Fishing The Walleye Lakes Of Southern Alberta

In the pursuit of happiness.

In big sky country, where the sunsets are as red and beautiful as they come, we have been rising before the rooster crows. Four o’clock comes early for a six year old; well it’s even too early for this old man! There are not many things in life that get me out of bed at that ungodly hour, but sport fishing is one of them. To me there is something magical about the sun slowly rising above the horizon casting glorious colors of red and orange on the clouds above. The last few weekends I have seen that magic before most people are enjoying their first morning coffee. My daughter Paige has been quite the trooper, she has been getting up without incident and helps daddy pack up all the fishing gear for the days trip. I think she must like catching all those mammoth Alberta Walleye, and do you blame her, what angler doesn’t?

We usually leave at four thirty and hit the Tim Hortons coffee shop before the long journey east to the water. Daddy needs his coffee to wake up and she sure does love those bacon and egg sandwiches they sell. Once we hit the road, it does not take long for her to flake out in her car seat. At least someone gets to sleep more. Once we arrive she wakes up and helps me unpack all the gear and lawn chairs. I love to get her involved with the whole process explaining the details of why we do what we do. First the lawn chairs go up, followed by the cooler placed close at hand. Then we put the rod holder in the perfect spot together. She gets the frozen minnows out of the cooler and removes the lid placing them in the water, to get them to unthaw while I string up the rod with a pickerel rig. The other rod gets a lure of choice for the weather conditions that day. I always bring two or three rods with me just in case something breaks while fishing. Once all the gear is set up and ready, the only thing left to do is cast the minnows out and wait for the bite.

The sport fish we are after is large walleye. There are some big Pike in this location but my heart is on them monster Walleye. The common name, “walleye”, comes from the fact that the fish’s eyes point outward, as if looking at the walls. This externally facing orientation of the eyes gives anglers an advantage in the dark because there is a certain eye shine given off by the eye of the walleye in the dark, similar to that of lions and other night dwelling animals. This “eye shine” is the result of a light-gathering layer in the eyes called the tapetum lucidum, which allows the fish to see well in low-light conditions. In fact, many anglers look for walleyes at night since this is when major feeding patterns occur. The fish’s eyes also allow them to see well in turbid waters (stained or rough, breaking waters), which gives them an advantage over their prey. Thus, walleye anglers will commonly look for locations where there is a good “walleye chop” (rough water). This excellent vision also allows the fish to populate the deeper regions in a lake, and they can often be found in deeper water, particularly during the warmest part of the summer.

Today the water was stained out more then we experienced last weekend, most likely because of some rain that had fallen during the week. I like fishing walleye when the water is a little stained up, they seem to be on the hunt more than in clear water conditions. We launched the minnows out and waited patiently for the first fish to take hold. It was only twenty minutes and we were reeling in our first fish of the morning. Paige spun the reel as I held the rod for her. I feel it is important to keep her entertained and happy; after all it is about her getting involved and having fun. The important part for me is to teach her how to handle fish when she is young. To make her aware of the fact that fish do not breathe out of the water, to help her understand that you do not “throw” a fish back into the water, you must gently rock it back and forth until it swims away on its own steam. She is also aware of what parts of the fish can hurt her and what parts of a fish to keep her hands clear of, such as the gill plates and spine of the walleye. We noticed a few people literally throwing the fish back into the water which to me is a shame. I also noticed a couple, man and a woman leave the fish out of the water for over three minutes while the guy went to his truck to grab his camera, then proceed to leave the fish out of the water for another minute for the photo shoot. I am not against taking a few quick pictures of your catch; I do it all the time! What I opposed to is killing a fish because you can’t get organized before your line hits the surface of the water. So please if I may offer you some simple advice here.

1. Have your camera ready to take pictures before you catch your fish. My camera sits on the cooler right next to me within arm’s reach. If possible, have someone take your pictures for you which will save time and keep the fish in the water where they belong.

2. Have your pliers ready to go before you land your fish! Why would you spend time fumbling for your gear when all you need to do is get organized before you fish?

3. When you release the fish you catch, bend your knees and gently rock the fish back and forth in the water until the fish starts to kick its tail a few times. That is when the fish is ready to swim away and has been properly revived after the fight.

4. Keep the fish in the water at all times except when you gently pick it up from the tail and support the body of the fish with your other hand. Do not pick the fish up through the gills, as touching the gills will most often lead to the fish dying after release. Take a few quick pictures of your catch and then revive the fish properly. Less time the fish is out of the water, the more chance it will have of surviving after it has been released.

My daughter is already learning these simple techniques so many other generations of anglers can enjoy fishing as much as we both do. To me it is heartwarming to see the big smile on her face when I hook the fish and she helps me reel it in. Thanks to all the other anglers who came before us, and did their part to ensure we have fish in our rivers and lakes here in Southern Alberta. For that I am eternally grateful! I am joyful my daughter has caught the fishing bug like her daddy has. Many, many more fishing journeys to come in the very near future.