Hunt Lake Manitoba Narrows

When Ryan Bonin goes to work, he always makes sure he packs his camera and fishing pole.

As a cameraman and editor for Dave Mercer Outdoors, the Frogmore resident has the type of job most anglers dream of. Not only is he traveling to some of the best fishing spots in North America, he is also learning to be a better angler with tips from television angler Dave Mercer.

Bonin came into the job in a roundabout manner. Originally from Sudbury, he followed his brother’s footsteps showing an interest in video.

“It was the only thing I really enjoyed in high school other than fishing, and there’s no courses in fishing,” he joked.

Although he did a co-op placement with a conservation officer and loved it, his mind was made up for a future career when he was told job prospects, as game wardens were thin. He attended Fanshawe College and took television and broadcasting. There, he met his wife Ginny, who was from the Langton area.

After graduating, Bonin was working at Technicolor in Toronto on commercials, when he chatted with Mercer through a message board on

OFN. At the time, Mercer had produced videos and was looking at starting a television show, which launched in June 2007.

“I was in the right place at the right time and was lucky,” he said. “He sent me a message on WFN and the rest is history. We worked well together so he asked me to come work full-time for Dave Mercer Outdoors.”

Mercer’s Facts of Fishing television show aims to be more entertaining then other fishing shows. It’s also unique it is shot in one location in one day.

Bonin is one of two full-time camera operators and the editor of all the footage.

The show has taken him to the west coast of Canada salmon fishing, to northern Manitoba fly-in fishing for pike and walleye, the east coast of Canada shark fishing and to the Bahamas bone fishing. He also fished for bass in Alabama and alligator gar in Texas.

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When the filming is taking place, Bonin is behind the camera and isn’t fishing. But, when the work, is done he can play – or in this case fish.

On Bonin’s first day fishing with Mercer, he caught two six-pound smallmouth.

“I’d never seen a six-pound bass before,” he admitted.

That trend continued, and he has set his personal best in every species fishing with Mercer.

“I learned more with Dave in the first month than in my entire life,” Bonin said. “He’s an endless pit of knowledge. Just when you think he can’t do anymore, he throws out something else.”

Asked if this was his life ambition, Bonin answered, “Always, in the back of mind, thought it would be great. My final project in college was a full half-hour fishing show.”

With today’s technology, the Internet allows Bonin to live wherever he desired. He and Ginny decided to buy a house in Frogmore, near her parents. Bonin does all the editing from his home office

Besides Facts of Fishing, Bonin is also kept busy editing Mercer’s tips and short video clips for the web site. http://www.tillsonburgnews.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1769772

I’m Steven Wintemute, Your Travel Manitoba Fishing Ambassador.

Welcome to Manitoba, home to over 100,000 lakes and an angler’s paradise! It is an honor to be the fishing ambassador for Travel Manitoba. As owner of Hooked Media and publisher of Hooked magazine I have the opportunity to meet lots of great anglers and I even get to fish with them. What a thrill it is for me to take these anglers to some of my favorite lakes in Manitoba and watch them catch world class fish! Actually Manitoba is a world class fishing destination for anglers from ALL around the world. For proof, head over to It’s My Moment, a site dedicated to celebrating amazing Manitoba travel stories from people just like you (hint: there’s an amazing prize for the best story, so get yours up there soon). I’ve got a few stories posted there, and will be adding more all the time. This will definitely be another season to remember!

Southern Division – Closed April 1 – May 9. Opening Day – May 10 Northwest Division – Closed May 1 – 16. Opening Day – May 17 North Central Division – Closed May 1 – 16. Opens May 17

Fall turkey can be best said to be its best reward , all in all , especially on the Lake Manitoba Fishing and hunting lodges regions.  However it can be well said that lessons learnt well in October, can help you take that Manitoba prairie gobbler come next spring.  Although the flocks break up during the mating season turkeys can be best said to operate in a pecking order , not unlike you might find in unionized courier drivers or union bosses in a bullshit shoot session .  Jadran noted the first discovered the vital roles of the pecking order all in all  one spring morning on the Narrows over twenty years ago.

This was when Lake Manitoba Narrows was relatively undiscovered and acted in the means of a leased hunting region – not unlike early Netley Marsh.

Transcona recalls “I was watching my brother call to a gobbler with a multitude of hens out in the fields.  Marty was doing a really fine job and effort but the gobbler it seemed wanted to strutt to his hens.  I was trying to figure out a way to best shoot my brother’s chosen bird or birds .  It seemed then that pecking order , whether with your brother’s flock or the gobbler’s hens was the way to go.   In the same way pecking order plays an important role in human interractions as well.

Just then a pair of toms appeared at the far end of the field and one yelped.  My brother’s gobbler dropped out of the strut, ran to the end of the field. chased one bird off, beat the stuffing out of the other and then came back to his own hens.. I snuck around to that end of the field itself and made the very same gobbler yelp.  Marty’s Tom then ran out straight towards me.

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