flycaster1
05-16-2006, 11:04 AM
This will be my third time at Edmund Lake, Manitoba. A great fly-in about 300 miles northeast of Winnipeg. Normally, when I have the $, I like to spend them on sight fishing on the flats (Belize, Mexico, Bahamas, Eastern Texas Gulf). Generally, I stay away from the Florida Keys, although I have occasionally fish there. Just find that the guides charge an awful lot of money and don't work as hard as the guides elsewhere do (i.e., less bang for the buck). However, there are times when I just want action and the challenge is not the main consideration. It is times like those when I look to fish northern pike or peacock bass out of the Amazon. Both species are extremely aggressive and take well to the fly. Although I must say, that northerns don't even come close to peacocks in terms of surface attacks or fighting. BTW, I'm not too much into the fight, it is the take that excites me most...especially the gigantic surface takes by the peacocks. Oh yeah, I do sight fish for the northerns when I can, but it is mostly blind casting and hanging on.
Edmund Lake only has one lodge, northerns and walleye (I don't fish for the latter, although they occasionally find my fly), catch and release, and is relatively shallow. In the early spring the big pike lay up in the shallows and offer good shots at sight casting (although the water is stained and it is hard to sight the fish from more than 20-30 feet away) and surface attractors (when water is calm). Opportunities for trophy fish abound. In Manitoba, a trophy pike is 42" or greater and I believe that for walleye, they must be 27" or greater.
This year I plan on changing my fishing tactics a little from the previous two years. First couple of years I had the "trophy fever," and consequently I fished mostly streamers. Simple bunny flies-4" rabbit tail with some flash and a cross-cut collar on size 2/0 mustads, with braided wire tippets. BTW, in the early spring the guides all agree that smallish flies do the best. Colors were mostly black, white, red/white, orange/black, and some yellow-chartreuse combos; but, I think that those fish would eat almost any color combination. As I now have several trophies under my wing, I'm going to go more for the surface action.
When I go surface will depend on the wind conditions. When it is calm (normally 5-8 mph winds, daily-certainly not like the flats), then I'll bring out the poppers and the gurglers, both of very simple design. Poppers on 1/0 or 2/0 hooks, cylindrical closed cell heads (half-inch diameter and about half inch long with synthetic talis with flash 3-5 inches long. Gurglers (first time I'm making them) will also be on 1/0 to 2/0 hooks and have 2-4 tails. I don't bother with eyes or too much with color. These surface attractors will all make very nice water disturbances and I sincerely doubt that the northerns will be looking for eyes or a special color before they leap out of the water to attack my little offerings.
Edmund Lake only has one lodge, northerns and walleye (I don't fish for the latter, although they occasionally find my fly), catch and release, and is relatively shallow. In the early spring the big pike lay up in the shallows and offer good shots at sight casting (although the water is stained and it is hard to sight the fish from more than 20-30 feet away) and surface attractors (when water is calm). Opportunities for trophy fish abound. In Manitoba, a trophy pike is 42" or greater and I believe that for walleye, they must be 27" or greater.
This year I plan on changing my fishing tactics a little from the previous two years. First couple of years I had the "trophy fever," and consequently I fished mostly streamers. Simple bunny flies-4" rabbit tail with some flash and a cross-cut collar on size 2/0 mustads, with braided wire tippets. BTW, in the early spring the guides all agree that smallish flies do the best. Colors were mostly black, white, red/white, orange/black, and some yellow-chartreuse combos; but, I think that those fish would eat almost any color combination. As I now have several trophies under my wing, I'm going to go more for the surface action.
When I go surface will depend on the wind conditions. When it is calm (normally 5-8 mph winds, daily-certainly not like the flats), then I'll bring out the poppers and the gurglers, both of very simple design. Poppers on 1/0 or 2/0 hooks, cylindrical closed cell heads (half-inch diameter and about half inch long with synthetic talis with flash 3-5 inches long. Gurglers (first time I'm making them) will also be on 1/0 to 2/0 hooks and have 2-4 tails. I don't bother with eyes or too much with color. These surface attractors will all make very nice water disturbances and I sincerely doubt that the northerns will be looking for eyes or a special color before they leap out of the water to attack my little offerings.