Welcome to Week CXCVI 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.
When it comes to our sport fishing resource, the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation (SWF) is actively involved in helping sustain the resource.
So it was not surprising presentations on the fish resource took up a sizeable portion of Friday afternoon at the SWF Convention held in Yorkton last week.
The SWF through funding agreements with government, and the support of local clubs invests a lot of time, effort, and dollars in projects which help maintain, or enhance fish habitat.
For example a dam went into Lanigan Creek nearly 50 years ago.
“It has been a barrier ever since (to fish movement),” Adam Matichuk the SWF Fisheries Coordinator told the convention.
So a project was initiated to remove the antiquated dam and restore fish passage down the creek.
In the process “thousands of acres … are no longer being flooded,” he added.
Similarly a low level crossing on the Qu’Appelle River near Round Lake, which is no longer in use will similarly be removed as a barrier.
It was clear from the presentations that ensuring fish have the ability to traverse waterways as naturally as possible is of paramount importance, with many projects designed to emote impediments to such movements.
Maintenance of previously undertaken projects is also within the SWF purview through its agreements, noted Tyler Vanstone, SWF Fisheries Technician.
For example the Eagle Creek Trout Pond, near Asquith, was having problems with an older, existing aeration system, so 400-feet of new line was installed allowing the project to access water from the nearby creek, and not an over grown holding pond.
Similarly aeration system work was carried out at Wilson Lake near Springside, said Vanstone.
At Olson Lake work was undertaken to improve an access trail. Vanstone said the work was needed to ensure access for stocking of fish in the spring, but it also improves angler access for the Spiritwood area lake.
Work is also being undertaken at Brightwater Creek Spring Marsh, a great area for spawning pike, said Vanstone. Installing rock riffles, and protection for the bank to prevent cave-ins are designed to improve the spawning area.
In some cases work is also undertaken to close off project areas no longer being used. That includes the Swallow Lake Rearing Pond near McBride Lake.
“It hasn’t been used in a while,” offered Vanstone, who said it is in essence being decommissioned.
Through the now 10-year old Fisheries Enhancement Program 70 new projects have been undertaken, and the SWF maintains another 77 projects inherited with the signing of the agreement.
When in-kind and funding from alternative sources are added to that through the program itself more than $3.25 million has been invested.
“We’ve come a long way in the last decade,” said Vanstone.
In terms of fish management the SWF is also now managing the Provincial Fish Culture Station in Qu’Appelle through an agreement with the provincial government.
In 2015, “a little over 12 million fish were stocked in 169 water bodies,” reported station manager Nelson Bergh.
While the facility is an important source of fish, mostly walleye and trout species, it is also an older facility in need of some updating.
To facilitate such an update, and potentially an expansion, Bergh said an engineering study is under way, with a US firm with a history of working with fish culture stations.
In terms of expansion, they are looking into the feasibility of facilities to house 100,000 rainbow trout over the summer.
“We want to carry some of the fish over ’til fall,” said Bergh.
Similarly there is interest in ponds to hold one to two million walleye to be reared to fingerling size before being stocked.
“It would take 33-acres of rearing ponds to accomplish that,” said Bergh, adding the study will look at land and costs for such an expansion.
When it comes to updating existing systems there is interest in installing a water recycling system, offered Bergh.
“We use 1.3 million gallons of water a day. If we can reduce that number it would be beneficial to the environment for sure,” he said.
Certainly in terms of fishing it is an important recreation and tourist stimulus in Saskatchewan.
In 2006 licenses accounted for $216 million and in 2010 that had grown to $301 million, a 29 per cent increase.
Saskatchewan license fees have not been increased since 2004, but for residents is the third highest fee in Canada.
Chad Doherty gave a presentation on angler regulations.
Not surprisingly most fishing is carried out in summer with 82 per cent of angler pressure done on open water, and only 18 per cent through the ice, he said.
And most of the fish caught are the big three of native species, perch, northern pike and walleye, which combine to make up 96 per cent of the annual angler harvest.
