Fishing is one of the greatest pastimes enjoyed all around the world. From as early as age three to well over the century mark, millions of people cast their lines in the water every day with the hope of landing the big one. That one fish that they can tell their friends about that didn’t get away.
Fishing dates all the way back to the Upper Palaeolithic period. That might sound smart, but I totally googled that. While I am an avid fisherman it occurred to me that I didn’t have a great grasp of the history of fishing, so I decided to educate myself.
An inventor by the name of Charles Kirby invented the Kirby Bend, which is the distinctive shape of a hook with an offset point that we see today. The first use of a hook or gaff for lifting a large fish was by a gentleman named Thomas Baker in 1667. However, you didn’t come here for a history lesson so let me get on with fish.
Some of the types of fish you can find in Manitoba include:
- Arctic Char
- Arctic Grayling
- Black Crappie
- Brook Trout
- Brown Bullhead
- Brown Trout
- Burbot
- Channel Catfish
- Cisco (Tullibee)
- Common Carp
- Freshwater Drum
- Goldeye
- Lake Sturgeon
- Lake Trout
- Lake Whitefish
- Largemouth Bass
- Mooneye
- Muskellunge
- Northern Pike
- Rainbow Trout
- Rock Bass
- Sauger
- Smallmouth Bass
- Splake
- Sucker
- Sunfish
- Tiger Trout
- Walleye
- White Bass
- Yellow Perch
Starting at number 5
5 - Trout
They are usually found in cool clear streams and lakes, naturally distributed throughout North America, Northern Asia, and Europe. Trout is part of the Salmon family but has a much milder taste when compared to its traditional cousins.
4 – Tilapia
They are found in fish farms typically as the term Tilapia is the name given for over a hundred different species of fish. These species can be found in ponds, rivers, lakes, and shallow streams. They are herbivorous feeding mostly on algae. Tilapia has a very mild taste, almost bordering on sweet. This is the reason why so many people tend to like it.
3 – Perch (Yellow)
Most experts would consider there to be three different species of perch. The European, the Balkhash, and the Yellow Perch. The Yellow Perch is found in the United States and Canada and typically congregate close to the shores of lakes and rivers. Perch is a lean white meat that has a mild sweet flavour, but with a flaky texture.
2 – Lake Whitefish
Found throughout most of Canada and northern United States, including in all the Great Lakes. They have a delicate mild flavour that is more like salmon that trout which would make sense considering they are a part of the salmon family.
1 – Walleye
This is a freshwater fish that is native to Canada and the Northern United States. It is also commonly referred to in many parts of English-speaking Canada as pickerel, though it is not related to the true pickerels. Found in lakes and rivers, they tend to feed more on cloudy or overcast days, at dusk and dawn and under choppy conditions as they have excellent eyesight under low illumination levels. It carries a mild yet flavourful taste but a truly excellent texture. We would consider this fish to be top notch when it comes to adding a coating mix.