New boat and some excellent fishing

[ZA Angler]

Good Afternoon All

This is my first post so I'll give a quick introduction. I've been living in Alberta for a year and a half, I'm originally from Cape Town, South Africa. I'm a hugely dedicated angler coming from mostly saltwater fishing. So I'm used to catching big sharks, stingrays, tuna, kingfish and various other gamefish from the beach/rocks and from a boat.

Needless to say things are a little different in Alberta but I love all forms of angling. It's the hunt that interests me, and if I can throw artificial lures at fish, even better.

Last summer I had my first taste of fishing here. I had to fish from shore but still had great success in the rivers and lakes, and even got my wife to enjoy fishing. I always felt I was being held back though, by being limited in my access points to the water, and only being able to fish spots I could wade out to. I always knew I wanted a boat for the next season to really unlock the fishing here.

So roll around to this year and the wife and I bought a 162 Princecraft.
Absolutely loving the boat and the fishing freedom it affords us. Went camping for the long weekend and we caught some amazing fish. Lost count of how many walleye and pike we caught, it was a lot! All the walleye were over 25" with my biggest being 28.75" and the wife's being 28". The pike were generally between 33" and 37".

I have definitely fallen in love with Pike fishing. They are just an awesome animal and I love how I can hunt them in the shallows and throw big silly lures at them. The risk of teeth and flying hooks just adds to the excitement and speaks to my saltwater background. I spent the vast majority of my time this trip targeting the Pike in the shallows. Hunting for that 40 incher. I only targeted walleye for a change of pace, and when my hands needed a break from the meat grinder.

I have attached some photos of some of the better fish of the weekend.
Fantastic start to the season!

[ZA Angler]

Some more pics.

[AlbertanGP]

That's a heckuva first time outing on Alberta waters. Good job. :happy0034:

[Savage Bacon]

Jeez man those are monsters!!

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[Stinky Buffalo]

You seem to have gotten the hang of it quite quickly! Welcome to Alberta, and we're already looking forward to more posts/pictures of your upcoming fishing adventures. :)

[58thecat]

Wow factor right there, you are dialled in, look forward to more pics of your adventures, good luck!


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[Pikebreath]

Wow, nice new boat and some very nice sized fish!

And I fully agree with you about pike. As one might asume from my user name, I am a huge pike fan as well. (double meaning intended!!!)

Well done and welcome to Alberta.

[RACKER]

Man you are kicking butt. I’m happy to see you had great success. Congrats on the new boat. Now if ya need a spotter in the the boat I’m available for your next trip.

[ZA Angler]

Thanks everyone! Was definitely a quality fishing weekend with some good fish. Hopefully the water doesn't warm up too fast and we get this good spring bite for a while longer.

Man you are kicking butt. I’m happy to see you had great success. Congrats on the new boat. Now if ya need a spotter in the the boat I’m available for your next trip.

I may take you up on that at some point Racker. The wife does some fieldwork in summer so i'll be on my own. So may need a fishing partner and always good to meet new people and make some fishing buddies.

I am considering taking the boat up to Winefred lake in June for a weekend to hunt big Pike. Would launch at Paul's and camp on Banana Island and fish non-stop, so may need to find someone crazy enough to join for that.

[The Fisherman Guy]

Great stuff! Welcome to the world of Alberta predator fishing, awesome to see you're dialed in already.

[SamSteele]

Great stuff and a great boat! I was in SA back in 1997 and did some fishing out of Cape Town and PE at the time.

Welcome here. If I can be a resource in anyway, please let me know.

SS

[philybllt]

Oh wow!!!. Good catch for the first timer. Keep it up

[huntsfurfish]

Awesome fish!

Welcome to Alberta and AO!

[roper1]

Nice boat, great day on the water. Catching some big pike & wally's lots of fun. Always a plus when the other half likes to fish also. Thanks for sharing. Well done!

[lmtada]

Nice Walleyes. Fun when they are biting. May is great time to fish. Congrats.

[ZA Angler]

Went camping at the same lake this past weekend. Was a solo trip as the wife is away but I still managed to have a great time. I had to adjust slightly for the new fishing pattern as the water has warmed up quite a bit, but I eventually managed to figure things out well enough to have some fun. Must've caught 20 to 30 pike and plenty decent size walleye, although I wasn't really targeting walleye.

