Welcome to Week CCIV 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 Parkland Outdoor Show & Expo was held in Yorkton on the weekend drawing people from across the Parkland and beyond to peruse the booths and talk about a shared passion to hunt, and of course fishing which is why I trekked down there myself Sunday.
Such shows are best enjoyed with a bud along to share the experience.
In my case Patrick Thomson picked me up, and I tagged along with him and his son Ethan. Regular readers will likely recognize the name, as Patrick has been mentioned in this space a few times before, as a local fly fishing aficionado, fly tying teacher, and most recently for his Saskatchewan Salmon expedition at Patrick Park in the city, which was of course caught on film at YouTube.com.
So what was at the show of interest to fishermen given that the show’s main focus is most certainly hunting?
Much of what was there was familiar.
The Bug Chucker Cup had a display to promote its fifth annual event May 26-28 over in the Roblin, MB. area.
“With lakes in the Parkland Region becoming known world-wide for their superb fly fishing experience, and after hosting a very successful National Fly Fishing Championship in 2010, it was time to show others what we had to offer.
“The Bug Chucker Cup is an event that will give participants an opportunity to mingle for a couple of days, to share experiences, new fly patterns, equipment, new techniques, test their abilities as well as relax. The event is mostly about fishing, which is what anglers come for, but also a chance to meet old friends and make new ones,” details an event brochure.
The event starts off with a barbeque for the participants in Thursday evening, May 26, at the Roblin Community Centre.
The area of course is prime with several notable trout lakes.
To begin with there are East Goose Lake and West Goose Lake.
“Both of these lakes, situated right in the town of Roblin, have been trophy producers of both brown and rainbow trout. East Goose, in the past, was a premier producer of master angler sized fish. West Goose, just across the road, in the past few years, has surpassed its neighbour in both size and numbers of exceptional catches of both brown and rainbow trout. With a late October 2015 stocking of 60 large (20 – 28 inch) browns and 3500 rainbows in each lake, both East and West Goose Lakes remain a top priority for visiting fly fishers,” details the brochure.
Then there is “Persse Lake, which is located in the northern part of Roblin Municipality approximately 43 kms north of Roblin. The aerated lake has been stocked with brook trout and brown trout. It has a parking lot and launch area.”
And “Twin Lakes is located in close proximity to Persse Lake. This lake is perfect for any angler looking for a different catch. It is the only lake in the Parkland area stocked with Tiger trout.”
Next there was a table for the new hunting and fishing magazine ‘Wild Guide’ which was detailed in this space only a couple of weeks ago.
Wild Guide was started by Brad McCann and long-time friend and hunting and fishing partner Tony Griffiths. Both are avid outdoorsmen.
“So why Wild Guide? At first glance it may look like we are simply trying to turn our passion into a career, and yes there is an element of that, but more accurately, we wanted to turn our career into something that allows us to share our passion with others,” wrote McCann in the debut issue.
It was great to say hello to McCann, and learn that they had heard about my humble column mentioning them.
As I said a couple of weeks ago this is a new publication truly worth a look at.
Then there was reconnecting with the people behind the Saskatchewan made PomPom Fish Bomb lures.
The PomPom Fish Bomb is a hand-tied creation. It has a weight jig head at its heart, onto which brightly coloured feathers have been tied. If you are thinking a big fishing fly with a weighted head, you have the right general idea.
The PomPom Fish Bomb is made at Naicam.
It was just about a year ago I wrote about the lures.
“My wife Lorna designed the PomPom Fish Bomb in mid July 2014,” said Cameron MacNeal in that article. “And, we started selling our flies and jigs around the same time …
“The response to the PPFB has been overwhelming and in all my years fishing I have never seen a response to a hook like this. We’ve had people stop dead 100-feet away, walk directly to us, get 10-feet away, and say they thought it was a real fish in the jar of water we use to demonstrate the movement of the PPFB. A gentleman in Davidson said he hasn’t been fishing in 10-years, bought a hook and said ‘I’m going fishing!’ …
“We tie a lot of different patterns and we are always going out to the lake to try them out.”
Pelican Lures had a display, and lures for sale.
The Winnipeg-based company has some of the most unique patterns on the market these days, so of course I had to pick up spoons on special three-for-$10.
The two I am most looking forward to tossing at a few pike are a swirly pink and white with some overload sparkly. It should reflect any available light to attract fish. The second is a yellow and blue with the same swirl design and sparkle overlay, a colour that will be new to my tackle box. If they get strikes expect the story to appear in this space.
And booth that came quickly to my attention based on recognition was for the Fish Culture Station in Fort Qu’Appelle.
Initially created by the federal government, transferred to the province decades later, and a couple of years ago management of the facility passing to the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation, the Fish Culture Station celebrated its 100th anniversary last June.
“Prior to the establishment of the Station, the first stocking of a provincial waterbody took place in 1891. Eight million whitefish fry from a Manitoba hatchery were transported 300 miles by rail and horse drawn wagon to the Qu’Appelle Valley Lakes,” detailed a fact sheet circulated at the 100th anniversary event.
“As the demand on prairie fish stocks increased due to the settlement in the west in the early twentieth century, the need for a hatchery in the Qu’Appelle Valley grew. In response to this demand, the Dominion Government of Canada built the hatchery near Fort Qu’Appelle on Echo Lake in 1915. In 1930, the administration of the hatchery was transferred to the Province of Saskatchewan.”
“The Fish Culture Station has evolved from decade to decade to meet changing needs and ease pressures on fish stocks in Saskatchewan waterbodies. While walleye, northern pike and a variety of trout species (rainbow, brook, brown, tiger, splake and lake trout) comprise the majority of current stock, additional species raised over the years include cisco (1918), perch (1920), bass (1923), smelt (1944), arctic grayling (1947), kokanee salmon (1961), alpine char (1964) and coho salmon (1969).”
The display in Yorkton was great as it gave just enough insight into the station that it might entice people to visit the facility. In the summer there are tours, and it’s certainly worth a stop if in the Fort Qu’Appelle area, especially for fisherman who can gain some insights into the effort behind stocking fish in the province.
It’s right on the shore of Echo Lake with a spot that is great for shore fishing nearby as well.
And finally I’ll mention a River Monster Adventures, a British Columbia-based operation offering trips to fish for the monster sturgeon.
“Catch Monster Sturgeon directly from the beach! Full and half day pro-guide trips for adventurous anglers of all ages and skill levels. Bring the whole family, the corporate team or just come alone and join the hunt for the largest freshwater fish in North America at incredibly scenic hot spot locations on the Fraser River. It’s not too far from home but far from your ordinary weekend. Come and catch your own this summer,” notes their website atwww.rivermonsterfishing.ca Check them out. The great photographs of the ancient-looking giants are worth the ‘Net time.
