Welcome to Week CCVI 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.
Listen carefully and you can hear the pitter-patter of fisherfolk feet heading to basements and garages to dig out the fishing gear in anticipation of the opening of a new season.
This year, at least in the Yorkton area, the new Saskatchewan season, opens tomorrow (Thursday). So if you haven’t gotten the gear ready by now you have only a few hours left before you can start tossing hooks, or watching for the familiar rod tip jiggle when a fish takes a jig.
And yes, there are always things to do each spring before heading to the lake.
To start you have to go online for your license, or one of only a handful of places still offering in-store sales. If you have computer access, credit card and printer, it’s a great system.
It is less handy if you are old school and just picked up a license at a corner gas station on the way to a favoured fishing hole.
Then there is the tackle box to deal with.
I generally try to maintain a somewhat organized tackle box, the Len Thompsons kept in one container, each colour in its own slot.
Pelican Lures go in another.
The assorted rubber leeches and grubs in a third.
And, well you get the idea. There are multiple trays, with more hooks than I will ever use this season.
As much as I try to maintain order, by season’s end, the tackle box is a minor disaster. There are lures out of their proper place, and far too many in what is pretty much a rat’s nest tangle.
That will take some time to correct.
Of course there may be a need to find a spot, or two, for new hooks too.
A right of spring is checking out new lures, and in spite of that over-stuffed tackle box, buy a few.
For example, you might want to look for some of the lures Gord Pyzer, who was a guest speaker at the 2015 Parkland Outdoor Show, wrote about in Outdoor Canada’s Fishing 2016.
Pyzer covers a number of lures, but I will note three here.
“Mann’s new Reel ’N Shad is the first straight-tailed, fluke-style-jerkbait I’ve seen that shivers and swims like a soft-plastic paddletail swimbait when you put it on a jig,” he wrote. “A slit straight through the middle of the bait makes for the natural swimming motion, but you really have to see it in the water to believe how amazing the action is. A package of five includes one bait pre-rigged on a no-slip jig (you can also use the 5¼-inch-long baits on other jigs). They come in four colours.”
Then there is the NK 100PH.
“This high-quality motorized spinning reel and power harness enables physically challenged anglers to experience the joy of fishing by automatically retrieving casts at the push of a button,” said Pyzer. “Designed to fit on virtually any spinning, ice or fly rod, the M-Pow-R NK 100PH comes with a four-amp battery, charger and fanny pack, and a speed-control system providing optimum torque throughout the retrieve. Any type of lure can be used, and the largest freshwater fish can be landed.”
Finally check the Zombie Maxx.
“I love fishing with well-made segmented lures because of their outstanding action, and Lucky Bug’s seven-inch, two-ounce Zombie Maxx promises not to disappoint,” he wrote. “I field tested the original five-inch swimbait and enjoyed great success with it for walleye and bass, so I can’t wait to cast and troll this larger version for lakers, muskies, pike and salmon. Made up of eight jointed segments to produce an incredibly live life action, the weight-forward, slow-sinking Zombie Maxx comes in 52 amazing colours.”
Beyond the search for a few new ‘can’t miss’ lures, pre-opening day ritual is to change line on your reels.
There are those who hold that lines needs to be changed every few trips. Others go as far as to suggest every few big fish.
I trust my Fireline to last at least a season. My current line actually went through 2014 and 2015, and I can’t say it ever broke when I was dragging in a fish.
But I am not going to push it, and have new line to wind on before casting (if I find time before heading out).
The goal of early season for most is the first walleye worthy of telling your coffee buds about.
Walleye are not an easy early season catch though as Mike Jungle writes about in the Outdoor Canada publication.
“Several years ago, I went early-season northern pike fishing with my friend Tim Geni and our boys on southern Saskatchewan’s Rafferty Reservoir. It was early May and the pike action was steady, but around mid-afternoon, Tim suggested we switch things up and try for some walleye,” he wrote.
“I was skeptical because I usually didn’t do much walleye fishing until mid-June, when the water temperatures stabilize and the walleye are going strong on spinner rigs and bottom bouncers. Plus, I was having a good time catching northerns. But since we were in Tim’s boat, I agreed.
“We pulled out of the bay where we’d been casting for pike and soon anchored overtop a nearby sandbar. Then we traded our shiny spoons for tiny jigs tipped with leeches, which soon discovered the walleye couldn’t resist. I was shocked by this early-season bite and instantly realized I’d long been missing out on some excellent walleye fishing.
“Since then, I’ve been targeting walleye in May and early June by downsizing my offerings and fishing slow presentations, instead of waiting until mid-June and using flashy, action-packed presentations.”
Of course where to find the walleye is the question.
“To find walleye early in the season, look for the warmest water in the system,” writes Hungle. “This is where they will be feeding on the aquatic creatures that come alive as spring unfolds and the water warms up after ice-out. As a guideline, walleye will spawn when water temperatures exceed 40 degrees F, and start biting well when it’s warmer than 50 degrees F. And once the water is between 60 and 65 degrees F, the fish will go into a feeding frenzy. Prime areas typically feature shallow water and sandbars along northern and eastern shorelines that receive the most daily sunshine. Other good bets include flooded back bays, dark-bottom mud flats, shorelines with exposed rocks that gather the sun’s heat, and creek mouths where spring run-off brings in warmer water. Finding an area where the water is one or two degrees warmer than the rest of the lake can pay huge dividends.”
I was also interested to read a short article by Pete Bowman and Angelo Viola about one of my favourite fishing holes when growing up — Tobin Lake.
“If catching a trophy northern pike and a bonus big walleye in a single fishing trip is on your angling bucket list, then you’ve already narrowed down your Canada-wide search by leaps and bounds. Although these fish may seem abundant across the North, it’s not always that easy to find both giant pike and walleye in the same place,” the duo wrote.
“Northern Ontario and Manitoba are two popular destinations, but their flat-landed cousin to the west—Saskatchewan—can put forward a trophy combo lake or two as well. And in our opinion, one of the best is Tobin Lake, in the northeast of the province. Actually classified as a reservoir, Tobin was formed in 1963 following the construction of the E.B. Campbell Dam on the Saskatchewan River.
“In addition to northern pike and walleye, Tobin also has burbot, goldeye, lake sturgeon, sauger, whitefish, yellow perch and a plethora of fatty baitfish. This seemingly endless supply of food, along with the mandatory use of barbless hooks, is why the reservoir is one of the top pike and walleye fisheries in the country. From our experience, the absolute best times for catching mammoth Tobin pike are during late fall, ice over and early spring.”
I have to say the varied fish in the big lake make it a great spot. At one point the burbot were very plentiful at the spillway, back when they were seen only as garbage fish by most. Today we know better, and burbot are recognized as a feisty fighter that tasted good too.
