Well, I see that my favorite Walleye fishing hole is once again open for the season. I just cannot wait to get out to Crawling Valley Reservoir to fish for those big fat eye’s. I was going to go out this past weekend, proceeded to go to the local tackle shop for some frozen minnows and some Pickerel rigs. Grabbed the goods from the tackle store and then proceeded to the Super Store to buy a new fishing chair, my old one broke from the many days of use at Crawling Valley. Gathered everything together and headed for the highway, yeee hawww, I’m going fishing baby, back to the valley I go; the weather’s awesome and I decide I’d better check the regulations one more time just to be sure it’s open. It’s May 7 2006 and opening day is Mon, May the 8 2006 what a complete bummer man I tell you, I was so pumped to go and my bubble was burst in the flip of the regulations page.

But it’s May 12, 2006 and I’m so ready to rock and roll out to the Valley for the next awesome day on the water. Crawling Valley is near the town of Bassano and holds a verity of different fish for the angler to choose from. It has Walleye, Pike, Perch, Lake Whitefish, and Burbot which are often referred to as Ling Cod, and once in a blue moon you get the odd trout. It’s not much of a place for great scenery but I’ll tell you, it’s great if you like fishing for big Walleye’s or large Pike.

 The method I normally use to fish here is a Pickerel rig and a tub of frozen minnows, as bait is allowed here. I’ll tie on the Pickerel rig and bait those #2 hooks with the minnows and cast away.I let my weight hit the bottom of the water then tighten my line up to where I can see if I’m getting a bite then just kick back and relax. I’ve had some incredible days fishing out here at the Valley. I think my best day was a total of 18 – 25 fish and my largest Walleye measured 30 inches in length. The fishing should be awesome here at this time of the year as the water just opened for fishing. Just talking about this place makes me want to get in my car and drive.

 The drive out From Calgary takes approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes, but if you’re a die hard fisherman like myself; you’ll probably get there in an hour. The fishing out here is usually awesome all summer long and be sure you bring enough minnows in case the fish go bananas, because you’ll get those days when the action is non stop. Remember there is a zero limit on the Walleye so handle the fish with great care and please do not keep the Walleye out of the water any longer than absolutely necessary. If you see anyone trying to keep the Walleye here or any other body of water that they are not to be kept please call the Report A Poacher Number at 1-800-642- 3800. Poaching is a serious offence and should not be tolerated by any fisherman.