Want fly fishing variety? Nick Parkes thinks he has found it since moving to Canada where he is spoilt for choice with the species and locations he can head for when he packs his fly rod for a day's fishing.
I grew up in South Africa and have fished extensively around the southern part of that continent. I have lived in Ireland and fished in Europe and USA before I happened upon this part of the world. Of all the places I have lived and visited it is here that the simplest question that starts every fishing adventure has become so difficult to answer. Before moving to Saskatchewan, Canada six years ago I had never dreamed it would be so difficult to choose where to go fishing and what I wanted to catch.
Here’s the trouble: regardless of where you may be in this province chances are that there are fish swimming nearby. You would find it pretty tough to be anywhere here and not have some sort of fish within at least 15-30mins away. Now if you are in any way adventurous the further you are willing to travel the more water will be available to you, and it grows exponentially with each turn of the tyre. Within three hours of where I sit right now I have more water to choose from than I could hope to fish in a lifetime, or possibly even a few lifetimes, and we have not even begun to factor in the vast expanses of water that are only accessible by float plane or that I could easily drive five or more hours and still be in this province. The province itself boasts a staggering 100,000 lakes and rivers of every shape and size imaginable. The choices are endless, from tiny creeks which you can leap across to large rivers that cross borders, small lakes tucked away in forests, accessible only to those who hike in, all the way to immense bodies of water on which an ocean liner would not look out of place. If you have a favourite type of water or fishery, you can find it here in abundance.
After looking at a map and all the blue dots and lines for any length of time any self respecting fly angler should be asking what there is to catch in these waters. The short answer is a lot. For the long answer I’ll start with the trout and the char that we have as they are the most popular quarry of the fly rodder worldwide. While none of the species are native except for the lake trout that inhabit the cool, deep northern waters along with the beautiful arctic grayling that live north of the 55th parallel, the five species of stocked trout that we have are managed and widely distributed in lakes and rivers to make them accessible to everyone who wishes to target them. We have many systems with rainbow trout, brown trout and brook trout. These three species can be found in many lakes, creeks and rivers around the province and in many of those systems the populations are reproducing naturally.
There are also have two hybrid species that are stocked in lakes only and create an exciting and beautiful twist to the trout that are better known and sought after. The first hybrid is the splake which is a cross between a brook trout and a lake trout and tends to be more active in colder water. While splake can be caught all year long the best time to target them is right before freeze up and in the weeks after the ice melts. They can be found in the shallows at this time of year, and when they are in crystal clear water sight fishing is the name of the game.
The second hybrid species is the beautiful tiger trout, which is a cross between a brook and a brown trout. This hybrid produces a fish that has incredible colouration consisting of browns and golds and it is easily identified by the intricate vermiculations that adorn its flanks and back. Tiger trout are generally aggressive and strike hard and because they are sterile and will not reproduce, they tend to grow quickly. Quite possibly the best way to take a tiger is off the surface; during a hatch they will feed with reckless abandon and the action can be incredible.
The lakes and river systems in this part of the world are incredibly fertile and provide a healthy forage base for all these fish. The bugs that you find here are typical and comparable to other parts of the world. Chironomids make up the bulk of the trout’s diet in most places, but there are also healthy populations of damselflies, dragonflies, caddisflies, mayflies, backswimmers and water boatmen just to name a few. The larger fish tend to eat larger prey items with leeches and forage fish being an important part of their diet, along with other foods like snails, crayfish and terrestrials. The growing season may not be as long as other parts of the world, but the abundance of food available to these fish allows them to grow quickly and to very respectable sizes. Hoping to catch a trout in the 10lb+ class is not an unrealistic goal although it does take a bit of work, as it should.
If the many species of trout were the only fish worth targeting the decision would surely be simpler to make, but to be honest, very many anglers here don’t even ever try targeting trout. The main reason for this is that the province’s most sought after gamefish is the walleye (zander) followed by the northern pike. These two species undoubtedly account for the vast majority of the attention that anglers give these waters and for some very good reasons. The biggest reason is that there are a lot of them to be caught and despite being native to the province and widely distributed they are managed and stocked to help populations remain healthy.
There are also some very big fish out there. The records have Saskatchewan’s largest kept walleye at 18.3lbs and anything over 10lbs or 30" is a real trophy while the pike are really in a class of their own. Large, ferocious, aggressive eating machines will always attract aspiring anglers. Most people are looking for the fish over 40" to do battle with, but if you go to the right places there are fish that will put a 40"er to shame.
