Parkland Region Trout Fanatic Wins November Contest

12 Months of Master Angler November Winner

His Master Angler tiger trout action photo was selected as the winner of the November edition of the 12 Months of Master Angler photo contest. He has won a $1000 gift card to Cabela’s along with a pile of awesome HuntFishMB gear.

Selfie fish photo game is strong

Manitoba is widely renowned as a still water trout mecca. A big reason for this is our Parkland Region which is home to dozens of lakes teeming with several different trout species and hybrids. Avid trout angler Garrett spends most of his free time chasing these spunky sport fish that inhabit the area’s waters. Whether on weekends or frequent after work jaunts, he generally prefers to head out on solo excursions with the majority of his Master Angler photos including the winning one taken with a propped-up camera.

Pick a trout any trout

“I do most of my fishing over in Manitoba in the Parkland Region especially in the Duck Mountains,” the Yorkton, Saskatchewan resident shared. “There’s so many beautiful lakes to choose from with a variety of different trout that you can target.” Anglers can indeed catch any number of brook trout, rainbow trout, splake, lake trout, brown trout, and tiger trout in many of the lakes in the region.

Tiger trout by a mile

Garrett’s favourite species to go after by far are the incredible tiger trout that roam Twin Lake. “My personal best tiger is 28 inches and I know for a fact there are a good number of fish that size in that lake.” The Master Angler fish in the winning photo was no where near that big but Garrett said it hit his lure like it was. “I caught that one on a little hair jig slightly jigging it under my sight hole in about 5 feet of water. These tigers are pretty aggressive especially early in the season I’ve found.”

One species away from Platinum Level

A dedicated Master Angler Program participant, Garrett started fishing the Parkland and submitting his trophy catches only three years ago. “I learned about the region from watching ‘39 Hours’ on YouTube. I said hey those lakes aren’t too far from home so I decided to give it a shot one day.” Since then Garrett has caught and submitted 180 qualifying Masters in fourteen different species categories! He has also earned Specialist Badges for seven species including Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout, Tiger Trout, and is one away from Brook Trout.

That's not a trout!

“I have yet to catch a splake or a lake trout so those are on my list of species to go after next,” he shared. “But I’ve been having a ton of fun lately targeting Lake Whitefish on Clear Lake though.” Garrett commented that Master Angler-sized ones seem harder to come by as most of them are just short but that is part of what he likes about the program. “The challenge of trying to catch a trophy fish then the feeling after you finally do is awesome.”

Bomber fan?

When asked about his plans for the $1000 windfall, Garrett shared that he just bought a boat and would most likely need some gear to outfit it. “I’ve had my eye on a new Strikemaster 40V ice auger though so it may go towards that instead.” Since he spends so much time fishing in Manitoba's Parkland Region, I asked if he has also converted to being a Blue Bombers fan, “(haha) Not a chance, I’m a Saskatchewan Roughrider fan for life."

HuntFishMB - Eric Labaupa

To learn more about fishing for tiger trout in Manitoba, visit our Tiger Trout page.

For more information about the Master Angler Program, visit anglers.travelmanitoba.com

*Protect Manitoba’s water and resources. Stop aquatic invasive species. For more information on how to do your part visit the Sustainable Development AIS page.