Exploring The Saugeen On A Colorful Day
There is no better way to spend Thanksgiving weekend than by getting outside and enjoying some fresh air. Of course, I usually do this with a fishing rod in hand. Since exploring new water has been a theme for Darrell and I this year, we decided to continue with that and make a trip to the portion of the Saugeen River with an extended rainbow trout season. We packed gear for catching bows, but also some bass gear and, in case we got lucky, some heavier gear for muskie.
Visiting new water is always exciting. What will the water look like? Will we find easy access? Or will it be a walk through the wilderness in search of a good hole? Will anything bite? No matter how much research I do online, it’s impossible to know exactly what I’m facing and that’s part of the fun.
A beautiful place to start the day.
Our first stop was a park in Walkerton that proved to be a popular fishing area. Some anglers were packing up and heading home, no fish for them but they had enjoyed their day. Other anglers were just arriving and obviously knew the place well, heading straight for their favorite pools. We stood at a lookout point and evaluated the water. With rocky points, deep pools, a good current, and an abundance of timber for structure, it looked like a great place to start. Even more promising were the several fish we managed to spot. There was a long, skinny fish resting between two underwater pillers – it turned out to be a spawned out salmon. Then there was the rather large bass chasing bait along the surface. And there was a much larger shadow sitting on the other side of the rocky point that we never did identify.
I think Darrell wanted to make sure the worm was tasty.
While we tried several presentations, it was only Darrell’s white Terminator spinnerbait that elicited a response, in the form of a very aggressive rainbow that came out and thought better of it at the last second. We fished for a bit longer but decided that we would head on and explore more of the river, knowing that this was a place we would return to fairly soon.
Our next stop was in Paisley. One of Darrell’s co-workers had mentioned that he visits this stretch of the river frequently to fish for muskie. I’ve been wanting to visit it ever since I heard that! The sun was still shining but the temperature seemed to have dropped since our last stop so I donned my waders, more for warmth than anything else. Grabbing my heavy rod and throwing on a large topwater, I slid down the embankment to the water. It really wasn’t my idea of a great topwater day. It was freezing and there were no signs of anything coming to the surface, but I didn’t really care. It’s my favorite lure to toss and I rarely get to use it.
Looks like a pretty great town when you have this running through it!
I eventually put away the muskie gear and switched to bass gear. Giant boulders, fallen trees, and a good current made for ideal smallmouth bass water, and it wasn’t long before Darrell started hooking into fish with his crankbait. They weren’t big, but like all smallies, they put on a show.
I thought we were leaving but Darrell went scampering down the bank to try one more hole while I babysat the extra rods.
He did manage to pull one out of that hole.
The fishing certainly wasn’t hot on this day. But we were finding lots of great areas to return to. While we spotted many anglers at the park in Walkerton, we saw only two others at the stretch of river we were fishing in Paisley. They had to be somewhere. Stripping off the waders and climbing back into the wonderfully warm car, we continued to follow the river and only a minute later came upon the stretch of river behind the arena where the other anglers were plying their trade. While no one was catching anything on this day, it was obvious that this was the place to be when the fish do start running.
Having driven this far, we figured we might as well continue our drive and follow the river right out to Lake Huron. It was a fantastic day to be on the road, making stops along the river and taking in the beautiful fall colours. The Saugeen River has incredibly well-marked access points and even a random drive through the area will guide you to a good spot on the river.
Upon reaching Southampton I wanted to walk out to the lighthouse. The waves were crashing and wind was cold, but it was a spectacular sight.
The view from the parking lot.
The lighthouse.
Heading back to the car.
I love looking at boats of all kinds.
We weren’t able to stay long, since the animals would all be wondering why we weren’t home to feed them, but I loved every minute of standing by the lake. Big water just feels so freeing. Leave your cares and your worries behind, just enjoy the seemingly endless space. The smell of the lake, the sound of the waves, it was all just perfect.
We stopped one more time at the park in Walkerton on our way home – this is likely going to become a favorite destination for us. On this stop we met some kind anglers that were eager to point out the good holes and advise us where else we should stop. Unfortunately, we didn’t get the chance to check out their advice as I was quickly feeling ill and in need of getting home.
Exploring a river and finding new fishing holes is a fantastic way to spend a day. At such a beautiful time of the year, it was the perfect way to end our Thanksgiving weekend. I can’t wait to return to the Saugeen.
argosgirl
Latest posts by argosgirl (see all)
- Open Water Season Begins - March 16, 2024
- A Day Trip To South River - March 2, 2024
- New Year’s Camping At MacGregor Point - February 24, 2024
