DROPMORE, Manitoba – I’ve heard it said there are two kinds of boaters.
Those who have hit a rock. And those who will.
I was reminded of that adage last month, when three of us visited friends who have a cottage on Lake of the Prairies in far western Manitoba.
Arriving about an hour later than planned on a recent Friday afternoon after some poor navigation by yours truly – I knew I’d screwed up when we hit the Saskatchewan border – we still were able to spend a few hours in our host’s boat for an enjoyable evening on the water.
The walleyes weren’t snapping like they did during my previous two visits in 2023 and 2024, but we still managed to catch enough for an evening fish fry. Regulations on Lake of the Prairies require releasing all walleyes longer than 45 centimeters – about 17 inches – so finding fish small enough to keep can be a challenge, at times.
The plan for the rest of the weekend was to spend a full day fishing Saturday and a few hours Sunday morning before heading home.
Sometimes, though, things go off-script.
Created in the mid-1960s by a dam on the Assiniboine River, Lake of the Prairies – also known as Shellmouth Reservoir – generally follows a north-to-south course, with a slight southeasterly jog closer to the Saskatchewan border. Even though Lake of the Prairies is situated in a deep – and very scenic – valley, north winds or south winds can be a pain.
Such was the case on this Saturday; no matter what shoreline we fished, we couldn’t escape the wind. We spent the morning fishing the sheltered confines of the Shellmouth River, catching just enough walleyes to keep things interesting and begin replenishing a key ingredient for that evening’s “surf and turf” dinner.
We headed a few miles north after a midday break, finding a spot behind a woody point that provided just enough protection from the wind to keep the fishing manageable.
The trolling motor battery ran out of juice just before we planned to head in for dinner. Combined with the walleyes we’d kept that morning, we were just short of our four-person limit.
At this point, it should be noted that our host has years of experience fishing Lake of the Prairies. There are treacherous spots along the west shoreline, he said, and it’s best to avoid boating too close to shore in those places.
Because of the wind and the waves, he took it slow and easy on the way back to the dock, following a course perhaps 100 yards from shore in 15 to 20 feet of water.
He was pointing out a spot on the west shoreline, where we’d seen a beautiful cinnamon-colored bear two years ago, when it happened.
Bam! Crunch!
Ugh.
The sound of an outboard motor – in this case, a 150-horse Yamaha four-stroke – hitting a rock is absolutely horrible.
It’s the sound of a good day on the water grinding to an abrupt halt.
Raising the motor, we saw the stainless steel prop was folded like foil in a couple of spots, and the skeg – the fin-like structure on the lower unit – was broken off.
On the positive side, the boat itself hadn’t hit the rock and wasn’t damaged.
Through it all, I don’t think our host uttered a single colorful word. I’m pretty sure that wouldn’t have been the case if it had been me who hit the rock.
And yes, I’m already in the camp of boaters who have hit rocks.
The motor vibrated violently any faster than trolling speed, but we were able to limp back to the dock, which was maybe a mile or so from where the prop-crunching catastrophe had occurred.
Had we been able to go full speed, which wasn’t an option because of the waves, our host figured he wouldn’t have hit the rock because the boat and the motor would have been riding high enough to miss it.
Dang the luck.
Despite the unfortunate end to any further fishing plans, I received an update a few days later with the good news that the damage wasn’t as bad as it could have been. Miraculously, there was no damage to the lower-unit shaft, the skeg was repaired a couple of days later, and a shop in Brandon, Manitoba, was able to fix the propeller, which at first glance looked like it might be damaged beyond repair.
As for the two kinds of boaters – those who have hit rocks and those who will – the first camp now has a new member.
With a rebuilt skeg and prop to prove it.
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