Pike Closed in Calling Lake

[fargineyesore]

Noticed in the regs that there is a 0 limit for pike in Calling Lake this year, and again, fishing doesn't start until June 1, even though the ice has been off since April 29.

[FlyTheory]

Also 0 pike limit on baptiste!

[695167002]

and mcgregor and travers!!! 0 walleye for travers as well now so make sure you know guys :)

[Wild&Free]

season doesn't start due to spawning, not ice on the lake.

[Kurt505]

Soon Safeway will be the only place in Alberta you can retain fish.

Calling lake is being decimated because it is one of very few lakes in Alberta a person can still retain a walleye without a tag. If ESRD would open all waters to a slot size for walleye it would distribute the fishing pressure more evenly and we would regain a healthy balance to our fishery, at least that's the way I would do it.

It's almost to the point it's not worth buying an Alberta fishing license, seems the money from licensing is going towards government retirement packages rather than management and conservation. Rather than following a proven management program, they are using our lakes as test projects.

[Drewski Canuck]

No good reason for dropping the limit from 2 to 1 in the slot size.

Recruitment numbers have been solid for years. Many over slot walleye are in the lake, and really the slot could go up in length without any real impact, given the number of big fish in the lake.

The lake is loaded with whitefish and with no commercial netting, the numbers will only increase. There is only so much biomass in the lake for the forage base, and whitefish do feed on minnows when they get to the size that they are in Calling Lake. This means fewer perch fry as well.

As for the Pike, blame the walleye and whitefish numbers. Yes, people did keep Pike, but it has not been a great pike lake since it was re opened. There were bigger pike, but not the numbers.

This is a similar pattern to Lesser Slave, which has a similar high proportion of walleye and whitefish.

However, when it is pointed out that the test netting results in huge catches of both small and big walleye, SRD does not seem to notice, and remains fixated on fishing pressure.

After all, we are the problem here.

Drewski

[Wild&Free]

No good reason for dropping the limit from 2 to 1 in the slot size.

Recruitment numbers have been solid for years. Many over slot walleye are in the lake, and really the slot could go up in length without any real impact, given the number of big fish in the lake.

The lake is loaded with whitefish and with no commercial netting, the numbers will only increase. There is only so much biomass in the lake for the forage base, and whitefish do feed on minnows when they get to the size that they are in Calling Lake. This means fewer perch fry as well.

As for the Pike, blame the walleye and whitefish numbers. Yes, people did keep Pike, but it has not been a great pike lake since it was re opened. There were bigger pike, but not the numbers.

This is a similar pattern to Lesser Slave, which has a similar high proportion of walleye and whitefish.

However, when it is pointed out that the test netting results in huge catches of both small and big walleye, SRD does not seem to notice, and remains fixated on fishing pressure.

After all, we are the problem here.

Drewski

after closing the commercial fishing, reducing limits on predators will keep the exploding whitefish population more in check.

[Drewski Canuck]

Wild & Free,

you're kidding right!!!

If you ever helped pull a net in this lake you would GAG at the number of 3 - 8 pd whitefish each pull. (Think 50 to 100 each net, each day!)

The Predator would have to weigh at least 30 pounds to utilize whitefish this big.

Fact is, closing the commercial fishery was not the answer. Closing the area from VW point north where a select greedy group of commies hit the walleye quota in 1 pull, averaging 31 walleye per net, in the 6 pd ++ range, was the answer.

SRD was too dim to know it.

Elsewhere on the lake, by catch of walleye was a few fish a net. Now we have an over abundance of whitefish that is taking out the key forage base to the critical year classes of juvenile walleye, pike, and perch, as well as the fingerlings of each species.

I hope Paul M. reads this.

Drewski

[Sea Hawk]

Wild & Free,

you're kidding right!!!

If you ever helped pull a net in this lake you would GAG at the number of 3 - 8 pd whitefish each pull. (Think 50 to 100 each net, each day!)

The Predator would have to weigh at least 30 pounds to utilize whitefish this big.

Fact is, closing the commercial fishery was not the answer. Closing the area from VW point north where a select greedy group of commies hit the walleye quota in 1 pull, averaging 31 walleye per net, in the 6 pd ++ range, was the answer.

SRD was too dim to know it.

Elsewhere on the lake, by catch of walleye was a few fish a net. Now we have an over abundance of whitefish that is taking out the key forage base to the critical year classes of juvenile walleye, pike, and perch, as well as the fingerlings of each species.

I hope Paul M. reads this.

Drewski

Well said Drewski. One can only hope that the change in government may point things in a different direction.

[Wild&Free]

Wild & Free,

you're kidding right!!!

If you ever helped pull a net in this lake you would GAG at the number of 3 - 8 pd whitefish each pull. (Think 50 to 100 each net, each day!)

The Predator would have to weigh at least 30 pounds to utilize whitefish this big.

Fact is, closing the commercial fishery was not the answer. Closing the area from VW point north where a select greedy group of commies hit the walleye quota in 1 pull, averaging 31 walleye per net, in the 6 pd ++ range, was the answer.

