Welcome to Week CLXIII 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.
To start this week I am going to do my good day of the fishing week passing along a release which came to the office last week.
The Ministry of Environment is reminding anglers to follow the rules and regulations to help manage our fish habitats and ensure natural resource sustainability for future generations to enjoy.
“Saskatchewan offers some of the finest fishing opportunities in the world,” Environment Minister Herb Cox said in the release. “Every year, nearly 250,000 anglers of all ages fish provincial waters, creating jobs, encouraging tourism and contributing to the provincial economy.”
The biggest challenge for those who manage fisheries, which are fish-producing bodies of water, is the balancing act to maintain a sustainable supply of fish, particularly in multi-use lakes where there can be many different demands placed on the same fish resource. These lakes can be more difficult to manage as they can have combined pressures from anglers, commercial and subsistence fishers, and outfitters.
“Anglers have the greatest impact on our fish resources,” Ministry of Environment Fisheries Biologist Murray Koob said in the same release. “You can place a limit on the number of fish an angler can legally take from a lake, but we don’t control the total number of anglers that might use that particular water body. That’s why it’s so important to understand and follow the rules with respect to limits and other regulations.”
The province can close lakes to fishing or may reduce limits to further reduce the impact that resource users can have on a particular fishery. Stocking lakes is another option, but Koob noted that stocking efforts are typically best directed at smaller waters that are experiencing limited natural reproduction.
“Fisheries can take decades to recover if they are severely depleted,” Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation Executive Director Darrell Crabbe said. “That’s why we encourage anglers to know and follow the rules and regulations in order sustain the resource now and into the future.”
Anglers are reminded to check the 2015 Anglers’ Guide for information on limits and other regulations for the specific waters they intend to fish. Please read the guide or find information about purchasing a licence at www.saskatchewan.ca/fishing.
If you suspect wildlife, fisheries, forestry or environmental violations, please call your local Ministry of Environment office, Saskatchewan’s toll-free Turn In Poachers (TIP) line at 1-800-667-7561 or #5555 for SaskTel cell phone subscribers, or report a violation online at www.saskatchewan.ca/conservation. Callers may be eligible for cash rewards from the SaskTip Reward Program.
In general I have to say I don’t see a lot of blatant rule breaking out there. I have occasionally lamented someone with two rods set up with jigs for walleye, but in terms of impact on the fishery I’d suggest that is small.
The key is making sure the fish taken remain within limits.
That is where I like the idea of Manitoba’s Conservation Licence, with slightly lower limits.
I also get the feeling that a move to barbless hooks is a good one in terms of conservation. The more easily a lure comes out of a caught fish’s mouth, the more quickly and less impacted it can be returned to the water.
Of course there is another way to ensure the fish population is not impacted, and that is to have an evening such as the one my son and I had recently at Indian Point on Crooked Lake.
The spot is usually pretty consistent for a few pike.
This night Adam managed a small walleye, and the rest of the fish ignored everything we threw their way.
So it was an eve to enjoy what was around us.
To start with there were some water birders riding the waves a bit farther out into the lake which had Adam and I again discussing the need to buy a set of binoculars and a good book on Saskatchewan birds to help wile away some of slow days fishing.
In this case, and remember I am not a birdwatcher at all, I think the birds were grebes.
So I went looking when I got home.
Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan at www.esask.uregina.ca provided some localized help.
The “Grebes (family Podicipedidae, order Podicipediformes) are small to medium-sized water birds with lobed toes on legs set far back on the body. Like in the loon, this leg position is efficient for swimming but makes the bird awkward on land.
“They feed on fish or other aquatic life.
“This is an ancient group of birds, known as fossils from 80 million years ago.
“The family of 20 species is found on all continents except Antarctica.
“Many species have elaborate courtship rituals of bobbing or dancing on the water surface.
“Of the seven species found in North America, six are found in Saskatchewan; they are all migratory.
“Grebes are typically found in the larger sloughs and permanent waters of the southern half of the province; they may nest on the shore or construct colonies of floating nests of vegetation.
“There are three small grebes in the province: the pied-billed grebe (Podilymbus podiceps), with its brown body and small head, is distinguished by the vertical bar on its bill; the horned grebe (Podiceps auritus), with its large yellow patch at the side of the head and ruddy neck, can be seen throughout the province; and the closely allied eared grebe (P. nigricollis) has a thinner yellow patch on the cheek and a black neck.
“Among the larger grebes we find the red-necked grebe (P. grisgena), which is often seen on the lakes and rivers of the centre of the province and is distinguished by the white cheek patch under the black cap as well as the rufous neck.
“The Western grebe (Aechmophorus occidentalis) and Clark’s grebe (A. clarkii) are very similar in appearance, with grey bodies, long white necks and long bills. Clark’s grebe has the white on the head extending above the eye, and a yellow rather than an olive-green bill.
“Because these last two species can be difficult to distinguish, their exact distribution in the province is not certain.”
Of course I might have been off base on my rudimentary identification, but the grebe is certainly an interesting waterbird for fisherfolk to watch for.
Then as sometimes happen, an incident of happenstance comes along to catch one’s interest on a slow day.
In this case a ladybug landed in my hand and stayed long enough that Adam was laughing at the time I invested in studying the tiny beetle as it crawled over my hand.
Ladybugs have always been of interest in the sense they are easily identified for the most part, are quite striking to look at, and are also beneficial.
“Ladybugs are found just about anywhere in the world as long as there is an available food source and the temperatures are not too frigid. Their range extends from North America, excluding the arctic region, down to the most southern tip of South America. They are also found east to Europe and Asia, also excluding the arctic regions, and south again to Africa and Australia,” detailed www.canadiangeographic.ca
“Adult ladybugs are round, semi-circle shaped insects with stubby legs and antennae. They have tiny heads and usually range in colour from red to orange with black dots. However, the presence of dots and their amount can vary from species to species. In some species the colouring is reversed making them black with red splotches …
“Most species of ladybug adults and larvae are valued valued by farmers since they eat a variety of plant-damaging insects, including aphids.
“Ladybugs lay their eggs on aphid infested leaves. They lay clusters of eggs that include extra infertile eggs mixed in with the fertile. Both of these behaviours helps to ensure the ladybug larvae will have enough food to last until it becomes an adult.
“Broccoli, milkweed and other plants that attract aphids are where ladybugs tend to live. These beetles move on once they eat all the aphids on one plant.
Like bears, ladybugs hibernate in the winter. The usually come together in large groups and sleep the winter away on mountains and areas of high elevation.”
There are actually a wide range of ladybugs, and an amazing volume of information on the Internet which could make searching out the brightly hued beetles when out fishing something to add to the outdoor experience of our main hobby.
