Was it just me or was the fishing just generally slow this past weekend?

[Pikebreath]

Hi all, new member here, so be kind.... anyways I finally got to go fishing this past weekend (first time this spring), for a few hours Saturday night (Battle Lake) and Sunday night (Coal). Normally at this time of year it's hard to keep the pike off the fly, but both evenings were untypically slow,,,, oh I caught a few smallish pike all right to beat the skunk, but I have fished these lakes a lot in past springs and this weekend was sloooowwww!!!! No doubt the unseasonably hot weather had something to do with it, as I recorded water temps in high 60's and low 70's in the shallows where the pike are usually stacked up at this time. I think we had better hope that the cooler weather and rain forecasts for the rest of this week come true, cuz if this hot spell continues it'll be a short 'hot' spring bite for shallow water piking this year.

Anyways that's my excuse and I am sticking to it, but one thing that has me puzzled is the water clarity (rather the lack thereof) in Battle in particular. I can't ever recall seeing water this stained in Battle at this time of year, what gives? :confused:

[fishmonger535]

it was very slow. i fished pinehurst.. and in three days. we caught 20 pike. a few big ones.. but so slow. anyone else on the lake had no success either. a few pike, a couple little walleye. saw one guy nail some perch. but very slow... things are behind with the late ice off..

[Scott N]

I fished Wedge Pond and Upper Kananaskis Lake last Saturday and I didn't even get a single bite. It's the first time that I've been skunked for a few years :(

[Rockymtnx]

Pigeon was slow for me.

[gonefishin]

A buddy and I were at Wabamun and we landed 50 - 60 pike in about 5 hours and lost just as many. Nothing big, though.

[Versatile]

Caught a bunch of walleye and 2 small pike this weekend out at Chin. Was slow but nothing too bad. During the heat of the day nothing was biting ( I got 1 walleye in the shade) but everything else was caught in the evening once it cooled down.

Also seen water temps in the high 60's.

[Red Sky Shane]

Is it an old wives tale??

Today was the first day that there was sickening amounts of poplar fuzz flying everywhere. There also is yellow spruce jizz everywhere moist right from eavetroughs to mud puddles.

Does it correlate to fishing or is it an excuse people who don't catch in the spring can use?

[Pikebreath]

The old wives I have heard say, "When the poplar fuzz flies, the "pickeral" are biting!"

Also, "The goldeye are running when the wild roses are blooming!"

Bob Scammell actually wrote a book (The Phenological Fly) on such things matching natural occurances with bugs hatching to predict when it was a good time to go trout fishing.

There certainly seems to be a lot of "annecdotal" evidence to support a lot of old wives tales / fishing lore, but on any given day, I'll put my bets on a thermometer and perhaps more importantly the direction and rate of change of water temperature that the thermometer is showing!!!!

[Unregistered user]

Travers was great for us, poplar fluff and good walleye fishing go hand in hand. Bikini viewing was good to great as well.