Welcome to Week CLXXXVI of ‘Fishing Parkland Shorelines’. Like most of us I am a novice fisherman, loving to fish, but far from an expert. In the following weeks I’ll attempt to give those anglers who love to fish but just don’t have access to a boat, a look at some of the options in the Yorkton area where you can fish from shore, and hopefully catch some fish.
The Internet is about as interesting a place to go fishing as most bodies of water.
OK, so you might not catch anything for supper, but you can certainly be entertained for hours as a member of the diehard fishing fraternity (there is probably a line of t-shirts there, but that is for another day).
The Internet is like a mighty big lake, with dozens of islands to navigate around, and there is a ‘pea-soup fog’ laying low over the water to boot. What does all the hyperbole mean? Simple, you can find some great spots to visit, but it is not without effort.
So I’ll help you navigate to a cool spot today.
Check out www.eat-sleep-fish.co.uk
‘Eat, Sleep, Fish’ is a free, not for profit fly fishing ezine published each month packed with fly fishing stories, tips and advice from around the world. It is usually published the 10th of each month.
There are a couple of reasons to seek this one out, starting with it being free. Anytime you can find quality material free, it is a bonus.
Secondly this is a Brit publication. That means it gives readers something different than jigging for walleye in a Canadian lake. I believe most ‘fisherfolk’ are at least curious about their pastime in other parts of the world.
There are three people behind ‘Eat, Sleep, Fish’, with brief bios on the site.
“Pete Tyjas is a full time fly fishing guide based on the River Taw in Devon, UK,” details the site. “His passion is river trout, grayling and salmon fishing but he’ll fish for anything. He’s fished throughout the U.K, NZ the American Mid-West and cast flies at bonefish wherever they swim. Eat, Sleep, Fish was an idea he had to allow fly anglers to share their experiences of fishing and it fits well with his ethos that fly fishing should be for everyone. If he isn’t teaching he’ll be out fishing with friends or his wife Emma who’s become a constant fishing companion.
“Emma Tyjas is a passionate salmon angler who loves nothing more than to spend time on the river spey casting for her favourite fish. She proof reads every edition of ESF before it goes live and runs the office side of the guiding business making sure we turn up at the right place at the right time every day!
“Lewis Hendrie is a full time guide and England International fly angler. He has travelled the world in search of trout but is just as happy in the UK targeting large grayling during the winter months. He is a partner in the Devon School of Fly fishing.”
The trio have the background to offer some great stuff, which is no doubt a huge part of the success of ‘Eat, Sleep, Fish’.
When I happened upon the website recently I was intrigued by an article regarding the most recent issue, issue #48. It was written by Pete Tyjas.
“Four years ago I hit the publish button and ESF came to life for the very first time. It has been fun, hugely rewarding, hard work and I’ve been extremely proud not to have missed a deadline yet,” he wrote.
That in itself shows amazing dedication of the ezine, given that is available free.
“Admittedly there have been a few times when ESF has been a little late but this has been down to how good the fishing has been. I’m sure you’ll understand,” Tyjas continued.
“So, four years on and has anything changed? When it comes to ESF, nothing. The core values or mission statement is still the same. I have no interest in making a penny from it, I want to it to remain free and I still believe that everyone who picks up a fly rod has a story to tell.
“Looking more widely though, it feels as though fly fishing, certainly in the UK, is contracting. There has been the odd glimmer of hope though. One of those has come from the BBC putting a TV show on a prime time slot on Sunday evenings and getting both anglers and non-anglers sitting down and watching fishing together.
“Sure, it might ruffle feathers in some quarters that a diagram is not technically correct or the format might not be for everyone but I try and look at the bigger picture and think of the great job done and I really hope for another series. One thing is for sure, I have had non anglers asking me about fishing as a result of it and family and friends now ask “is that what you do?”
“Well done BBC, Ben Fogle, Matt Hayes and all those who took part. You have helped engage and interest a wide audience and hopefully brought some of them into our sport.
“So what else has changed over the last four years?
“For me, it has to be the continuing rise of social media. Matt Eastham wrote a piece about it a few issues back that really is worth taking a look at. Having re-read it and thought about it I have thought about both pros and cons.
As a guide, a grip and grin photo is an essential part of my marketing armoury. At the end of each day I load a photo or two onto my Facebook site so that my client can see the trout they have caught and it also shows prospective clients that I am often out on the water. To me, there is nothing worse than claiming to be busy and having a blank Facebook page. Pictures always speak louder than words and it only takes a few minutes …
“Being a not for profit enterprise I rely on social media to spread the word about ESF. I have no other way of doing it and so it has been a huge help in letting people know when a new issue is out and recently I have really enjoyed looking through the older issues and posting them up for people to read.
“I have to admit that I do sometimes feel that anglers hit the water thinking more about the amount of “Likes” the day will get more than anything else which is a little sad too. My prediction is that we’ll be seeing more lifestyle posts about “being there”, the company we keep, the laughs we have and the much bigger picture than just fish shots that encapsulates the fly fishing world we inhabit. This is the direction I would like ESF to go over the next year or so too.”
I think Tygas is on to something. Increasingly it’s not the fish that matter, but the day, the warm sun, the birds, frogs, wildlife, good meals, better company, or a quaint shop found on the journey. Fishing is becoming a way to enjoy far more than the fish.
That is not to say fish less days are great fun, but they can still be great days, if you can just not focus on not catching a fish.
I actually think about getting back to Schutte Lake next summer, and just chillin’ in the secluded spot. I might take some smokies, and make a little fire, cook, eat, drink some coffee, listen to the birds, watch the clouds. Yes I’ll have to toss a lure or two I suppose, it would seem wrong not to, and I’ll grin if I catch anything. But the day will be great anyway.
But there I digressed. This is about a great ezine.
Check it out as winter wears on. You’ll enjoy the experience like the tug of a three-pound walleye.
