Whats the reason you cant ice fish most rivers?

[gloszz]

So looking at the regs, says you cannot ice fish most rivers. Is there a reason to this? I assume it is because rivers are hard to asses and people are at a greater risk of falling through the ice? Would be cool to fish the NSR and catch a sturgeon through the ice!

[ShortsideK]

I'm sitting here shaking my head.

[DiabeticKripple]

if you fall through the ice, youll most likely die

[Pinhead]

if you fall through the ice, youll most likely die

That’s not the reason, you can icefish rivers in other provinces.

[-JR-]

NSS I thought was open all year. I must be wrong.

[Supergrit]

It is way more dangerous I would assume is one if there reason and as other I imagine is the fish are stacked in deep holes and easy to fish them out and do damage to population

[SNAPFisher]

If you have to ask this question, you are the reason why.

[RavYak]

NSS I thought was open all year. I must be wrong.

Many rivers are "open" all year long and you are allowed to fish them in open water locations.

Ice fishing on flowing waters is prohibited I believe everywhere.

Some other provinces do allow it but I am almost certain it is a safety reason. Flowing water creates thin ice spots drastically increasing your chances of falling in and if you do fall in and end up being pulled under the ice you are as good as dead.

[EZM]

The factors that create safe versus unsafe ice on flowing rivers are the rate of flow, depth of water and, of course, temperature.

Many rivers out west here are shallower and faster preventing safe and stable ice.

I am nervous about being on the ice in any flowing waters. If you plunge through you are swept downstream and potentially trapped under the ice. This is a scary thought.

[Mackinaw]

there are lots of rivers you can fish in other provinces. but as EZM said there is always more hazzards on moving water. Ive fished lots of them in Ont. never fished any here dont think i would want to.
mack

[Penner]

If you have to ask this question, you are the reason why.

x2.

Beyond the obvious and primary reason I think it would also provide a unfair advantage as anglers could concentrate over winter holding spots and clean out the populations quite easily.

[dodgeboy1979]

Ive ice fished the NSR and have had some really good luck. You just have to do alot of test drilling to make sure you have adequate ice.

[Silvercreek]

The reasoning that it is illegal because it is dangerous due to ice conditions does not hold water.
If that is the case why is it not illegal to walk, snowmobile, ski, etc, on the same rivers.
It is because the fish gather in the deeper water and are subject to overfishing.

[Okotokian]

I've seen people snowmobiling, skating, skiing, and walking on rivers. Is that illegal on most rivers as well? Or just if you drill a hole and drop a line down it?

[RavYak]

So the guys that say it isn't for safety reasons believe it is for poaching? Impossible to fish out a river when they are mostly C&R anyways...

Idk what all the reasons are(could be a combination of a variety of reasons) but in the end it doesn't really matter...

There are many far better places to ice fish then the river anwyays.

[densa44]

Lots of the rivers have dams and water is released when ever they want. This could cause very unsafe ice conditions. Fast moving water doesn't freeze and as others have said the ice may be very thin and very dangerous.

If you had ever fallen through the ice you wouldn't even think about doing this.

[FlyTheory]

Lots of the rivers have dams and water is released when ever they want. This could cause very unsafe ice conditions. Fast moving water doesn't freeze and as others have said the ice may be very thin and very dangerous.

If you had ever fallen through the ice you wouldn't even think about doing this.

This is the main reason why the NSR is unsafe to ice fish.

[Albertadiver]

It seemed like a good idea at the time....:scared0018:

[aulrich]

I have fished the Red River in Manitoba, but then again it does get an honest couple of feet of ice, in the spots where people fish in other areas I would not go on the ice at all. And the red is a fair bit lazier than I think anything here.

[Dragless]

Ive heard of ppl icr fishin on the mcleod heard they did reallly good too but its illegal, maybe yhey should make riding a snowmobile on the rivers illegal too that seems like it would be more dangerous than ice fishng and people die all yhe time from brwaking thru with thwir machines

[muzzy]

Used to fish red River north of Winnipeg and there were hundreds on it and burnt wood up by Thompson.

[CNP]

So looking at the regs, says you cannot ice fish most rivers. Is there a reason to this? I assume it is because rivers are hard to asses and people are at a greater risk of falling through the ice? Would be cool to fish the NSR and catch a sturgeon through the ice!

Where does it say this ^^^^^^ in the regs? It would be nice to see a quote. This is all I could find:

l Angling is not permitted through the ice: a) into beaver ponds or b) into flowing waters in Zone 1 (Eastern Slopes Zone).


Rivers on the eastern slopes are fast and shallow, ice not forming uniformly if at all.

[RavYak]

Where does it say this ^^^^^^ in the regs? It would be nice to see a quote. This is all I could find:

At the beginning of each zone under zone general regulations in both the printed and online regulation summaries it states.

