Another Trophy #Goldeye

Yesterday we went fishing for #Goldeye in the Winnipeg River. The water was rough and the fishing didn’t seem that great at first, but then I caught my first Goldeye and it was a keeper and large enough for a Master Angler Award. To qualify a Goldeye has to be 34 cm long minimum. However, then I caught another one and this one was 40 cm long; the largest Goldeye I’ve caught so far. In 2012, I caught one 39cm long and I sent in for my #Master Angler Award. I got my certificate and button. I also entered it in the competition we have at our #Seven Oaks Game and Fish Association and I got a plaque for it. Last year I caught one 38 cm long. I didn’t even send in for my Master Angler Award. This year I might. Hopefully, I’ll have the largest one in our Association, even though my wife says I don’t need another plaque of the same fish hanging on the wall. Women don’t understand such things. It is a matter of pride for a fisherman to brag about and display his achievements.

All the fish we caught this time were large. Most of them qualified for the Award. We only had 3 small ones. Didn’t get our limit though. The water in the river is low and that may have something to do with it. The Goldeye may have moved into other spots. Or maybe they just didn’t feel like feeding. One never knows with fish. Weather also plays a big role. The last time we fished in the same area we caught nothing.

It is disappointing when you come home with nothing to show for the trip, but catching fish isn’t always the most important thing. What is important is having a good time with friends and to be outside in the fresh air on land or in a boat on the water.

The possession limit in Manitoba for Goldeye is 10 per angler. My wife has a fishing license, so we can have 20 in the freezer and we’ve almost reached that limit. If I were a native I could have 50 pounds of fish in the freezer. And probably more. Who checks them? (Doesn’t seem fair to have people in a country who have such privileges, but that’s just the way it is in Canada and another topic). I’ll have to smoke a few again if I want to do more fishing for these scrappy sports fish. I can go and fish but I won’t be able to keep them. Somehow, that isn’t as exciting for me. We love smoked Goldeye, so smoking a few isn’t a big deal. My smoker is ready. Best thing I ever did was buying a smoker. However, the way things are this may have been the last time I went for them, anyway, because September is coming and then I’ll go for Sauger and Walleye. And then hunting season begins. There is no end to things one can do if one is so inclined. This year seems to zoom by. We still want to go the beach while the weather is warm and do a little swimming and sunbathing. And this week we still want to visit another pavilion, because Folklorama ends this weekend.

 A little side note here: I did take 2 Gravol™ pills to keep from getting nauseous, because we were in turbulent water the whole day. I felt okay, even though my stomach was just a tiny bit queasy.

Here is a picture of me with my new hat and my award winning Goldeye: