Welcome to Week VI of 'Shore Fishing the Parkland'. 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 you will remember last week we were south of Margo facing a stiff wind rolling across Stony Lake. I was having some success fishing into the jaws of the wind, but my son was not.
It is interesting how things change in one's life, and yes I am about to digress here for a minute. When I was younger, some 30 years ago, I still loved fishing, but I did not have a lot of patience for no-bite days.
My father, on the other hand, was always convinced they were just about to get hungry, so he had to cast 'just a few more'.
Well, I am still not a very patient person for most things, but I have become my father in terms of fishing, willing to keep on casting until dark if need be.
Adam may learn that patience one day, but he is not there yet.
So we put the rods in the car and headed a couple of miles further south, coming to Pelican Lake, just on the opposite of the road.
At Pelican is a small camp area created by a local Saskatchewan Wildlife Association branch, and that is where we pulled in.
The water level was high, easily seen on the boat launch. That limited where we might throw a hook to the dock.
But there was a couple camping, sitting outside their small camper, a nice fire going at lunch time. So I walked over to gain some insight.
They explain fish were pulled out from the dock the night before, but that there was also a nice little area just down the road, pointing to where you could see a couple of people fishing.
We headed there.
The area isn't large, but we were casting the direction of the wind, and since trees on the other side of the road cut the breeze, it was much warmer too.
The good news was that there were three long pike on a stringer near the couple already fishing.
So we got out our rods and put on the standard Len Thompson spoons we usually start any pike fishing with, and get ready to give it a try.
Again a side note.
We all carry tackle boxes when we fish for the hooks we hope will entice fish to think its food, but we should think of it more as a tool box. I am a believer you carry everything you might need while fishing, and that means adding a lot more than hooks. Take a trip to a local bargain store and grab a few things such as fingernail clippers, they cut line the slickest, a box cutter, sharp and cheap for many uses, a small Phillips screw driver, most reels use such screws and they occasionally need tightening, band-aids, hook points make you bleed, a small flashlight for late evening work, a cheap rain coat etc. Just a few ideas to share.
But back to Pelican.
Adam and I start to cast and the fish start to bite. They hit the hooks as far out as we can cast, and that means a ways out since we can both cast pretty well.
But they were still hitting. In fact the pike were famished. Adam even caught one which was about six-inches long, the smallest 'hammer-handle' I've ever seen take a hook.
Interestingly, the couple that were already there, and who happened to come from the Yorkton-area as well (how's that for coincidence), were not bringing more pike in. But he was great to chat with, another real plus to shore fishing, talking to others at the lakes you visit.
In less than hour Adam and I had our limit of pike, not counting a few small throw backs to boot.
The area is small at Pelican for shore fishing, but when you add its proximity to Stony Lake, the pair are an ideal outing.
Besides catching fish in two lakes in less than half an hour is really sort of amazing when you think about.
