, I will slowly motor along, using my side imaging to mark fish. Once I find a pod, I drop a waypoint by scrolling my cursor over to the exact spot the fish are at. I then move my boat over a short casting distance away and spotlock with my Minnkota Terrova. If there is wind blowing, make sure you are above the fish so you can cast downwind.

The critical part in this equation, getting your presentation at the right level. It should be slightly above the fish, not below. Crappies love to move up to a bait, so correct depth control is a must!

Closer to the spawn

As we move into June and the water temperatures reach 15C the crappies start thinking about spawning. This means a mass migration to shallow areas that offer cover. That could include logs, branches, cattails and rushes. Cover at this time of the year is critical to spawning success. Once shallow, crappies are in no hurry to leave. They can stay in these areas to the end of June, (and longer) depending on weather and water temperature. They can spook fairly easily in this shallow water, so a quiet approach helps to seal the deal.

 

Crappie water

In Manitoba, more and more waterways are now producing good classes of black crappie. The Whiteshell has several rivers and lakes that provide some great fishing. The Lee River has recently become a bit of a hot spot. In the southeastern part of the province Lake Minnewasta has been good for a long time and Mary Jane Reservoir has seen a bit of a resurgence.

One of the keys to maintaining this fishery is release of larger fish. You should have a bump board and release any fish over 28 centimetres. A 38 centimetre crappie is probably 13 years old in this part of the world. They are usually female and will be key to maintaining a solid fishery for a long time.

For more information on where to find these tasty fish, go the Master Angler home page on the Travel Manitoba website at travelmanitoba.com.

 

ANGLERS NOTES

With Phase 1 of the reopening of the Manitoba economy, parks are open as are boat launches. There are some accommodations open in different areas of the province. All are subject to strict health regulations. Not all the drive-to lodges are open yet and none of the fly in are as far as I know. Out of town visitors are still not allowed so if going to a fly in at a later date it will be local only and passengers on planes will have to wear a mask. Project date for that is the middle of June.

Please check with your favourite operator to see when all of this might happen. It is important to fish local and support local business. Do not forget that license sales are available online.

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