Spring thaw is on, fishing season almost here

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 28/04/2018 (2947 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Following a long winter, it’s almost time to get back on the water.

For a while, it looked like spring would never arrive. But luckily, we have had some great weather recently, enough to get some of our lakes and rivers thawing.

In southern Manitoba, the fishing season opens May 12, the second Saturday in the month. Despite the recent warm weather, it will be an extremely late ice out this year, which means a lot of our lakes will still be frozen. Most of our rivers will be flowing, though, which could mean a change of plans for many anglers who want to head out on opening day.

For those of you who are not used to fishing in moving water, there are quite a few factors to consider when trying to find and catch fish. With the water likely to be extremely cold, if you are fishing out of a boat, move around to try and find the warmest water possible. In the aquatic environment, insect life, small minnows and other food sources congregate in these areas, which means the larger fish won’t be far behind. That’s also good news for the shore angler, who can easily cast to shallow fish congregated at creek mouths and in smaller rivers. In this case, you are only limited by your imagination on where to fish. One late spring, I can remember catching a multitude of different species in one of the small creeks flowing into the Assiniboine River within city limits. While it’s fun chucking and winding small spoons and crankbaits from shore, if there are a ton of snags, it sometimes pays big dividends to going with a slip float, small hook and some bait.

Josh Wood, who lives in southern Manitoba, has discovered the world of micro-fishing.

Wood is a writer, hardcore angler and blogger (thebeardedangler.com) who just loves to embrace new angling experiences. He discovered micro-fishing while just idling away some time. He waded into a small creek with an ice-fishing rod, small hook and a piece of worm, only to start catching creek chub.

Intrigued, he decided to start investigating this style of fishing a little bit more. Lo and behold, he discovered a website dedicated to micro-fishing.

Wood has continued with his micro-fishing journey, documenting his catches with the help of the Peterson’s Field Guide to the Freshwater Fishes. It can help with identifying species as well as the ranges they inhabit.

What struck me about the story Josh submitted to the spring issue of Hooked Magazine was the impact this style of fishing had on my childhood, which later fuelled my desire to make a living from it.

My first real memories of fishing came on a camping trip with my family to Killarney Lake, south of Brandon, when I was eight years old. I remember wandering down to the local dock to see what was going on, only to find a couple of kids with miniature rods and reels, catching perch.

I was totally intrigued by this, lying down on the dock, fascinated by the schools of perch swimming below. Finally, I could stand it no longer, begging for my chance to try and land one of these beautiful, striped creatures. After a while, these two young anglers had to go but one was nice enough to lend me her rod. The rest of the camping trip was spent on that dock, marvelling in the thrill of this new experience.

Maybe that’s why I spend so much of my time trying to educate and write about the angling experience, especially with our younger generation. If you have the chance, supply that same opportunity to people of all ages who have never had the opportunity.

Angler’s notes: Fish Winnipeg was first implemented by a volunteer committee in 1995 to promote angling within city limits and get young people out fishing for the first time. It’s intended for families with limited disposable income, and for children who would otherwise not have a chance to go fishing.

The goal is to promote fishing as a lifelong leisure activity, while instilling the principles of conservation and responsible angling. Since that day 23 years ago, more than 10,000 young people have enjoyed the opportunity, many receiving a free rod and reel to continue with their angling journey. The City of Winnipeg is a huge partner in this, providing the day-to-day operations.

Young anglers are picked up at community centres across the city in July and August for a half day of fishing and fun.

Curt Enns and his family have been involved with the program since Day 1 with financial support. Enns owns three different fishing lodges and Wings over Kississing air service. This year, Curt donated a trip to Tukto Lodge in Nunavut, to be sold at the Fish Futures banquet.

All the proceeds will be going back into the Fish Winnipeg program to make sure it continues for years to come.

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