Ice out pike on the North Saskatchewan River

Something to do this weekend

A quick photo of Rick Crozier with this North Saskatchewan River beauty before being released.

Every spring at ice out large pike work their way from the deep wintering holes to the creeks and oxbows where they will soon spawn. As they make their way up and down the river the huge egg bearing females keep to the shallow quiet water close to shore well out of the main current. This is where we have fished them for decades using a frozen minnow and a sliding sinker on an open bail set.

These fish make great pictures but that’s about it, they are roe bound and lethargic giving up easily when caught.

Each fish represents a million more pikes so handle them gently never holding them horizontally bowing the spine, keep the fish vertical for a faster release.

Don’t even think of eating any fish from the North Saskatchewan River!  Natural mercury enters the food chain high in the Rocky Mountains by way of bacteria.
This is collected in the food chain by natural predation until finally it collects in the fish.

Each year a fish lives in this environment it collects more mercury, an old female pike would be so toxic she couldn’t be safely used as fertilizer. Our government has studied this natural contamination in depth in the 80’s and knows full well the danger, yet they still allow fish retention on the river.

Tight Lines
Rick Crozier

Cold Front Insurance?

It’s happened to all of us at one time or another. Days before your vacation or derby you hear about the approach of a dreaded cold front. Your stomach drops at the thoughts of battling big waves and strong winds in the pelting rain. But worst of all, these cold fronts usually bring tough fishing conditions.

View fullsize

Lake Diefenbaker, Northern Pike

Fish seam to disappear when the barometer dives. With enough perseverance sometimes you can find them. They’re usually deeper on or near sand, inactive and not feeding. A slow moving jig or spoon jigged on or near the bottom may reveal a fish or two but true to form fishing is tough.

You need cold front fishing insurance. It’s cheap, reliable and will save the day. It won’t stop the rain or wind but it will catch fish when you find them. It’s called the Electron Fish Attractor. Walleye and Pike can’t resist it. Satisfaction Guaranteed!

Tips on finding the fish after the storm.

Even the biggest and baddest Pike and Walleye like to hide when the weather goes bad. They will be deeper than they were a few days ago and usually over a sandy area.

I’ve seen evidence of fish attracted to these sandy areas due to the high electro-magnetic field (EMF) the sand emits. Here they can hide their own electrical field resting virtually electo-receptively invisible.

As well as Walleye and Pike, Whitefish, Pan fish, Lake, Brook, Rainbow and Brown Trout all exhibit the same pattern. This high EMF is called the ambient EMF or the Casimir Effect. These areas generate an EMF generated by the quartz and iron contained in the sand and rock. The higher the amount of quartz and iron the greater the EMF.

When fish enter these areas their electrical field is dominated by the ambient EMF and they virtually disappear. The Electron Fish Attractor presented into this environment generates a higher electrical field than the Casimir effect consequently creating interest and a strike.

Have fun on the water