Welcome to Week CCIII 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.
If the snow would ever stop falling it might actually be time to get excited about a new fishing season.
Seriously, what is with the weather?
Yes, I have lived in Saskatchewan long enough to know spring is never real until well into May, but the nice winter through until early March actually had me dreaming an early spring.
At least I am not the only one. A retired farmer at the recent Rotary Agriculture Appreciation Night was remarking how he has been thinking producers might be out scratching in the field by mid-April. Of course those thoughts were several weeks ago when it looked like the snow might be gone by the end of March. I suppose April Fool’s Day got many of us, and the day has repeated for about three weeks now.
It is now to the point I have that uneasy feeling we might see a May storm, as evil as those are.
Of course the slow disappearance of snow this year will mean basically no spring run-off. The water has soaked disappeared slowly, and we are not going to see high water levels anywhere based on this winter’s local snow.
That could be interesting in terms of fishing. We aren’t likely to see a lot of high water this spring. I would suspect water at Lake of the Prairies to be lower than most springs, as an example.
Thinking back a few years, fishing was very good at the new Togo Bridge when the water was lapping at the edge of the road. I suspect the fish were coming in to hunt the rock structure under water that year.
That will not be the case this year, and I suspect fishing will be impacted by the low water levels, and not necessarily in a good way for shore fisherfolk.
But one thing is certain, when the new season arrives we’ll eagerly head out with high hopes of big fish.
In the meantime this is the time of year we who love to fish begin to prowl in search of new gear. It’s like some primal calling. We just ‘know’ a new rod and reel will make us better fisherfolk. We will catch more fish, and of course bigger fish, if we just have a new rod and reel in our hands as a new season breaks.
Oh, and we know that in spite of 357 lures we rarely snap onto a leader as it is, if we just buy that sparkly new hook, it will be the one we could cast into the bathtub and still haul out a five-pound walleye on every second cast.
We hit the local tackle shops and the hook aisle at the hardware aisle being careful not to slip on the drool of those who have come before us, and we become mesmerized by the new colours and unusual lures that are new for the season. It is somehow within our nature.
So who am I not to help my fellow fisherfolk in pursuit of the next great lure, and of course that perfect rod and reel combo, and just maybe a new utility tool, a filleting knife and of course that really nifty new tackle box.
If you’re sitting at home reading this, and want a few ideas what new equipment is out there for 2016, well grab the laptop, or notebook and long onto the Internet and check out a few sites.
Start by popping in at www.fieldandstream.com
If you are an avid sportsman the name Field and Stream is going to be a familiar one. It has been one of the most respected magazines on hunting and fishing for decades. Founded in 1895 by John P. Burkhard and Henry Wellington Wack, the magazine still has a legion of readers, and is considered one of the ‘Big Three of American out publishing’ alongside Sports Afield and Outdoor Life.
In that respect you might want to book mark the page, as there is a lot of material on the site.
Today though, search fishing, and you will find lots of new gear covered.
One example is the Rebel Micro Crawfish lure.
“The new Rebel Micro Critters are one of the more worthwhile endeavors I’ve seen from a lure-maker lately. The company has taken their legendary line of lures, and retooled them with two things in mind: taking kids fishing and catch-and-release. You’d be hard-pressed to find a freshwater angler who has not thrown a Rebel Pop-R, Crickhopper, Crawfish, or Minnow, and they’re now all available in a sub-ultralight size, each with a single, barbless hook in place of trebles, which can be tough on fish and young fishermen,” details the site.
Interestingly, at this time of year fishing rises to the top of a lot of lists, making its way into some unusual places in terms of publications online.
So head to www.popularmechanics.com and look for the article ’12 Wild New Fishing Lures (That Might Just Work)’
There are 12 lures listed. The one that stood out for me was Northlands Live Forage Minnow Spoon. Of course a website has links, so you can just follow those to www.northlandtackle.com and learn about the company’s full line.
In terms of unusual sources of information on new gear, how about www.militarytimes.com with the article ‘Hooks, line & lures: This year’s best new fishing gear’.
This list has several great rods and reels to drool over, but the Salmo Bass Bug caught my eye the most.
“A candidate for oddball lure of the year, this one is designed for anglers looking for “wakebait” style of crankbait, according to Salmo, a Poland-based luremaker. To me, it looks a bit like a giant June bug or other insect that might be seen scooting across the top of the water. Salmo’s designers say the lure casts farther than similar hard plastic lures and enables you to fish water too skinny for the boat. It has two rattle chambers and a large KVD Triple Grip hook,” reports the site.
Check out the full line at www.salmo-us.com
Finally, check out www.onthewater.com and its 2016 Fishermen’s Gear Guide.
This is a more in-depth guide with gear split into different categories; boat gear, surf gear, freshwater gear, accessories and apparel, so you can waste a fair amount of time gleaning the information here.
A couple of items that caught my eye are;
Dr. Slick Hook File - “Sharp hooks are essential to catching big fish, and the off-season is the perfect time to touch up the points on all your jigs, metals, and other lures. The 6-inch Dr. Slick Hook File is the perfect size for putting a needle sharp point on your hooks, and it’s small enough to pack along in your tackle box to touch up hooks while on the water.” Check it out in more detail at www.drslick.com
And, The Fish Grip - “This simple tool keeps hands clear of teeth and hooks when landing fish and posing for photos. Made in the USA, the Fish Grip floats and features durable plastic and metal construction.” Check it out at www.thefishgrip.net
Hopefully these sites will help pass some time for readers as they await the new season to begin.
