Issue link: http://publications.winnipegfreepress.com/i/161247
W i l d e r n e s s 18 Catch of the day You'll fall hook, line and sinker for the ice fishing scene in Manitoba, where patience is a virtue and a little frost never hurt anyone. Master anglers (both proven and aspiring) can catch their limits on pristine expanses of ice, from the pike-packed shores of Cedar Lake near Grand Rapids to the precambrian paradise of Whiteshell Provincial Park, which in winter is often teeming with rainbow, brook and brown trout. Lake Manitoba's southern basin is a prime spot for perch, and the ice shack villages south of Selkirk are good for hauls of greenback walleye. Further afield, Turnbull Lake near Leaf Rapids and Dauphin Lake east of Dauphin offer scores of walleye from ice-up to ice-out, while at Lake Athapapuskow near Flin Flon and Clearwater and Barbe Lakes near The Pas, you can pull ample supplies of rainbow trout. Oh, and the best part of ice fishing up north? Anglers can have their choice of rustic lodges that package ice fishing tours with prime views of the northern lights. Ice Fishing – Lake Winnipeg Night Lights Photo: Thomas Fricke Manitoba is home to some of the hottest spots on the planet for marveling at the Located directly below the northern lights — those luminescent colour-canopies found weaving their way "aurora oval", Churchill is across the night sky. Peak season up north is January to March, when the lights considered one of the top three are at their brightest and there's a plethora of viewing options available. spots in the world for observing Photo: Frontiers North this otherworldly phenomenon. Book an overnight adventure tour that affords sky-gazing access from the deck of a heated tundra vehicle, or take in the show from the comfort of a cozy aurora dome, or the covered viewing lounge and open-air deck of the Churchill Northern Studies Centre. Further south, you can head to Flin Flon for a stay at a lakeside lodge that offers ice fishing and snowshoeing in between nightly screenings, or pay a visit to The Pas, where the northern lights are said to shine all year round. For more on travel and Northern Lights – Churchill tour information see visitnorthernmanitoba.ca.