People who fish are a bunch well blessed. I firmly believe time spent on a lake with rod and reel is a little slice of heaven—even if nothing bites. But in most of Canada, you can’t help but catch trophy-sized walleye, northern pike, lake trout, and Arctic grayling if you go far enough north.

Pretty much all of Saskatchewan is such a spot. There are 68 species of fish swimming in the 100,000 or so lakes, rivers and streams here, and the province has a brand-new website for armchair anglers to meet, plus share tips and favourite spots. You can even upload videos. And of course, tell fish stories, which is what real fishermen do best... like the one about the one-m-long, 8-kg (three-ft-long, 17-lb) walleye or the 20-kg (44-lb) world-record-breaking rainbow trout.

Experienced fishermen hooked into the site almost instantly, but even rank amateurs can snag its online interaction, because it also reels out tips on where different species like to hang out and what sorts of lures attract them.

If you really have no clue what jig heads, downriggers, dodgers, line winders, hook weights, sinkers, bobbers, floats and snaps swivels are—well, on the New Anglers Information page you can self-teach the entire subject to avoid embarrassing yourself in front of the fishing guide when you finally arrive at one of those 100,000 fine fishing spots.

Even though I love the tranquility of fishing, I am one of those clueless people. So I’m spending time on the site outside fishing season, trolling for info on steel-line rigs and barbless hooks so I can at least sound like I know what I’m doing out there.

www.sasktourism.com