Welcome to Week XXVII 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 a boat a look at some of the options in the Yorkton area where you can fish from shore, and hopefully catch some fish for a good summer fry.
So the snow looks like it's going to stay, and yes I do recognize that when you hit the third week of November that is to be expected.
But it is still hard to pack away the rods and tackle.
Some have of course suggested ice fishing, but the last time I filleted a chuck of ice I froze my hands and then darned near drowned frying it.
Seriously though, I have iced fish as a kid and yes it can be fun, but with no truck to cross the ice with, not just to sit in, and no ice auger to drill a fishing hole, it's not particularly feasible for me.
So it's the end of the fishing trail for 2012 for me, and it has been a fantastic year.
The big pike at Echo Lake was my biggest fish in years, and a blast to catch.
Thanks to Chris Istace I landed my first channel catfish, and found out just how incredibly tasty fried catfish is.
I hooked into bullhead catfish at the Shellmouth Dam spillway, and while more, or less the perch of catfish, the feisty little 'bullies' which so many toss back, are again supper tasty.
Mix in an early season limiting out on both pike and walleye at Canora Dam (Mother's Day), a few 'wallies' over 60 centimetres, and the discovery of a huge number of new lakes and spots within easy driving distance of the city, and this has been my best year of fishing ever.
So the gear goes into the laundry room, or garage for the winter, waiting patiently for the arrival of May 5, 2013, opening day for next year's fishing season in the Southern Management Zone which includes the Yorkton area.
With the actual fishing for the season done for me, I am of course interested in how to stay connected to the activity I find totally relaxing since it is away from all things electronic (I even dislike my son taking his cell phone on trips), and puts one in the world of birds singing, the occasional animal wandering by, and the clouds floating casually overhead. It is a place to breathe in slowly and relax, even if the fish don't bite, although yes it helps the day if they do.
This winter one thing that is on my list is to learn how to actually get a fly to go more than three feet when I cast it with my fly rod.
A local fly fisherman has suggested he'll help me with that, probably for the potential of humour in watching me trying to cast.
The interest in fly fishing after all these years is being fueled by several things.
To start with there is a plan to stock rainbow trout into a manmade river to help clean cleaning water from the new water treatment plant off of Queen Street.
Adam Matichuk, Fisheries Project Coordinator with the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation told a regular meeting of Yorkton Council in May the project was well under way, adding it fits with his organization's mandate "to create new fisheries in urban areas."
The initial step was to determine the feasibility of stocking the pond and man-made steam, adding the result of that work was "yes we probably can do this."
Once it was determined that fish would likely be viable Matichuk said they had to "develop some habitat."
The habitat development included riffles in the stream, areas of stone which create pool areas, and help aerate water as it passes over the riffle area.
That work was started earlier this year, and Matichuk said he is already seeing algae and insects in the water, which biologically speaking is a positive sign.
Matichuk said with the water from the treatment plant being cold the area will be "most suitable for trout," adding "trout do quite well in ponds."
A third phase of the project would be to "improve angler access", including wheelchair accessible platforms, and areas along the stream which could allow fly fishing, said Matichuk.
While work has started, and will continue this
year, Matichuk said, "it will take some time to establish a fishery. It will be a year, to two years out before people are fishing in the pond."
The pond/stream area is not large so stocking numbers will be small, meaning likely catch and release fishing, but with access so close, what a way to spend a late summer evening.
Add in brook trout scheduled to be stocked into Scissors Creek south of Tantallon next spring, and the close proximity of Spear and Goose Lakes in Manitoba, both with trout populations, and the chance to use a fly rod are certainly there locally.
As an added attraction to fly fishing, do a web search of fishing pike with a fly rod. It tends to be a spring thing, when pike are moving through rivers, and I can only imagine the thrill of the fight considering even small pike can put up a notable struggle, and on the generally lighter fly rods and line, it would be a great bit of giving line, and taking it back to land them.
Yes, pike fishing with a fly rod next spring is at the top of my to-do fish list in 2013.
But fly casting is a near art form, and most who have never tried it can probably use some guidance learning the craft.
This winter, with the stocking plan for the water treatment plant project planned, would be ideal for either the City's Department of Community Development, Parks & Recreation, or the local branch of the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation, to hold a couple of fly fishing workshops to help get people started casting their fly rods of the right foot.
Of course fly fishing is truly a culture onto its own, and after learning to cast a fly, many take up the challenge of making their own flies.
As regular readers will know I dabbled in fashioning homemade hooks this summer, using everything from old stainless steel kitchen spoons, to beer bottle caps and disposable razor handles. They were fun to make, and actually worked.
But tying flies is a whole lot more involved than cutting a spoon handle off and splashing some paint on it.
To start with they are small, and my big fingers may not be up to the task.
And trout are generally wily critters. They can be fussy in what they attack as a food source, and fly tiers go to great lengths to have many of their creations closely mimic specific insects to better fool the fish. That means closely following patterns.
That all said, I do have a small fly tying vice and a very basic tying kit, which I acquired years ago with good intentions, which has remained in a cupboard unused ever since.
A natural follow-up workshop for the aforementioned groups would be at least the rudimentary basics of fly tying. I know I'd be interested.
