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![\"Shu-Mon](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/3467842_web1_Master-Angler-01.jpg\")
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tShu-Mon Mok with a lake trout caught on Clearwater Lake in Manitoba. \u2018The sport humbles you all the time,\u2019 he says. \u2018You just try to figure out how you can improve your game next time. (Supplied photo)<\/p>\n
The 30-year-old business analyst is an avid participant in the Manitoba Master Angler program. Administered by Travel Manitoba, the program formally recognizes trophy fish caught within the province.<\/p>\n
This year marks 65 years since Travel Manitoba assumed responsibility for the program, which was started in 1958 by the Neepawa Game and Fish Association.<\/p>\n
The Crown corporation advertises it as the oldest and most established angler recognition program in North America and notes it links to the province\u2019s tourism industry and world-class angling opportunities.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s known as an amazing program worldwide,\u201d said Josh McFaddin, a fishing consultant with Travel Manitoba.<\/p>\n
Participants submit a photo of their catch through the Master Angler app and, once their submission is verified, receive a certificate and a pin celebrating their achievement.<\/p>\n
There are 30 qualifying species. Because certain species are only found in certain parts of Manitoba, the program can motivate Manitobans and tourists alike to explore the province, officials said.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s the case for Mok. From Twin Lake in the Duck Mountains to Wasp Lake in the Whiteshell to Clearwater Lake northeast of The Pas, fishing has taken him all over Manitoba.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the only reason I travel this entire province \u2014 just trying to catch these weird fish,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Recreational fishing generates approximately $600 million in annual economic benefits in the province, per Travel Manitoba.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t The Master Angler program is important because it promotes tourism and the diversity of local fisheries, said Don Lamont, executive director of the Manitoba Lodges and Outfitters Association.<\/p>\n \u201cMany of our lodges \u2026 promote the program,\u201d Lamont said. \u201cIt\u2019s a selling feature.\u201d<\/p>\n The program is appealing, he added, because it promotes accomplishment and recognition.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople love to get recognized,\u201d said Lamont, who has been involved with recreational fishing in the province since 1982.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s by far the most successful program of its kind anywhere in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n The program is also meant to promote conservation. In 1991, 65 per cent of registered entries were released back into the water, according to Travel Manitoba. Today, that number has grown to 92 per cent.<\/p>\n The catch-and-release badge, awarded to those who choose to release a qualifying fish, promotes this conservation ethic.<\/p>\n \u201cTaking care of the resource is the most important part because this (program) wouldn\u2019t exist if people were mistreating the resources,\u201d McFaddin said.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n \t\t In 2015, the Master Angler database had documented more than 250,000 trophy fish. Today, that number has grown to more than 481,000 registered entries. The program maintains an annual average of 10,000 entries.<\/p>\n Mok said he\u2019s slowed down with his Master Angler pursuits in recent years, but one fish he hopes to catch someday is an Arctic grayling \u2014 a species in the salmon family found in the far reaches of northern Manitoba.<\/p>\n As much as he\u2019s accomplished during 18 years of fishing, Mok said he still has a lot to learn.<\/p>\n \u201cThe sport humbles you all the time,\u201d he said. \u201cYou just try to figure out how you can improve your game next time.\u201d<\/p>\n aaron.epp@freepress.mb.ca<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Aaron Epp Aaron Epp reports on business for the Free Press. After freelancing for the paper for a decade, he joined the staff full-time in 2024. He was previously the associate editor at Canadian Mennonite. Read more about Aaron<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThis year marks 65 years since Travel Manitoba assumed responsibility for the Master Angler program. There are more than 481,000 registered entries in its database. (Supplied photo)<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tA young angler displays his latest catch \u2014 a smallmouth bass. (Supplied photo)<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Reporter
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