Maybe it was something in the spring air, that old urge to go fishing, or maybe because it simply was time.
This morning I made a reservation to rent a cabin at Dee Lake. I have not been up there for more than four years – not since I lost my old Duff. She was the best fishing partner I’ve ever had. She was my pal.
For the better part of 20 years, the two of us used to fish the Dee Lake chain. I always enjoyed spending time up there, and even though each of the lakes contain little more than small, eight- to 10-inch rainbow trout – fish that seem a lot larger when you are casting a three weight line – I still liked being up there. Maybe it was the company or maybe it was the fact that most anglers couldn’t be bothered casting for such small fish and we, more often than not, had the lakes to ourselves.
Dee Lake itself is a shallow little lake with fallen trees lining almost the entire shoreline. Island Lake, named because of the island at the far end just before the channel that leads into Crooked Lake, has two distinctly different weed beds on either side of the island that are inhabited by a multitude of subaquatic insects. Crooked Lake is little more than a wide channel that connects Island with Deer Lake, although fish regularly travel back and forth between the two lakes. Rising out of the dark stained waters of Crooked Lake are a fair number of deadfalls that make it dangerous to fish when the sun has gone down. The waters of Deer Lake are so clear that a bad cast or too many false casts can spook the fish.
For many years I have spent a fair amount of time figuring out how to read the waters of each lake.
Learning how to read the waters of any lake requires an understanding of lake structure and the ability to identify fish-holding waters. It is achieved, in most part, by making observations. I try. It is also about putting your knowledge and observations together so you can make a calculated guess as to where the fish might be and what they are most likely to be feeding on. I try.
This much I do know. Fish are relatively opportunistic feeders. They can be quite selective. They are also, by their very nature, relatively wary creatures so here are some important things to remember: Fish are constantly seeking food. They also continuously seek protection from anything which might be inclined to feed on them. Fish tend to cruise through areas where there are both the prospect of a meal and a certain amount of safety from predation. Fallen trees, weed beds, sunken islands and marl provide protective cover for subaquatic insects and forage fish. They also provide both cover and food sources for larger fish looking for something to eat. I look for areas where there is natural protective cover for both insects and fish.
Fish will often cruise the shallows along the shoreline just after sunset when they can swim about freely under the cover of failing light.
There are a number of small streams that feed the Dee Lake chain. Creek mouths, where the surface of the water is broken by moving water entering the lake, are also a favourite spot for opportunistic fish to hold while waiting for food to come tumbling their way.
I certainly don’t know everything there is to know about trout, their feeding habits or the insects they feed on, but I do know that when I get up to Dee Lake, if the fish appear to be rising to some sort of small, pale-coloured insect with mottled wings, that’s what I’m going to tie onto the end of my line.
Each one of the lakes that make up the Dee Lake chain are just about the right size for paddling around in the little 12-foot Sportspal canoe I recently acquired. When I’m up there paddling in my Sportspal canoe, I know I will also, most assuredly, find myself thinking about my old pal Duff – but like I said, it’s time.
