Catch Limits vs. Confirmed Species Presence

[ChillyPete]

How do the catch limits listed in the Alberta regulations compare with the current confirmed species in the lakes?
Does a posted limit for a species on a given lake guarantee that the species is currently present in the body of water?

For example, if I look at Eagle lake in PP1, I see that the listed catch limits are as follows:

Walleye: 0 fish
Pike: 0 fish
Perch: 15 fish
Burbot: 10 fish

I've caught walleye and seen pike in this lake, but not perch or burbot.
Can I assume that perch and burbot are present because the regulations say so, or is there a chance that the species doesn't exist there anymore for whatever reason?

[fish99]

lots of perch in eagle if you know where to look

[Who Da Fisherman]

lots of perch in eagle if you know where to look

Would you eat it tho? 🤷🏻*♂️
WDF

[fisher69]

this is something i wonder a lot too when trying to go to a new lake. and the opposite problem is true as well, just because it says 0 does that mean there are none of that fish or are there lots and you just cant keep them?

you can check out sites/apps like anglers atlas, but its very dependent on whether or not someone else has manually entered this info, and of course it could change over the years.

https://www.anglersatlas.com/place/101869/eagle-lake

edit: fishing angler is another good app to check, and you can actually see pictures people post and confirmed species, but its app only, it doesnt have a website as well

[MaxxiD]

You should get yourself a copy of Barry Mitchell's fishing guide. The magazine ($9.95), or the book ($500+)

[AlbertanGP]

You should get yourself a copy of Barry Mitchell's fishing guide. The magazine ($9.95), or the book ($500+)

While I enjoy reading that book, the last I looked at it closely several years ago it was overly optimistic about the size of fish in our lakes. I think it was still using data from the eighties. Hopefully they have finally updated it.

[AlbertanGP]

I don't put much faith in the regs to help determine the population of a given lake. For the most part, I feel like they are only updated if there is a reason. For example your Eagle Lake. They made it C&R for walleye & pike *at some point* because of diminishing numbers. The populations could be good now if it was done during the great panic of the nineties. Or they could be bad if it was just done during the past few years. The perch limit could be from decades ago, and provides no real idea if there is a good population nor if they are of harvestable size. And the burbot limit is probably circa 1998 when they were first made a sportfish.

So when I look at the regs and know nothing else about a lake, all they really tell me is that the species listed were significant for sportfishing at some point in the past 40 years.

[MaxxiD]

While I enjoy reading that book, the last I looked at it closely several years ago it was overly optimistic about the size of fish in our lakes. I think it was still using data from the eighties. Hopefully they have finally updated it.

Too true, it is absurd to expect a 40 year old book to still be thoroughly accurate. The magazine however, is updated yearly. Here us an excerpt from an email I received after quizzing the editor on the accuracy of it

"As to the veracity of the guide, the “guide to waters” section has been built over many decades, using input from biologists and anglers. As you suggest, it’s difficult to be 100% current given the variables you mention, but each year we update the listings based on new information we receive, again from fisheries managers and from anglers. I will say that it is probably 99% reliable, and that’s why the publication has lasted as long as it has."

Ken Bailey, lovely guy, but yeah, I use this in conjunction with the regs when I'm doing a bit of research

[flyrodfisher]

Too true, it is absurd to expect a 40 year old book to still be thoroughly accurate. The magazine however, is updated yearly.

Barry Mitchell's Alberta Trout highway was published in 2001...hardly 40 years.
It is a good read!

The yearly magazine is the one that needs serious updating...I have copies dating back nearly 50 years when Barry's dad was publishing...
Some of that info has not been updated....

[ChillyPete]

lots of perch in eagle if you know where to look

https://i.imgur.com/bbhs6lw.png

Would you say that the perk population in Eagle is similar in size to the burbot population in Frank Lake? lol

[ChillyPete]

There are some great responses here.
Thanks for your input.

flyrodfisher: Do you know some of that 50yr old data to be outdated/inaccurate or could it be that the data be still relevant after all these years. I've never read the magazine, but I'll be sure to pick one up the next time I find myself in Can-Tire.

[ChillyPete]

Would you eat it tho? 🤷🏻*♂️
WDF

Does Eagle take the treated waste water from Strathmore? Is there some other reason to not eat fish from there? I'm genuinely curious.

[ChillyPete]

this is something i wonder a lot too when trying to go to a new lake. and the opposite problem is true as well, just because it says 0 does that mean there are none of that fish or are there lots and you just cant keep them?

you can check out sites/apps like anglers atlas, but its very dependent on whether or not someone else has manually entered this info, and of course it could change over the years.

https://www.anglersatlas.com/place/101869/eagle-lake

edit: fishing angler is another good app to check, and you can actually see pictures people post and confirmed species, but its app only, it doesnt have a website as well

I've used these from time to time. I like Angles Atlas because it gives bathymetry maps for a lot of lakes.
The plus side of the more social media-type apps is that you can see the location of other people's catches. The down side is that everyone can see the location of your catches...

[buckman]

Does Eagle take the treated waste water from Strathmore? Is there some other reason to not eat fish from there? I'm genuinely curious.

Not certain but I think its feed lot waste, and field runoff than does it.Not much flow through that lake also.