The weather has been kind so far. Just heard about snow in Newfoundland. Here in our part of the province of Manitoba (Winnipeg) we don't have any snow yet, but it is coming. Last night we had minus 4 Celsius. There is ice on the birdbaths. Almost time to take them into the garage for the winter. Today the sun is shining and it looks like a nice day ahead. The weather people promised us about 6 plus today. No frost for tonight.
I've been going fishing quite a few times these last three weeks in Lockport. I live only about 5 minutes away. In Lockport is a lock and dam in the Red River to control the water that flows into Lake Winnipeg. Right now the walleye and other fish are coming up the river to spawn, but they are stopped by the dam, which means a lot of fish at that spot. I've been catching my limit of fish ever time I went. The limit is 4 which incidentally is also the possession limit. Needless to say we've been eating a lot of fish lately. We love fish, so forced to eat them so quickly is not a punishment. The fish I caught were mostly saugers. They are a close relative of the walleye only smaller. 4 fish usually provide about 450 g of filets, just enough for one meal for my wife and me.
In early October when I started going they were biting quite nicely, but it is slowing down now. I catch them casting with a 1/4 ounce jig and a plastic grub. You have to get the jig down to the bottom of the river, because that's where the fish are, but, unfortunately, there are also plenty of rocks and they take their share of jigs. It's what keeps the fishing stores in business.
I also caught 1 nice-sized silver bass and 4 large suckers, but we don't eat them. The suckers are bony and the silver bass taste swampy.
My first fish I caught on my first day in Lockport was a goldeye. It is in the freezer now waiting for more of its fellows. They taste good only smoked because they are so greasy.
Finding a good spot there is sometimes challenging. On some days I fished shoulder to shoulder with other fishermen. Not the most idyllic way to fish. I prefer a quiet place, but I've been catching fish, which does not always happen in a quiet spot on a lake or river. There is always a trade-off, like with most things in life.
Many of the fishermen are Filipino. They like their fish. I've seen the same people coming every time I was there and I got to know some of them. Filipino are friendly people. Often they offered me one of their jigs if I asked what they are using as bait.
Halloween is coming. I remember many uncomfortable cold Halloween evenings with rain or sleet when I used to take our sons for trick-or-treat in the neighborhood. One year we had a snowstorm and the snow stayed for the winter. You never know what Halloween brings, but it looks like it is going to be a nice, beautiful day this year.
I'm waiting for the release of Raptor's Tooth, Book 3 of my Lizard World trilogy. It is supposed to be released by the end of the month.
I haven't made much progress with Book 7 of The Xandra. So far I'm at 5,000 words. Been too busy getting the yard ready for winter and with fishing. But Winter will be here soon enough and I'll have more time to write. I hope.
No comments:
Post a Comment