SRD was too dim to know it.

Elsewhere on the lake, by catch of walleye was a few fish a net. Now we have an over abundance of whitefish that is taking out the key forage base to the critical year classes of juvenile walleye, pike, and perch, as well as the fingerlings of each species.

I hope Paul M. reads this.

Drewski

ummm, it's all the spawn, fry, fingerling and juvenile fish that the predators will be taking care of, not the mature ones. It's not about right now its about the future.

Its just a thought really.

How else, without commercial netting would you propose to keep whitefish numbers in check to speed up the lake finding a balance?

[Drewski Canuck]

Why no commercial netting? How about pound nets in the fall and selective harvest at that time? Or don't net the area that the majority of the walleye hold in during January?

Get the balance back sooner than later. Do we want the forage base to collapse4 again and go through another round of big head skinny body walleye?

If you wait for the Pike to return in numbers and size it should only take about 10 years or more, of course the few pike that survive will take a long time to have an impact on the small whitefish for a decade the SRD way.

Drewski

[fish99]

another walleye lake over populated with walleye and a decline in pike , this has happened all over this province, donot need to be a biologists to figure this one out.

[dmcbride]

Wild & Free,

you're kidding right!!!

If you ever helped pull a net in this lake you would GAG at the number of 3 - 8 pd whitefish each pull. (Think 50 to 100 each net, each day!)

The Predator would have to weigh at least 30 pounds to utilize whitefish this big.

Fact is, closing the commercial fishery was not the answer. Closing the area from VW point north where a select greedy group of commies hit the walleye quota in 1 pull, averaging 31 walleye per net, in the 6 pd ++ range, was the answer.

SRD was too dim to know it.

Elsewhere on the lake, by catch of walleye was a few fish a net. Now we have an over abundance of whitefish that is taking out the key forage base to the critical year classes of juvenile walleye, pike, and perch, as well as the fingerlings of each species.

I hope Paul M. reads this.

Drewski

Pike will eat fish 2/3 there size.

[FlyTheory]

Pike will eat fish 2/3 there size.

True. But Sometimes a fish can actually choke. If they swallow half the fish and it restricts it's breathing, they will die if they can't regurgitate it.

[Penner]

another walleye lake over populated with walleye and a decline in pike , this has happened all over this province, donot need to be a biologists to figure this one out.

No we need guys just like you...:sHa_sarcasticlol:

[pikergolf]

Why don't you guys take advantage of the generous whitefish limits?

[Drewski Canuck]

Pikergolf,

Whitefish are notoriously hard to catch in northern lakes. In the winter, they are in 40- 60 FOW and feed on what looks like a small red worm, a larvae of the mayfly I believe. Try and get a wire worm down that deep and if you do get one, which I have not done, try to land it. In the summer, the only lake I have caught with success was Lac St. Anne, on windy august days where we dragged in the sand off the beaches small red 5 of Diamonds. Never has worked anywhere else.

If you have the secret, tell the world and help us get things back into balance.

Drewski

[pikergolf]

I fly fish, but if I didn't I'd use a pickerel rig with the small red worm flies. They are called blood worms and can be picked up at any fly shop. Chironomid pupa flies are very effective as well and can be fished the same way and picked up in any fly shop. I've fished all the winter white fish lures under a small bobber as well and had good success. It is a bit of a learning curve but well worth it, I've had hundred fish days with a couple of guys in a boat. Right now into the end of June is prime time, if you don't have a bite in 10 min's, try somewhere else. Wire worms are also very effective.

[chriscosta]

I fly fish, but if I didn't I'd use a pickerel rig with the small red worm flies. They are called blood worms and can be picked up at any fly shop. Chironomid pupa flies are very effective as well and can be fished the same way and picked up in any fly shop. I've fished all the winter white fish lures under a small bobber as well and had good success. It is a bit of a learning curve but well worth it, I've had hundred fish days with a couple of guys in a boat. Right now into the end of June is prime time, if you don't have a bite in 10 min's, try somewhere else. Wire worms are also very effective. how deep ya findin em ill chuck some flies in search of whites

[pikergolf]

Right now shallow over emerging weed beds, they will slide deeper as the season progresses. In the southern Res. June is a hot month along dams as they feed on Caddis flies. Right now in the south chironomids are hot. They have the same diet as trout, just have a small mouth so you miss and loss lots.

[whitetail Junkie]

Soon Safeway will be the only place in Alberta you can retain fish.


X2 its quite sad really.

[chriscosta]

Right now shallow over emerging weed beds, they will slide deeper as the season progresses. In the southern Res. June is a hot month along dams as they feed on Caddis flies. Right now in the south chironomids are hot. They have the same diet as trout, just have a small mouth so you miss and loss lots.
Hey thanks im heading north thisxweekend but ill definately give this a shot

[Pencilweed]

Last July I marked many fish suspended 10-15ft off bottom in 30-40ft of water.I assumed they were whitefish as they would not hit anything I through at them.We had finished walleye fishing earlier that morning and thought we would try something different.