First Timer

[busse3775]

Heading to Lake Winnipeg for the first time in March and just have some basic questions. I am traveling from Fargo and staying in Gimli, bringing a wheeler and an Otter portable.

Where is the best place to purchase a conservation license and bait?

Everyone just using big fatheads for their deadsticks?

Any information is helpful! Thanks

[Bisman]

If you have 3 weeks before you are leaving, printing your license app off of the Manitoba page and faxing it will work.  It takes about 2 weeks to get your license back in the mail.  We do this every year because we travel overnight to get up there.  You can also buy an license at the Shell gas station in Selkirk (they may be out this time of year) or the water stewardship office in Selkirk but it doesn't open till 8:30am.  Pro-Am tackle on the east side of the city of Winnipeg sells licenses as well.  We personally haven't had great luck with live minnows up there.  We freeze minnows in coke prior to leaving and use those (fresher than the freezer burnt, fall off the hook "salties" from the gas stations up there).  When you fish, drill 2 holes next to each other and fish a loud rattle bait in one and a baited spoon in the other.  The aggressive fish will often hit the rattle and the more negative fish will often opt for the spoon.  Last year I fished this way and landed 11 over 28inches on our 4 day trip and all were on the spoon.  Take extra gear, lake Winnipeg often requires you to make some sort of donation to the ice fishing gods (i.e broken augers, rods, flat quad tires, etc), she's brutal on the gear.  Once you get on the lake start with large moves and when you find a few fish, shorten up your moves.  Fish surface structure, pressure ridges and ice fields.  Stay away from the large groups = pressured fish.  Fish the entire water column, I don't know how many fish I've caught that have come in 5 -7 ft off the bottom.  We will be up there from March 2 - 5 at the casino.  Have been up there the past 5 years.  Good luck and have fun.  Once you make this trip you might as well plan on it being an annual thing.  The walleyes up there can ruin ice fishing for you back home.

[busse3775]

2 hours ago, Bisman said:

If you have 3 weeks before you are leaving, printing your license app off of the Manitoba page and faxing it will work.  It takes about 2 weeks to get your license back in the mail.  We do this every year because we travel overnight to get up there.  You can also buy an license at the Shell gas station in Selkirk (they may be out this time of year) or the water stewardship office in Selkirk but it doesn't open till 8:30am.  Pro-Am tackle on the east side of the city of Winnipeg sells licenses as well.  We personally haven't had great luck with live minnows up there.  We freeze minnows in coke prior to leaving and use those (fresher than the freezer burnt, fall off the hook "salties" from the gas stations up there).  When you fish, drill 2 holes next to each other and fish a loud rattle bait in one and a baited spoon in the other.  The aggressive fish will often hit the rattle and the more negative fish will often opt for the spoon.  Last year I fished this way and landed 11 over 28inches on our 4 day trip and all were on the spoon.  Take extra gear, lake Winnipeg often requires you to make some sort of donation to the ice fishing gods (i.e broken augers, rods, flat quad tires, etc), she's brutal on the gear.  Once you get on the lake start with large moves and when you find a few fish, shorten up your moves.  Fish surface structure, pressure ridges and ice fields.  Stay away from the large groups = pressured fish.  Fish the entire water column, I don't know how many fish I've caught that have come in 5 -7 ft off the bottom.  We will be up there from March 2 - 5 at the casino.  Have been up there the past 5 years.  Good luck and have fun.  Once you make this trip you might as well plan on it being an annual thing.  The walleyes up there can ruin ice fishing for you back home.

Thanks for the advice Bisman! Appreciate the helpful info.

[lungdeflator]

If your going through Winnipeg during the day, Pro-Am is a great place to stop for license/bait/lures.  We went around the perimeter highway a couple times, but now we go highway 75, perimeter highway easy, highway 59 N (Lagimodiere BLVD), Nairn Ave (pro-am if we need to stop), back onto 59 N, perimeter highway west, highway 8 to the lake.  

We basically do what Bisman said.  My dad gets shiners in MN and freezes them in Coke.  Normally we fish the rattle bait/spoon combos.  This year I think if we can get some big shiners, we will get some live minnows and hang the shiner on a treble hook with a live minnow on a stinger or something under it.  That way the dead minnow will have a little movement.  

If you catch a couple fish in a spot, don't be afraid to stay put.  Lots of people think they need to move, but if you don't have 5-6 guys with their own equipment, its hard to figure which direction the school is moving, and you waste time moving and might lose the school.  Lots of times if you stay put, they will come back around in 30-45 minutes.  

[lungdeflator]

I also agree that Winnipeg will beat your gear.  Go up expecting things to break.  If you expect a perfect trip without issues, you will only be fishing frustrated.  

I bought a small metal storage basket and lined it with soft foam for the flasher to ride in specifically for Winnipeg.  Keep the auger on the wheeler if possible.  If you have a hard rod case, good on you!   Hy-Fax on the sled is good.  Keep stuff tight in the sled, loose stuff will bounce around and get rubbed and broke.  

[Bisman]

Also, don't keep you tackle box in your sled unless you want all of your lures to look like junk from getting beat around in the plastic storage boxes (strap it on your quad).  Make sure you bring a handheld GPS and waypoint where you access the lake, visibility can turn on a dime.  We experienced this the first year we were up there and because we had a trail marked we ended up leading a large group off the lake (was kind of fun running point with a quad for a train of trucks).

The broken gear is no joke.  Last year we pulled up to the lake and opened the trailer only to find out the an auger guard had popped off an auger and it bounced right into the side of the quad tire on the trip up, thankfully we had brought a back-up.  When we got out on the ice, the same guy that had the flat on his quad put his vexilar transducer down the hole (he took off his float) only to find out that the plug had wiggled loose and down the hole went his transducer and cord (good thing there wasn't any little ears around us to hear the commentary that followed).  He reached into his rod bag to grab a rod with a large bait to try and snag his cord to find out that his rod was snapped in half...really can't make that stuff up (wasn't funny at the time but, aahhh, yes it was funny at the time).  He did eventually get his transducer back though...good times (all this while it was -25 air temp with a steady 25mph wind).

Edited February 25, 2016 by Bisman
addition of info

[busse3775]

Sounds like some pretty bad luck! I think I would of packed up and went back home if I was that guy! But we will have my propane jiffy strapped down in the my otter lodge and everything tight in it so nothing can move around to much. Also bringing an Ion as back-up and several rods for back up. Have a couple scoop shovels, extra propane tank, another buddy heater. Also bringing a booster pack and a tow strap.

[lungdeflator]

Bring an extension.  If your fishing close to surface structure (ridges, rough ice fields), there will be times you cannot get through the  ice.  Move 20 yards and you might be off of it though.