Lögberg-Heimskringla - 15.09.2018, Blaðsíða 11

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Lögberg-Heimskringla • 15. september 2018 • 11
Our family has had a cottage in
Gimli for one hundred years
now and, for half that time, I
have enjoyed fishing off the town pier.
Things have changed significantly over
time but recently the fishing has been
better than ever.
One major change is the pier itself.
When I started fishing, it was about
half as long as it is now and there was
no wall protecting the harbour on the
outside. Another difference is the lack of
minnows. Back then there were always
minnows in the harbour – ten tosses of a
dip net and you had enough bait for the
night. Now, I rarely bother to bring the
net as I haven’t caught a usable minnow
in five years. I’m told they are plentiful
in early spring. Last year there were
huge schools visible and when I brought
up the net there were 50 to 60 emerald
shiners in it, but none longer than an
inch or usable as bait. Frustrating,
especially now with the price of a tub of
salted minnows over five bucks!
There are few fishing spots anywhere
where you can catch the variety of fish
available at Gimli. I have caught a dozen
different fish over the years, including
perch, pickerel, sauger, northern pike,
freshwater drum, striped bass, burbot,
carp, bullhead catfish, channel catfish,
mooneye, and goldeye. In the distant
past, sturgeon were caught and about
five years ago I heard that someone had
caught one in the spring – but that may
be just a fish story. (I should also note
here that, like many Canadians, I use the
terms pickerel or walleye to describe the
same fish, even though the fish in Lake
Winnipeg is technically a walleye and
not a pickerel).
You can catch decent-sized fish as
well. I have landed four different master
angler qualifiers: a pickerel, a perch, a
drum and at least half a dozen bullheads.
The drum, or silver bass as many call
it, was a whale at almost 30 inches and
probably at least 50 years old. This year
I caught the biggest bullhead I ever
saw, so fat it looked like it swallowed
a softball. I released it and five minutes
later caught it again. Last year I saw a
10-pound walleye reeled in.
Forty years ago, out of every ten fish
caught, seven would be perch, two were
sauger, and the last a drum or bullhead.
When someone caught a decent-sized
pickerel, people gathered round to
gawk. Nowadays, seven out of ten fish
caught are pickerel, while eating-sized
perch are rare and sauger few and far
between. Not that I’m complaining –
pickerel and perch are equally tasty, but
there’s more meat on the walleye and
the perch’s skin in so tough you have to
sharpen your knife every third fish.
Aside from the fish, there’s also
plenty of wildlife around the dock.
Thousands of gulls and plenty of
pelicans, of course, but also the
occasional belted kingfisher down
on the rocks or a bald eagle cruising
down from Willow Creek. Osprey are
constantly circling the harbour looking
for lunch. During fish fly season the
gulls are in a feeding frenzy and I have
caught two that crashed into and got
wrapped up in my line. Both times they
were so entangled I had to cut the line to
release them safely.
You can encounter some furry
wildlife, as well. This year there are
three muskrats hanging around the
rocks at the very end of the pier. About a
decade ago, I was trying to net minnows
in the harbour at about 6 o’clock in the
morning. I threw the net in and it slapped
the water when it hit and I heard an echo
from down the dock. The next time I
threw it in there was a clear, loud smack
in reply and, when I looked towards
the rocks, I spotted a beaver swimming
away. I have no idea what a beaver was
doing in the harbour – last I saw it was
heading south towards Willow Point.
There is undesirable wildlife as
well, namely the invasive zebra mussel.
A few years ago, when they were first
reported in Lake Winnipeg, I would
search for them when fishing off the
rocks and it usually took a few minutes
to find one. Last year their population
exploded – there were millions upon
millions of them covering the rocks in
shallow water. This year they have all
but disappeared from where they were
abundant last year. I don’t know if they
died or migrated elsewhere, but they
are not missed. Perhaps the freshwater
drum ate them as they are the only fish
that does so, and I have caught a couple
large ones in that area recently.
For those who are interested in fishing
Gimli, here are a few pointers. Pickerel
rigs with salted minnows are your best
bet and I don’t say this just because I’m
a lazy fisherman – it’s because it works
best. Casting lures or crankbaits are a
good way to land pike in the harbour in
springtime and I have seen people catch
fish by jigging next to the wall in the fall,
but most of the fish are caught on the
rigs. Anywhere along the paintings is a
good spot to fish with the best ones at the
turn just after the artwork ends. Another
good spot is at the very end of the pier.
Cast your line about halfway towards the
green navigation light on the breakwater
and you will catch plenty. Don’t forget
to buy a licence, though – I’ve been
spotchecked by conservation officers six
times in the past few years, reeling in to
prove my hooks were barbless. I don’t
mind – rules are rules and poaching is
poaching. Besides, with the price of
pickerel in the stores now, three fish
covers the cost of the licence.
Good luck and remember one of
my dad’s favorite sayings: Time spent
fishing does not count against one’s
allotted lifespan.
Skuli Johnson
Winnipeg, MB
THE PERFECT FISHING SPOT
PHOTOS: STEFAN JONASSON
Anglers in the distance at Gimli Harbour