Found the pike in a 6 to 8 ft deep area with a lot of nice tall weeds. Didn't get as great an average size as last time but got plenty fish, a lot of fun. Biggest was 36" . The mornings were beautiful, calm and sunny, not ideal for Pike fishing. Was still managing to catch fish throughout the morning but they weren't in full feed mode. I knew there was some cloudcover and a thunderstorm coming late morning which I wanted to fish the build up to, expecting the fish to feed well as the storm rolled in. I had the bimini top up pre-emptively, and as expected, when the storm started approaching the fish began to feed much better. And when the clouds covered the sun and the light rain started to fall the fish went absolutely crazy! Every single cast for about 20 minutes was a fish. They'd come clean out the water trying to grab it, didn't matter what lure I used, or which direction I cast. A pike would find it and absolutely slam into it. Then the storm started to ramp up and the rain really started coming down and the bite stopped as suddenly as it had began. With lightning in the distance on either side of me I decided it was time to run for cover. Was interesting retrieving the boat alone in those conditions but got it done.

The walleye I was catching in 10 FOW just next to the same weed forest I found the pike in. They were super aggressive taking a big 6" paddle tail that I generally use for pike when they're being a bit lure shy. Most fish 21" to 25" . Actually managed to get one that was small enough to fit the slot size to take home, it's on ice so I can try eating my first Alberta fish tonight.

Didn't take many pictures, and the ones I did aren't great with a fish just lying on deck, it's obviously difficult when fishing alone and didn't want to take extra time trying to get hold-up photos as I wanted to get the fish back in the water asap. All in all another successful fishing trip.

[Supermag]

Nice rig, and congrats on some great fish!

[HuyFishin]

badass boat!!! great fish as well

[58thecat]

Sometimes alone
Time is quality time
Well done keep on posting enjoying the new boat!


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[SamSteele]

Nice work! GoPros with voice commands are great if you want grip and grin photos while fishing alone.

[Theplugman]

Good post there... Looks like lots of fun.

[RACKER]

Youre having a great start of the season!Its good to see ya catching different species in the same area.The only bad thing is you forgot to take me along to take pictures and catch walleye so you can concentrate on the big pike!LOL Hope the rest of your season is just as rewarding and maybe you will haul in a giant.Be safe and thanks for posting

[tirebob]

Nice work man! You look like you have tapped into things quickly...

Now the fun really starts when you start making lures out of the stupidest things like pieces of a can and a hook or whatever and still nail pike! Wait until you inevitably end up reeling in an annoying hammer handle when suddenly a monster dino comes from down below and takes the smaller fish on your line. First time that happened I was pretty chuffed!

[barbless]

Nice work man! You look like you have tapped into things quickly...

Now the fun really starts when you start making lures out of the stupidest things like pieces of a can and a hook or whatever and still nail pike! Wait until you inevitably end up reeling in an annoying hammer handle when suddenly a monster dino comes from down below and takes the smaller fish on your line. First time that happened I was pretty chuffed!

First off I can still remember when I was about 11 yrs old (long time ago) an elderly lady fishing between the tracks from a bridge in Sioux Lookout Ont. she used a piece of burlap with bread dough and mackerel mix no hook and pulling the fish up. I could not believe it with no hook. Talk about making your own lure. Second was about 30 yrs ago we use to fish Burnt Stick Lake and we had some Pike monsters in there. My buddy reeled in about a 4 lb pike and some monster from the depths tried to take it at the boat. All we seen was a big dark shadow come up and gone. We just looked at each other and said "DID YOU SEE THAT"
Some things you never forget. Ya ya fishing stories and fisherman lies around the campfire without pictures. They are the best.
Awesome start ZA Angler. Thanks for sharing. Now all we need are your coordinates. LOL

[ZA Angler]

I managed to get out fishing on Friday late morning into afternoon with a short session early Saturday morning. I was originally meant to camp and fish the whole weekend with my Mom and brother who are visiting, but my brother's flight was delayed which threw a wrench in the works. So it ended up being just my mom and myself and we had to be home by Saturday afternoon to collect my brother from the airport, so had to cut things short.

The water still wasn't very warm so I expected the fish to still be relatively shallow. Friday had good cloud cover with some light rain every now and then, so it looked really good for some Pike fishing. However, when I first arrived at the zone I wanted to fish it was dead quiet, even though everything looked perfect I wasn't getting any bites, or even chases.

After giving that area a thorough peppering, casting a variety of lures, I decided to move around a bit and do some trolling along the weed edge. Another hour or so went by without any action to speak of but at some point I noticed some birds (terns) diving in the zone I originally started.

