Anglers in the southern region were able to cast out into the lakes and rivers this weekend as the fishing season began.

For those around Swift Current, the ever-popular Saskatchewan Landing at Lake Diefenbaker was in full swing for the inaugural weekend.

The man who sees anglers most often might be Owen Stephenson, the owner of the Saskatchewan Landing Marina. He sees the foot traffic make their way down to the water, be that for boat or land fishing. He had his eye out for the weekend, keeping tabs on who all came out for the first round of the season.

"It was a very quiet weekend," noted Stephenson. "I think a combination of the weather, and also maybe low water kept some people away."

The slow start was to be expected after the predictions for water levels came true from an earlier article featuring Stephenson.

But while the numbers were petering, they weren't without luck.

"They seem to be catching in the four-to-six-pound range, which is a nice size to keep," commented Stephenson. "But not a lot of pickerel caught. Well, nobody got skunked, so everybody caught a few fish, so that's good."

On the day of, there were eyewitness reports of people catching sturgeon, a few tiny walleye, and even some large perch above two pounds.

"I think it's going to be a good season," speculated Stephenson. "From our perspective, the indicator is when the slips are all booked up and the bookings are pretty good. We're getting a lot of out-of-province bookings which is nice for short-term stays."

If anyone would like to book a spot over at Saskatchewan Landing at one of their various campgrounds, they can head on over to the Saskatchewan Landing page on the Tourism Saskatchewan Website, where there is plenty of information on camping, boating, and regulations available.