THE SHORELINE ANGLER

The Canadian provinces and Territories have thousands of kilometres of rivers and creeks systems that are loaded with a wide variety of fish species that are eager to bite a Len Thompson lure. These waterbodies create a wide variety of fishing opportunities for shoreline anglers. And if you don’t live near a river or creek system, you can always take advantage of the thousands of stocked trout ponds scattered across the Canadian provinces.

Each province’s conservation organizations or hunting and fishing clubs stock and maintain trout ponds for the public’s fishing pleasure. The majority of these ponds are free to use and are accessible by foot, and offer some incredible shoreline angling for rainbow and brown trout.

It’s not uncommon to see fly fisherman presenting a well-placed fly on the ponds, streams, and river systems access North America. However, what if you’re not a fly fisherman? One of my favorite lures to cover water fast, is a #6 Len Thompson spoon in a variety of colours. I cast the lure out and start with a slow retrieve. The retrieve is just fast enough to keep the lure moving and often bumping the lure off the bottom. If the fish are looking for something a little more aggressive, I retrieve the lure faster which will lift the lure higher off the bottom. The faster you retrieve the lure will determine the lift of the lure. And don’t be afraid to experiment. Many times I’ve caught trout only a foot or two beneath the surface.

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When to speed up and when to slow down your retrieve

There is no set rule for how many times you should try a certain retrieve or speed. My rule of thumb is, I start slow for 10 casts than try a medium retrieve for 10 casts. If I haven’t had a bite then I try 10 fast retrieves. I repeat until I get a bite. Sometimes it may even be a stop and go retrieve the fish are looking for. Whichever retrieve produces a bite or hookup, I continue to repeat that retrieve. You may have to experiment with your retrieve and speeds several times throughout the day as conditions and the fish’s feeding cycles change.

Fishing from the shorelines can be some of the best angling opportunities and can produce some real trophy fish. Also, it’s not uncommon to have these waterbody to yourself, as they are often overlooked by other anglers.   

Good luck and please practice catch and release and whenever possible, take a youngster fishing.  

Wes David