Fishing Saskatchewan: An Angler's Guide to Provincial Waters

A.J. Pell is editor of the Canadian Evangelical Review and an instructor
of Liturgy, Anglican Studies Program, Regent College, Vancouver.

A more apt subtitle for this book would be “A Provincial Fishing
Encyclopedia,” for it has basic information about almost everything to
do with fish and fishing in Saskatchewan.

Opening with the chapter “The Fish of Saskatchewan,” the book
covers everything from commercial fishing to fly-fishing, as well as
where to fish in the southern, central, and northern areas of the
province. There is even (in Appendix C) an extensive checklist of
personal items, food, fishing tackle, and survival gear for a northern
fly-in fishing trip. It’s hard to imagine anything that was left out
of this book.

Yet the book is a disappointment. Except for some (poor-quality) colour
photographs for each fish species in Chapter 1, the photographs are
generally old black-and-white shots. There is so much information and it
is presented in such a dull writing style that a reader can easily
become disinterested. Absent is any sign of the fun and passion that is
an essential part of recreational fishing. The television show Corner
Gas has made Saskatchewan interesting and fun—if only this book could
have done the same.