I decided to investigate and shortly after getting back into the weed forest I hooked up on something on an 8" Rapala Otus. This lure is basically a big paddle tail, with a hard body, meant for pike. I generally retrieve it just barely below the surface. That, combined with it's size, and where I was fishing, meant I really wasn't expecting a walleye to grab it?! With the birds around it appeared some walleye had followed some bait fish into the weeds and were feeding very aggressively. I caught three more walleye casting this same big lure before the Pike also moved in.

Even though nothing obvious had changed in conditions or water temp, suddenly the area that had been so dead before came alive with hungry pike. Nothing particularly big to begin with but I kept fishing through them hoping something bigger would show up.

On one cast I threw my lure behind a particularly thick cluster of tall weeds in 9 FOW, hoping a fish was lying in wait to ambush unexpecting prey. When the lure hit the water I had a quick sip of my drink, allowing the lure to sink a little, and when I went to start reeling realized it had already been eaten! I immediately knew this was a better fish as it managed to take some line and pulled me into the thick weeds. Thankful I was fishing my heavier setup I eventually managed to maneuver the boat closer with the trolling motor and wrench the fish out, with a big clump of weeds attached. The fish just looked so big and healthy in the water I honestly thought I'd finally got a 40 incher, but alas it turned out to be 37" . It was a thick, heavy fish though, definitely my biggest to date, so I was still very happy with it considering how bleak the day had started.

Managed some more walleye and pike and another skinnier 36" pike later. The next morning was much more pleasant weather wise but only caught a lot of smaller fish, with some nice walleye in between.

Certainly very happy with some more enjoyable fishing, showing my mom what I do, especially considering I almost had to cancel the fishing trip altogether.

https://scontent.fcxh2-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/289871961_10166579460600235_3134852723024668041_n. jpg?_nc_cat=105&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=_vPBT0AHSisAX_BChwt&_nc_ht=scontent.fcxh2-1.fna&oh=00_AT8sg5d97eFh0JC5FdW_8s_c13mpl2cxnouuixs6fu6D 4Q&oe=62C87F72

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[SamSteele]

Rapala Otus and Peto are great baits.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20220704/d408bc56bf671acf6f6fa507a44ff4f6.jpg

SS

[ZA Angler]

Rapala Otus and Peto are great baits.

SS

Definitely agree! The vast majority of my Pike this season have been on a Peto or an Otus.

[58thecat]

very well done, I always watch for birds and nine times outa ten that area will produce fish, the old man taught me that when I was young.

the tails on these lures how tuff are they?

[ZA Angler]

very well done, I always watch for birds and nine times outa ten that area will produce fish, the old man taught me that when I was young.

the tails on these lures how tuff are they?

Thanks! Yeah from my offshore fishing days in Cape Town my eyes are always dialed in on birds. The funny thing is that when targeting yellowtail kingfish, tuna and snoek, we'd chase some of the same species of birds on the ocean (arctic terns and cormorants). I think the ones here may be slightly different variety but they look identical.

As for the tails, they hold up surprisingly well. The Otus's paddle tail is definitely tougher than the Peto's curly tail. Unless you get unlucky, each tail can survive a lot of fish before being unusable. The lures come packaged with a spare tail that can be easily swapped out, and replacement packs of two tails can be purchased separately for about half the price of the original lure.

[Nedyarb]

Some other good lures are the Rapala Super Shadow Rap and the Haku. My brother caught two of his biggest with those.

[ZA Angler]

Some other good lures are the Rapala Super Shadow Rap and the Haku. My brother caught two of his biggest with those.

Yes I have a Haku as well, and although I have caught fish on it, I don't use it as much as I'd like. The problem I have with it is that because of it's wide side to side swimming action it seems to immediately locate and collect the nearest weeds and then it doesn't swim at all. The Otus and Peto swim in a straight line so can be pulled between the weeds better, and even if they collect a bit of weed the tails still keep working nicely and you still have a chance of a bite. Early spring before the weed growth I am sure it would be lethal, or worked along a weed edge or flat with less growth, but I struggle right now to make it work for me with where I'm generally fishing.

Will certainly take a look at the Super Shadow Rap, thanks for the tip!

[jungleboy]

I am obviously not living right . Those are some nice fish! Where exactly was this taking place? You don’t need to name the lake just give the gps co ordinance.:)

I’m kidding of course!

