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View Full Version : NSR wally draw please


FisherPotch
05-30-2007, 08:42 AM
Just wondering what everyones opinions are on the NSR. Good, bad what do you think?

My personal thoughs are that it is a phenominal fishery. I catch a TON of walleye, large amounts of goldeye, good numbers of suckers and burbot. In my opinion the river has been fairly well managed. I don't catch as many pike as i would expect but that doesnt bother me cause i can catch those in any slough lol. But i'm starting to think that there may be too many walleye for other preds to do well. I still havn't caught a sturgeon so i agree that it should remain as catch and release to see if we could get the numbers to rise.

My big beef currently is the zero limit on walleye. It's possible that this is a scenario similar to pigeon lake where opening the river would be catastrophic to the walleye populations but i'm not certain. I for one have zero intentions of keeping any fish out of the river for food. I want a wall hanger walleye. If they open the river to a similar drawing system except make it one a year over a specified size. Call it a trophy draw. One fish per year. I'm no biologist but I personaly think that the river can handle it.

I go fishing on lakes where ur allowed to keep walleye over 50cm some lakes 1 fish sum lakes 3 fish but there are next to no walleye in some of these lakes by comparison to the NSR. I went to a 3 walleye over 50 lake on sunday. We caught a ton of pike and 1 walleye, saw loads of whites on the surface and on the aquaview. Saw loads of pike on the aquaview. Didn't see any walleye on the cam. In my opinion the lake has been mismanaged and the 3 fish limit should have been changed to c&r years ago.

So tell me your thoughts. Am i dreaming? Cause there is this magic line called the ab sask border. Cross it and all of a sudden you can keep 5 walleye/sauger of which only one can be over 55 cm. But one over 70 cm would be fine with me. One fish!/year. Is that too much to ask? Or do the saskabushers manage there fisheries that much better than us? I think not! I think the fact that there daily limit is 5 freakin fish could contributes to the fact that our yearly limit is zero. Or its proof that we could get away with opening the river up to a walleye limit or draw system. I know many of you think the draw system is a cash cow and you could be right but i'd gladly pay $10 to have the opertunity for a wall hanger this close to home.

I c&r THOUSANDS of walleye in a year. How much damage do you think a one fish draw would do?

Does this sound that far fetched? Should i be feeling like i just opend pandoras box? Because i've been meaning to start this thread for some time but was afraid of critisism i may take for complaining of such a thing.

Bio guy if your out there could you enlighten me?!

wake
05-30-2007, 09:10 AM
I agree that could be a good idea,the only likely problem I see is getting a poor response to the draw because of advisories on the amount of fish one can eat from the river because of the natural mercury level's.

Salvelinus
05-30-2007, 09:50 AM
The problem with managing a river is that they are difficult to sample to get an accurate population estimate. The difference between the limit in Alberta and Saskatchewan all has to do with angling pressure. The south sask. has a very healthy walleye population despite the 3 over 50 limit, but that's because it doesn't flow through a city of a million people. As for Saskatchewanites knocking off the walleye population on the Alberta side, I wouldn't worry too much. I don't believe they are all that migratory.
As for your idea of a trophy draw. I for one would be all for it. With a population as healthy as the NSR walleye and with the ability to control the amount of tags given out, it's highly unlikely the population would take much of a hit at all. The prolem is that reg changes are a slooowww process and need to be backed up with public support and research.

Its funny that alberta has by far the highest angling pressure but the lowest resources to management......

FisherPotch
05-30-2007, 09:55 AM
Thanks. I agree that consumption would be a factor. But i release sauger, goldeye, pike, etc. Ur allowd to keepem but i have no interest in raising my merc level. I'd be looking for a trophy draw more so than fish harvest but with populations of walleye as high as they are i imagine a few good studies could lead biologists to use there science and find a manner in which they can fine tune the fishery.

If they call it a trophy walleye draw i imagine it would get a good response. Your allowed to eat one a week according to consumption advisories so one a year can't be too bad. I've warned guys of the advisory when i saw them keeping goldeye and they knew of it and didn't care.

I also read something about them putting sturgeon eggs into the river in saskatchewan does anybody know what we're doing to raise sturgeon pops other than not harvesting them?

I don't think that the NSR takes much pressure IN edm there may be a lot of anglers there but from my understanding few of them wet a line in the NSR. I was once told that one of the best fisheries in the province was in our back yard and we don't utilize it. The person that told me this was from edm and spoke of the NSR. I know i never utilized it to a good extent till 2005.

wake
05-30-2007, 10:25 AM
^Agreed there are some monster's in this waterbody,a trophy license would be great.Someone has told me there are hybrids in here aswell known as ''saugeye's'' a cross between the walleyes and sauger,it happens in alot of other waterbody's so I wouldnt be surprised...

FisherPotch
05-30-2007, 10:52 AM
I wouldnt doubt there is. They are actualy bread and stocked in sum lakes in montana cause thay cant bread themselves and it makes it easy to manage. I think they have the markings of both species white tip on bottom of tail like a walleye and spots on dorsal like a sauger. We were fairly certain we caught one a week or so ago but the picture didn't come out. It had white tip, spots on fins n tail and dark blotches.

-NDN-
05-30-2007, 01:57 PM
^Agreed there are some monster's in this waterbody,a trophy license would be great.Someone has told me there are hybrids in here aswell known as ''saugeye's'' a cross between the walleyes and sauger,it happens in alot of other waterbody's so I wouldnt be surprised...




Saugeyes are very common in the fort sask area. i find they still tend to be a smaller size like the saugers.

NSR holds so many good walleye and more monsters than you can shake a stick at, it makes me wonder why so many people dont fish it. Most often i hear, "theres no fish in there, if so they all have 3 eyes and glow in the dark"


A trophy License would be great, as I wouldnt mind getting a wall hanger done thats in the10 - 13 pound mark

FisherPotch
05-30-2007, 02:06 PM
I say let'em think they are 3 eyed glowing mutants. More for me LOL!

-NDN-
05-30-2007, 02:23 PM
Fish? what fish? you guys are crazy, there isnt no fish in there:sick:

FisherPotch
05-30-2007, 05:47 PM
Spread the word. The NSR has zero fish in it :rolleyes: . But i still would luv a trophy walleye draw!

-NDN-
05-31-2007, 06:45 AM
I think we better start printing and posting this picture around our favorite fishing spots on the NSR. What do you think FisherPotch?




http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa111/Z-Axis-2007/Fishing%20Alberta/NOFISHinNSR.jpg

FisherPotch
05-31-2007, 12:35 PM
Good idea. I've printed copies and will post at all spots, mine or not, good or bad. I'ma good guy and i'll gladly inform people that fishing on the NSR would be a waste of time. I think it winterkilled back in the 90's and never bounced back, now it's lifeless and stinky. So do your nose a favor and keep out the river valley. :rolleyes: :lol:

~Octane~
05-31-2007, 06:18 PM
haha, that pic is classic lol..still dont know why u took the hard side up...oh ya, cus of your n00b shoes, lol.......shoulda got pics of you falling on flat ground:lol: :lol: jks

-NDN-
06-01-2007, 04:04 AM
haha, that pic is classic lol..still dont know why u took the hard side up...oh ya, cus of your n00b shoes, lol.......shoulda got pics of you falling on flat ground:lol: :lol: jks

denial runs thick today. Who fell? :huh: thats right, you

~Octane~
06-01-2007, 04:50 AM
I fell once, on that hill, cus I took the 'hard' way up:lol: You took the schoolgirl way up, jks lol