AEM 2021 release

Midway or Second Camp Shelter is what I’ve be been calling it since my first trip up river with a born and bred Pointe native when I was 5.


How some names are universal and some are so specific to certain people/groups or the lodges on the river always intrigues me

 

Why the negative comment about Vance?


No need for me to dig for anything!

 

I’m not a fan and I’ll leave it at that.

 

Is that the one with a permanent open face shack building ?

 

The river up that way is beautiful country spoon, definitely worth checking out. More resemblant of Kenora area than the lower reaches of the river in MB that’s for sure, not a hint of prairie whatsoever.

 

Yes, Lamprey then that one. It’s a beautiful spot as long as the water isn’t high and running right through it lol

 

LOTS of water to explore so if you have interest in seeing it @Little Spoon start going sooner rather than later

 

The Great Falls Reservoir and the Pine Falls Reservoir have been added to the AEM catalog for 2021!

****A little backstory here - we wanted to get these sections of the Winnipeg River done a few years earlier - they have been high on the priority list for a while. However, we don't like to force surveys in less than ideal conditions. High-flows tend to compromise proper data collection, especially in high-velocity river narrows (e.g. Silver Falls, White Mud Falls, Grand du Bonnet) and below the generating stations. So....we opted to wait until 2020 (low flow year) to knock these ones off. Done and done. Enjoy!

 

And here is the Great Falls Reservoir...

 

Ok.....I'm saying this as a fan and a witness, rather than a greasy pro staffer map salesman----- how do you guys find the time????! That is honestly an insane amount of content!!!

So many comments to respond to....

First--- I thought that was Lake X?? Heheh

You're giving away mapping process secrets! honestly, that's wickedly cool. Hardcore real deal, you are.

@Gord --- that lady in the Lamprey video stole your hat!

Pine Falls/Great Falls resevoir....I'm quite honestly damn near speechless. I remember you mentioning (@craigm ) you had intentions...but for whatever reason, this stretch of the Wpg R is off everyone's radar, so I forgot about it. Was talking with a good friend----wondering why that stretch is really not talked about in mainstream circles......it's odd to me I've never thought of looking there and even more odd no one talks about fishing it.....it's gotta be good, no? The smaller tribs coming off it---usually means good rearing/spawning for several species.

Also-- pic #7 in the Pine Falls Resevoir post--- is it me, or is that narrow channel man-made looking? ...dynamited back in the day...? Or did Mama Nature just cut her path like that?

Honestly Spoon, when I give you a hard time about not focusing on getting yourself into a boat, it's with this in mind fella. It's not to try to get you pissy. You're young, you have an interest in tournaments, you have drive to build on your own fishing, and there is simply no other way to get to where you wanna be, but in your own rig, even if it's really modest. (I'd actually recommend a non-leaky beater you can beach and not care about scratches and dents, to start)

Anyhoo, I don't wanna turn this into a Spoon-get a boat thread--but your comment in the context of seeing all this awesome AEM water to explore---it just fits. Small prairie lakes, big prairie lakes, small rivers, big rivers, Shield waters....it's all there to explore and fish and figure out all the differences of how each body of water fishes! <-----and THAT is, in my experience, the quickest way to become a decent angler---well-rounded, by fishing new and different waters. Fishing one lake or river all the time, even owning a boat, will get a guy stuck in learning (unless it's as diverse as Woods)----get in a boat, and fish as much as you can, starting ASAP......because it's a life-long pursuit, and every real passionate fisherman, regardless of age, says this----> so much water- so little time!

 

Thanks @Mike B. We spend a lot of time on the water....and this time is very much "work" not fishing. We have a GREAT survey team and our capacity has really built up over the past few years. That makes a huge difference in our ability to put out large amounts of high-quality content.

Regarding the PFR and GFR - you'll have to try it out for yourself. I have spent a few days fishing the PFR over the past few years with my boys (so not super hardcore mode). There is a good mix of species for sure - biggest draw for my boys is actually the catfish. They don't have the size of the fish from the Red (that population is truly unique), but the numbers are great and battling them in Winnipeg River current (xi5 anchored right in Silver Falls) is a lot of fun. And we have been keeping a few each trip to eat - which is not something I would consider from the Red.

Regarding White Mud Falls....yes, it was blasted decades ago to ease the flow bottlenck that existed there, which basically lowered water levels on the downstream side of the Great Falls dam under most flow conditions.....creating more hydraulic head which allowed for increased hydroelectric power generation at that station. Combined with the construction of the Pine Falls dam (whose backwatering effect extends to the base of White Mud Falls), it made the reach (from dam to dam) navigable by boat. Pre-hydro - forget about it!

 

The Winnipeg River is a complete beast, and you guys have an incredible amount of it mapped. Pretty freaking amazing how you guys are not only "chipping away at it", but rather sweeping massive swaths of giant stretches of water.

Figured WM Falls looked blasted. Very cool.

Very neat about the Channel Cat population. I've heard so many good reviews on smoker Cats, I wanna slab one up and smoke it on the Pit Boss.

Suck it, @Patty

 

Do these additions complete the Winnipeg River from Lamprey Falls down?

 

Smoked Catfish is fantastic if done right

 

Correct.

Also correct. Good fried too. Some people say Channel Cats are inferior to other catfish species....I don't have enough experience to comment on that, but I can say they are good. A little bit different texture than walleye (the standard comparison) and you definitely want to remove the red muscle. But you get a lot of meat of a 6lb kitty, and the filleting process is much more pleasant than say a slimey pike. Very good eating fish from the Winnipeg River, IMO...all things considered.

 

That is amazing. What an accomplishment.

Someone is looking down and is very very proud.

You and the crew should be very proud as well. That is a few trillion metric tons of hard work, come to fruition in absolute splendor.

 

I recommend headless dressing catfish for smoking. It is easy to take out the red muscle when you peel the skin off after smoking and cooling.
This method makes keeping smaller catfish ~ 3lbs worth the effort. A 6 lb catfish on the Winnipeg River is a fairly old fish....with all the accumulated ‘unpleasantness’ that goes along with eating old fish.

Derek

 

Good point. How old would they be from the Winnipeg River at 6 lbs?

 

Interesting. I'm curious too, as to age.

Also, really interesting there is such a high population of Cats in that stretch....must be an old sewer pipe connected in between the dams somewhere Suck it @Patty