
Winter has set in and we are back on Lake Manitoba commercial fishing. Many of the lakes in the north have not frozen over yet but this lake is quite shallow and freezes sooner than lakes which are deep and have current.
We have 9 or 10 inches of ice already. There is not much snow on the ice and the ice has been going down pretty fast even though we have not been very cold. It definitely makes your winter go by faster when winter is late in showing up. Before you know it the days will be getting longer and we will be getting ready for another season in Red Lake.
The Jigger takes our line out and then we have to go find it. Pretty easy when the ice looks like this. We were on about 3 inches of ice that day but it is a bit tougher to find through 4 feet of ice covered in snow on a windy day though. There is a small tapper that helps us find it.
My Great Nephew Brey came out there to help us set a few nets. Another generation that loves it out on the lake.
We get to see some awesome sights out there. The sky always seems so big. But this place can also be like hell during a storm.
It is hard to stand on this kind of ice, so we use snowmobile track screws on the bottom of our boots. The first day I was out there, mine were wore out and it was windy. It makes for a frustrating day if you can not move around.
Dustee is a pretty unique dog. When the ice is smooth like this she will ride on the sleigh over the rough ice just like this for miles.
And this is why we do it. Walleyes are our main target but they buy pretty much all species of fish that we catch. These are worth the most and most of them normally head to restaurants in the USA as well as Canada.
We see thousands of fish each day and see some pretty strange variations. This is a Tullibee, normally a nice silver but this one was very red and a little while later we caught one that was yellow.
At the end of each day we take our fish to town and pack them in ice to ship to Winnipeg and be processed.
Our family has been fishing on Lake Manitoba for 4 generations. This lake has been good to us and the surrounding area. Generating a lot of money for the local economy. Back in the day, every farmer along the lake was a fishermen. The number of fishermen has dropped in the past years since there is no guarantee of making enough money. It is a great place to work in nature and make some money if you work hard at it. I feel fortunate to be able to carry on the tradition.
Dates for 2022
After the border closure and shortened season this year we have fewer available dates open at this time than we normally would, which is good for us but not always good for getting people the dates or lake that they may want. We do have openings left for 2022 but just want to remind anyone interested in fishing with us next season to be flexible if possible on dates. We will do our best to accommodate you. Here is the link for reservations.
Amik Outposts Gear
If you are looking for a unique gift for Christmas, check out our Online Store. Anything you order will be made in the USA and shipped to you. Here is the link to our Shop Amik Page.
Amik Outposts on Instagram
Our Instagram Page has been growing in leaps and bounds this summer. Taina has been doing a great job capturing the essence of our business and showing it to the world. Many of our reels and photos have gone viral already. Check some of them out here. Amik Outposts Instagram.
We won't spam you or share your information