Aside from the size of the fish that are there to be caught one of the most important attributes of the northern pike and walleye is that when they are caught from the cool northern water that perforates this land, they taste absolutely delicious. A stay at any fish camp in the northern part of the province will almost always involve a shore lunch. This ritual and rite of passage for anyone new to the area occurs when the guide or host will fry up some freshly caught jack (pike) or pickerel (walleye) and a nice hearty meal more often than not taking place on an island somewhere out in the lake. This not only provides a relaxing break and energy for the rest of the day’s fishing but it also gives the angler an opportunity to sit back and absorb their exquisite surroundings.
I hope it is beginning to become clear as to why it can be so difficult to choose what to fish for and where to go. The nine species already covered are certainly enough to keep the busiest of anglers on their toes. It can get trickier though, if you happen to be an angler who is looking to engage with all this province has to offer, there is still more to come. There are a number of other species that are most worthy of the fly angler’s attention. In the southern part of the province where the water tends to be a touch warmer we have a number of species that don’t get much press at all. There are the goldeye and the mooneye that will sip dries and smash streamers and use their broadsided body to put a real bend into any 5 weight. There are smallmouth and largemouth bass available if you look carefully enough. There is also one of the most underrated gamefish in North America available as well. While carp on the fly is growing in popularity across this continent, it is truly an untapped resource in this province. The populations here are strong and healthy and fish in the 10-20lb range are abundant. To be honest the most popular way to target a carp in Saskatchewan is with a bow and arrow, needless to say there is not much catch and release with this method, but it certainly does not hurt the population and serves to show how many fish there are and how easy it is to get close to them. Sight fishing for large carp on a fly rod is one of the ultimate thrills to be had anywhere in the world, but here in Saskatchewan the very few that choose to do it have it very, very good.
Once you begin to try and wrap your head around the sheer vastness of the fishing opportunities available here there may appear to be only one logical thing to do: quit your job, live off the land and try fish it all. Unfortunately for most that is not really a possibility and choices have to be made, where to fish, what to catch and how to make the time to do it. If only we all had the ability to spend all the time we wanted on the water then maybe, just maybe it would seem as though we were able to get a handle on all the water there is. But we don’t and that is why it is important that we value and appreciate the time that we do have.
In Saskatchewan time spent on unfrozen water and in comfortable temperatures is celebrated and treasured, quite possibly more so here than most places on the planet. Here the lakes and rivers are frozen six months of the year. We hope and pray that the ice comes off earlier in April rather than later, and certainly not in May, but that does sometime happen. And while most people have their gear packed away before Thanksgiving in October, the die-hards will be out on the water until the ice forms and locks them out, usually in the first part of November. While the rivers may take a little longer to freeze up we are at the mercy of the Mother Nature as there is only so much fly fishing that can actually happen when your guides ice up every cast.
Once it all comes together and a decision has been made and a destination has been picked there are a few other little things to get accustomed to. It is important to know that there are no beats, there are no admission prices or fees. With the very rare exception all the water is fishable to anyone who possesses a provincial license and the relevant park permits. The fees are reasonable and tend to seem rather insignificant if you compare them to the price of the rod you fish with. For the most part all the water here is for the public’s use.
One might think that a lack of privately managed water where anybody could show up and use it could lead to crowds and chaos, just the things a fly angler wishes to avoid. While it’s true that in the heat of summer there are lakes with boats and water skiers and wake boarders and it can get quite crowded, those lakes are incredibly easy to avoid. In fact if it’s peace and solitude that you want the then this is the place to be. If you want to fish a river you will probably be alone, if not, walk a couple hundred yards, I doubt you’ll find anyone there. If you’re on a lake and someone else is there, go to the next one if you don’t want to share it. Having a lake to yourself is possible and quite common, battling with crowds is absolutely unnecessary. On any given day you can go out and find a lake or river that you could have all to yourself.
The places we fish are beautiful and peaceful and unspoiled. The fish that inhabit these waters are as abundant in their numbers as they are in their varieties. The water is accessible and unpressured. It must be said though, that when you want to go fishing here, the toughest challenge may very well be trying to pick just one place to fish.
For more from Nick take a look at his excellent video below. It captures the wide range of fishing he experiences perfectly and I love the soundtrack too!
Be sure to take a look at Nicks blog too. www.workhardfishsmart.com