Ice-Fishing: Angling is not permitted through the ice: a) into beaver
ponds or b) into flowing waters.

The act only references zone 1 which is what the regulation booklet used to say until they changed it a couple years ago. In this case just because the act doesn't reference zones 2 or 3 doesn't mean that ice fishing them is legal though because of the following.

3 (1) If a close time, fishing quota or limit on the size or weight of fish is fixed in respect of an area under these Regulations, the Director may, by order, vary that close time, fishing quota or limit in respect of that area or any portion of it.

(2) If a close time, fishing quota or limit is varied under subsection (1), the Director shall give notice of the variation to the persons affected or likely to be affected by it, by one or more of the following methods:

(f) publishing the notice in

(iii) the Guide to Sportfishing Regulations published on behalf of the Department, or

In other words the guide to sportfishing regulations is the law regarding closure times, limits etc so if it says no ice fishing flowing waters then no ice fishing flowing waters.

[AK47]

We used to fish rivers back in Europe all the time. In fact one of the best fishing for perch and burbot was always on ice in rivers. As far as safety, yes you usually have more chances going through on the river... thus you don't go on it until ice is safe and certainly do not drive on it. But if it is not allowed here it is mute point.

[cujo1969]

I think you can ice fish rivers just not in the eastern slopes region. We have iced fish on the bow river before years ago.

[RavYak]

I think you can ice fish rivers just not in the eastern slopes region. We have iced fish on the bow river before years ago.

What part of it changed 2 years ago and the regulation guide is the legal document for limits/closures didn't you understand?

Contact fisheries and have the regs changed if you think they are incorrect. Don't give people poor legal advice based on what you used to be able to do in the past.

[Talking moose]

http://www.outdoorsmenforum.ca/showthread.php?t=242007&highlight=river+sucker

[Sundancefisher]

From a safety perspective fishing on a frozen river in Alberta would kill you sooner than later.

I worked on a frozen Pembina River one year. Almost got swept under the ice scariest feeling I ever had. I was hold onto the ice edge. My feet downstream under the ice and my waders filling with water. Don't do it.

Fish also concentrate in over wintering holes. Illegal fishing could decimate the river.

[Angler]

http://www.outdoorsmenforum.ca/showthread.php?t=242007&highlight=river+sucker

Thanks for bringing up my post Moose!
It sure was a great experience of mine, and a good thread too. Would be a good read for OP and anyone else who missed it i 2015.

Ice Fishing NSR in Edmonton Video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjmE5FvJ94w)

https://s17.postimg.org/8qrzwbxun/17309365_10212548273563516_8852533824528879022_n.j pg (https://postimages.org/)

Don't get why it's absolute no no now...
Almost nobody was doing it anyway.

[357xp]

Best walleye fishing experience was ice fishing on a river. Ice gets pretty thick on the river up here.

[58thecat]

It seemed like a good idea at the time....:scared0018:

Larry looks like we are heading To the Hudson eh!

[FlyTheory]

Kinda sad one can't ice fish the rivers if they know what they're doing and have training. Oh well! I guess it gives the fish a break from any pressure (especially sturgeon).

[Brandon5555]

What part of it changed 2 years ago and the regulation guide is the legal document for limits/closures didn't you understand?

Contact fisheries and have the regs changed if you think they are incorrect. Don't give people poor legal advice based on what you used to be able to do in the past.Salty

Sent from my SM-G920W8 using Tapatalk

[Kurt505]

Has anyone that's concerned with safety ever been north of Edmonton?

I grew up on the Clearwater and the Athabasca, they have winter carnivals on these rivers, I somehow doubt fishing them in the winter would be too much of a safety concern.

[Alberta Bigbore]

Used to fish red River north of Winnipeg and there were hundreds on it and burnt wood up by Thompson.

Yep..... big green backs on thw Red by lockport. Two holes.. one for your lure.... one for your flasher to catch it in the current. Good times and big fish

[coyoteman]

not for everone use extreme care and caution----natural selection-----

[Fishfinder]

So looking at the regs, says you cannot ice fish most rivers. Is there a reason to this? I assume it is because rivers are hard to asses and people are at a greater risk of falling through the ice? Would be cool to fish the NSR and catch a sturgeon through the ice!

Common sense, though often more common then sensible should give you answers here. Plenty places to fish during winter, why tempt rivers is a bit silly to me. Also, a big sturgeon isn't gonna go through a ten inch hole. I like the ambition but some cliches are true, "Better safe then sorry". Save the sturg fishing for spring. Don't go walking out on flowing water.

[ROA]

People catch sturgeon, through the ice, on rivers in a 10" hole all the time. They even spear them through the ice and eat them. The fishing world is so much bigger then ****ty old Alberta and its idiotic attitude of ban/shut down/protect/more laws/limit... but do no actual real work to increase/build/fix.