Frozen lakes make way for fine eating
May is a glorious month in Saskatchewan, especially for anglers.
Winter is over, the ice on lakes has melted and the fishing season begins. This year it seemed like winter would not release its grip on our province. For many, it looked like the ice would never melt.
Since 1984 I have spent the May long weekend in Missinipe, fishing Otter Rapids. When we arrived there this year, we were welcomed by Ric Driediger of Churchill River Canoe Outfitters. After congratulating him on receiving a lifetime achievement award from Sask Tourism, we set off for the mighty Churchill River.
This year, fishing the mighty Churchill was our only option, as ice still covered the lakes. We found no fish in the river, not even pike or suckers. Ken Owens and Lloyd Ratzlaff did find plenty of small, very aggressive pike jigging in the open water along the wharf. Once the shoreline opened a bit, they found the pike there as well.
The last week of May I fished Jan Lake. Our group has fished there at this time of year since 1972. As Glen Sorestad, Al Dalshaug, Dennis Borycki and I motored up north, we discussed what a prolific fish producer Jan Lake remains. Upon checking into Three Lakes Camp, we donned layer after layer of warm clothing before heading out.
Since the ice had gone out just a few days before, we knew it would be cold on the water and it was indeed. We soon forgot about this since the fishing was more than fabulous. We found hungry jig-smashing walleye in nearly all of our favourite spots. We also found larger than usual walleye. Al Dalshaug proved to be the walleye king this year when he landed a 5.4-pound walleye.
As is always the case on Jan, there was no shortage of pike. This year we caught and released more large pike than we have for several years. The higher water of the last several years has led to very successful pike spawning. The little fish are now getting larger with every passing year.
The last couple of days we explored new walleye water. In most cases, we found fish. Often this included some bigger walleye. On a particularly pleasant midday, we enjoyed a shore lunch of bannock and walleye cooked over a crackling fire. Somehow the fresh fish lunch is always memorable. We can never determine whether it is the freshness of the fishing or cooking over an open fire or just eating outdoors in our natural environment.
Now that June has begun, it is time to plan summer fishing trips. I find it unusual that few Saskatchewan anglers enjoy our northern fishing. Anglers from Alberta and several American states are frequent visitors to our north. Yet local licence plates are often hard to find. This year, be sure to check out our many terrific ‘drive-to’ fishing resorts.
It was great to see a large group of anglers from Colorado at Jan Lake. What was best is that there were several young anglers in the group. Even though it was cold and raining, they were ready to go fishing every day. Often they were the first on the dock waiting to go fishing. If youngsters from as far away as Colorado can enjoy northern fishing, why not kids from Saskatchewan?
As our lakes warm up, the fish will become more active and active fish are hungry fish. The days ahead will provide even better fishing. It matters not what fish you hope to catch. Your options are many. You can search for trout in the smaller stocked lakes. Or get some bait and have kids jig for hungry perch. Pike are especially aggressive in spring, so they make an ideal fish to target.
Walleye, everyone’s favourite eating fish, have long finished spawning and are actively trying to replace the weight they lost during the spawn. Not only are they exciting to catch, they are also very tasty on the plate.