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Old 03-23-2017, 02:33 PM
Bemoredog Bemoredog is offline
 
Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 365
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1) That rod will work in a variety of situations. Good all purpose rod for trout, whitefish and will be fine for walleye. For Pike you can definitely use that rod but you'll need to be a bit more cautious and play the bigger fish since in terms of size of trout, whitefish, walleye and Pike, Pike by far reach higher heavier size classes than the former three.

More important is your fishing line. For trout and whitefish I'd use 4 or 6 lb mono, or 10 lb braid connected to 4 or 6 lb fluoro. This works for Perch (if you can find em) too).

For Walleye and Burbot I would use 20 to 30 lb braid connected to a 10 to 20 lb fluoro leader (use actual leader material here). When the leader get's abraded switch it out to avoid losing a fish. You can also just make due with 10 to 16 lb mono.

For Pike I'd use the same 20 to 30lb braid and attach to a 30 to 50 lb fluoro, stainless steel or titanium leader. You can also use 10 to 15 lb mono and attach a stainless steel leader. You can use a lighter lb test if you're using a wire leader since the leader isn't so much for handling the fish's weight but dealing with the abrasion caused by its teeth.

With a light rod you can still land large fish, but you need to make sure you keep tension on and let the fish play itself out (run). Light rods require more attention and technique but are tons of fun. Sometimes annoying with Pike is they will run into the weeds and make themselves tough to land. Might have to hand ball the line in this case or your rod will snap.

The lighter rod will limit the size of tackle you use however. Heavier rods can cast heavier gear.

2) All good places. Look into the smaller nearby rivers and ponds. I won't list any since this is really easy to find on your own with a small amount of effort.

3) Yep. A boat is more fun but not required. Maybe look into a small canoe or kayak. Focus on smaller water bodies if you can in the spring and fall since fish are typically shallow and close to shore at this time. Fishing gets tougher in summer for most prairie lakes but gets better up in the mountains usually by July, August. Rivers and streams are your friend as well since most are accessible and easy to fish. Then ice fishing usually starts around Dec to end of March depending on location. No need for a boat then!

4) Think small for trout. They eat bugs mainly so a plain hook size 12 to 16 with a meal worm or trout worm and split shot works well (can use a small jighead as well). Spinners and small spoons too. There are a ton of options here and it does depend on the season somewhat. Trout will hit medium to small rapalas, jerk baits but with less consistency since these are usually territorial strikes.

Walleye also eat bugs but seem to prefer larger bugs like leeches and night crawlers. I usually use a jighead rigged to a minnow, smelt or leech. Again, you'll need to do more research on this to really prime yourself. And I would say location is more important than lure or bait most of the time.

5) Read the rules. Check the regs for every lake before you visit. Make sure you understand. If in doubt about keeping a fish, let it go. Be prepared with the proper tools to remove hooks. This is particularly true for Pike and Walleye as they have sharp teeth and spines that make things difficult. Get long nose pliers, a rubber net or landing pad and a jaw opener. I also find a jaw gripper useful to hold the fish still and secure.

Good luck and be prepared to face many disappointments while you're out there learning to fish. Fishing is a long road and takes time to get good at (especially in this province), but be patient, listen to others, never be afraid to try new or even crazy tactics, respect the resource and you'll have many happy days on the water.
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