On our way to the south end of Lake of the Prairies we made a detour, heading to the farm of John and Sandra Geres northeast of Langenburg.
So you might wonder what a farm couple has to do with a series on fishing.
Well in this case they do since the couple spend their winters making and summers marketing a line of lures called Walleye Grabber Jigs.
Anytime you can talk to people that involved in fishing you should take the opportunity.
But as a journalist I was also curious how a farm couple became involved in making lures.
"It started back in '85 when I had an operation," said John, as we stood in a small shop with the walls lined with hooks.
His wife was quick to interject it really started earlier than that with her husband's own interest in fishing.
"He couldn't go into a store without buying a hook," said Sandra with a smile.
It was more of a case of seeking an opportunity, assured John.
"I was laid up and couldn't really do anything," he said, adding he decided to pour some lead heads and make a few hooks.
That first year resulted in whooping sales of $327. It wasn't a huge amount, but the couple were hooked, and the business has grown since.
"Now we're moving about $100,000 a year," said Sandra.
The couple do their own marketing filling two vehicles with product, one heading west the other east to service clients selling their line, covering an area roughly from Swan River to past the Qu'Appelle Valley.
"If we had more time we could go further," said John.
The range now includes several products from walleye jigs and spinners to the increasingly popular worm harnesses.
The worm harness is a hook set-up which is designed to carry an earthworm, which the couple also brings in from Ontario in bulk and repackage for local sale.
When they first started making the harnesses people weren't familiar with the type of hook and so sales were slow. John said in time a few tried the rig which is generally trolled behind a boat. Word-of-mouth took over and today the worm harness flies off shelves, being particularly popular in the lakes of the Qu'Appelle Valley.
The couple make a range of lead head lures too, although they abandoned pouring the lures some time ago simply based on the time demands of a growing business.
They do however assemble components from various sources to make the lures. John said a key is opting for top-of-the-line components which assures quality finished hooks.
The range of colours available for the lead heads is extensive. Sandra said there are colours they don't opt for, but are regularly trying new ones to see what is effective for fishermen.
It helps that the couple fish themselves becoming their own test crew.
"We're not going to sell them if we know they're not going to work," said John.
The chartreuse split-tail is a popular one, said Sandra, assuring it would catch something at the Shellmouth Dam later that day. It did the trick catching one nice walleye in a spot nothing else was being effective.
Sandra said sales also tell them what is working for fishermen, and that translates into what they make over the winter. As an example she noted "fire tiger spinners I get to make way more of than any of the others."
Colours such as hot pink, a more recent discovery, purple and red are also popular.
A white spinner with red dots is also 'hot'.
"I can't show it to you," said John. "I'm out."
As a fisherman I want to know what works, and a local company should be offering lures which are effective in area lakes. That's good news.
It was great spending some time with John and Sandra getting some insights into their line of hooks, and local fishing trends.
And in the case of Walleye Grabber Jigs the range is diverse enough to mean you can likely find something that will entice a bite or two so that you are supporting a Saskatchewan company when out fishing.