[ZA Angler]

I am obviously not living right . Those are some nice fish! Where exactly was this taking place? You don’t need to name the lake just give the gps co ordinance.:)

I’m kidding of course!

Hahaha. You could probably guess the lake without many hints required :) .

Really all I am doing is still following the spring basics as the water is still around 61F to 63F . Heading to warmer shallow bays on the north side of the lake, preferably near a river mouth or stream, and then fishing the slightly deeper weedy points on either side of the bay. (The shallow flats inside the bays aren't producing anymore and are locked tight with what I consider the wrong weeds). And lastly, casting until my arms fall off :) .

If I specifically want walleye I do things a little differently but I get enough Walleye as bycatch targeting Pike that I don't often bother ;) .

[Quigley2000]

How do you guys work the peto? I’ve used it before, and seemed pretty junky with a few hours of use and nothing to show for it. Was late august in all fairness. Admittedly I haven’t found the super shadow rap to be that productive either, although it did get me my first pike above 40” (40.5”) so I’ll cut it some slack there.

Thanks
Q

[ZA Angler]

How do you guys work the peto? I’ve used it before, and seemed pretty junky with a few hours of use and nothing to show for it. Was late august in all fairness. Admittedly I haven’t found the super shadow rap to be that productive either, although it did get me my first pike above 40” (40.5”) so I’ll cut it some slack there.

Thanks
Q

Honestly I just do a simple steady retrieve. I vary the speed on occasion but I don't do any jerking actions, or lift and drop rod or anything. I just cast out and start reeling with tip down. The Peto sinks slowly and appears to need some speed to get the tail moving nicely, so on the pause it's not like it falls face down quickly with good action in the tail. If I want something that behaves like that I will use a more generic style jig head with a paddle tail soft plastic on the back (E.g 360 searchbait)

The Peto feels like a lure that performs worse if you overthink it. Overall I'd say I prefer the Otus over the Peto. I generally do a steady retrieve on the Otus as well, but if I do decide to pause it, that curly tail still moves on the fall.

[Nedyarb]

Yes I have a Haku as well, and although I have caught fish on it, I don't use it as much as I'd like. The problem I have with it is that because of it's wide side to side swimming action it seems to immediately locate and collect the nearest weeds and then it doesn't swim at all. The Otus and Peto swim in a straight line so can be pulled between the weeds better, and even if they collect a bit of weed the tails still keep working nicely and you still have a chance of a bite. Early spring before the weed growth I am sure it would be lethal, or worked along a weed edge or flat with less growth, but I struggle right now to make it work for me with where I'm generally fishing.

Will certainly take a look at the Super Shadow Rap, thanks for the tip!

Np. My brother uses the bigger Super Shadow Rap more but both sizes work. He likes to use it as a jerkbait for the most part.

[Nedyarb]

Honestly I just do a simple steady retrieve. I vary the speed on occasion but I don't do any jerking actions, or lift and drop rod or anything. I just cast out and start reeling with tip down. The Peto sinks slowly and appears to need some speed to get the tail moving nicely, so on the pause it's not like it falls face down quickly with good action in the tail. If I want something that behaves like that I will use a more generic style jig head with a paddle tail soft plastic on the back (E.g 360 searchbait)

The Peto feels like a lure that performs worse if you overthink it. Overall I'd say I prefer the Otus over the Peto. I generally do a steady retrieve on the Otus as well, but if I do decide to pause it, that curly tail still moves on the fall.

x2

[SamSteele]

How do you guys work the peto? I’ve used it before, and seemed pretty junky with a few hours of use and nothing to show for it. Was late august in all fairness. Admittedly I haven’t found the super shadow rap to be that productive either, although it did get me my first pike above 40” (40.5”) so I’ll cut it some slack there.

Thanks
Q


Slow, steady retrieve. I’ve had better luck with the Peto than the Otus, but I know others that have had the opposite experience. The smaller version of the Peto is also pretty good.


I also like the Haku with a “twitch, pause, twitch” retrieve.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20220704/93a64c098c9c8aa27c26a6d0e2c14c69.jpg

Yes, that’s an actual burbot tail sticking out beside the Peto.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20220704/cdaa66e43a1dc4b2d868265898e49498.jpg

[Quigley2000]

Thanks for the tips, and I might have to put it back into the line up.
Q


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[dr.crentist]

Great pictures. Thanks for the thread