Photographed above: Wire baskets cover the water-filled troughs where developing trout swim and are likely to jump.
My obsession with angling started from an early age when my Dad took my brother and I fishing for brook trout at Little Boggy Creek in Duck Mountain Provincial Park. I still remember catching these beautiful fish from behind the rocks as we ventured our way upstream.
Today, the fish no longer dwell in Little Boggy Creek. Low water levels led to its stocking being discontinued in the late 90's. As non-native species, the brook trout in this stream are entirely dependent on the provincial stocking program. In fact, there are no native trout species in Saskatchewan aside from lake trout. However, there are now approximately 125 lakes and streams where one can catch brook, brown, rainbow, tiger, or splake trout in Saskatchewan.
But where did these exotic species come from in the first place? The Fort Qu'Appelle Fish Culture Station — celebrating its 100th year of operation in 2015.
One of the reasons that spurred my friends to start exploring our home province was the desire to find off-beat fishing locations, especially for elusive stocked trout. With an old angler's guide and a weak rural internet connection, it's still pretty easy to sleuth out a new fishing hole. There are no real secrets, unfortunately.
But in the good old days, the relationship anglers built with lakes and rivers was a deeply visceral one. Fishing spots were passed down from generations as treasured secrets. They were a source of pride. Sometimes they were found by risk-taking, hard work or knowing the right people. More often, they were found through family and long-time friends.
A few years ago, I set out to find a relatively obscure trout lake in one of my favourite forests. I like to think you can still find a lake to call your own these days. It still takes the right kind of nerve and a whole lot of patience.
