“It was mayhem. Absolute mayhem.”
When giant fish inspire a man who’s caught a lifetime of trophies to utter these words, anglers pay attention. That’s what transpired in the so-cold-there’s-snow days on Kississing Lake in Sherridon, Manitoba, the past several autumns. The famed lake in western Manitoba is known for good multi-species fishing and big lake trout, but even so Kenanow Lodge owner and head guide Chris Matheson was taken aback by the shallow-water assault of the lake’s apex predator.
When it comes to lake trout, jigging and deep-water trolling are the gold standard. Sight fishing? Not so much. Sure, spring and fall offer the chance to lock horns with lakers in shallower water, but to work a shoreline looking for trophy trout and spend a morning boating a half dozen trophies pushing 40 inchers is insane. Or, to use Matheson’s words, it’s mayhem.
“The reason fall is such an amazing time to catch lake trout is because they’re in the shallows. You get the aspect of being able to see them in the water following your bait,” Matheson said. “You’re picking that spot. Is there one here? Is there one there? All of a sudden you feel like that rod is going to be ripped out of your hands, and that water explodes. You can’t put it into words.”
Keep in mind, getting up to Kississing Lake isn’t exactly conducive for a quick weekend trip, but it is a drive-to fishery which makes it more accessible and there’s still time to plan something for this fall (or earlier, if you’re so inclined).
If you’re doing it yourself on Kississing, start your research sooner rather than later to optimize your time on the 25- by 25-mile lake and its hundreds of islands and reefs. Swimbaits are a great way to go when casting for shallow-water lake trout, and trophy pike might just succumb to them, too.
As for the best pattern? Well, Hall of Fame angler Gord Pyzer recently wrote an interesting piece related to that topic with the intriguing question, “Do your baits match the hatch? And should they?” Naturally, Pyzer can’t give a definite yes or no for all bodies of water in all situations, but following the master’s mindset provides you an interesting topic to debate with your fishing partner while you’re driving to the lake in pursuit of mayhem. Click here to read Pyzer’s thoughts on the topic.
The 3-minute video below features some incredible fishing — and camera work. And you have to love the Canadian accents, too. Good luck in pursuit of your own fishing insanity.
