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Walleyemagnet
08-13-2022, 11:24 AM
Does anyone have any feedback on Rock Island? I haven't fished there in like 8 years. Always liked this lake though so was thinking I'd like to head up there. I know that the launch was missing a chunk of concrete on one side, there was a new dock last time I was there though. I recall hearing a few years back that the lake had suffered from over-netting? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Barry D
08-14-2022, 10:04 PM
The lake has never been a stellar lake for fish production. Yes there have been some okay fishing in the past, but it just doesn't support a large fish population. In talking to the local elders that net Sandy, Wabasca and Calling lake, they say the reason they don't net Rock Island is that it doesn't produce very many fish of any species and never has. I fish it every year or two just for a change, from Calling lake where ai have my cabin. Caught a few walleye around the islands last summer, but nothing more than that. It's been a zero limit lake for some time, and I don't see it changing. The camp grounds is one off the best around but you will probably be all by yourself if you go, so enjoy. The dock is out and the water is a bit low this year, but you can get your boat in easily. Hope this helps.

curtz
08-15-2022, 10:12 PM
It's weird that it never came back, I remember 40 years ago growing up we camped and fished there often. Always had good walleye catches trolling around the island.

lund17
08-17-2022, 09:45 AM
I feel when the Government open up the North end of Calling Lake but pushed the opening day back to June 1....Rock Island Lake got slammed hard on May Long weekend and leading up to June 1. This happened 4 or 5 years ago now, maybe more not sure on exact date but I know that I drove up there that first year after the changes to Calling Lake and the campground was packed. The boat launch was overflowing and it was like that for a few years in a row.

I always had good success on Rock Island Lake, not a lot of fish but enough to keep the kids busy in the boat. It is a nice lake to go to when the wind makes Calling Lake rough.

Drewski Canuck
08-17-2022, 11:43 AM
Rock Island HAD jumbo whites. May long weekend there has been as many as 18 nets stretching along the beach and where the river runs out. The nets have been in for a week at a time in May.

You ask where all the fish went? I have watched the nets getting pulled and the fish are not in the lake after that amount of netting pressure.

Drewski

sns2
08-17-2022, 12:34 PM
Bingo!

Trappingman
08-17-2022, 03:36 PM
Bingo!

We used to commercial fish it twice a year and there was a lot more than 18 nets set and the lake was fine 🤷🏻*♂️ But it’s gotta be the natives lol

curtz
08-17-2022, 05:43 PM
Rock Island HAD jumbo whites. May long weekend there has been as many as 18 nets stretching along the beach and where the river runs out. The nets have been in for a week at a time in May.

You ask where all the fish went? I have watched the nets getting pulled and the fish are not in the lake after that amount of netting pressure.

Drewski

That will do it.

Drewski Canuck
08-22-2022, 11:59 AM
We used to commercial fish it twice a year and there was a lot more than 18 nets set and the lake was fine 🤷🏻*♂️ But it’s gotta be the natives lol

The Commercial nets were in until the quota for any species was hit, then the nets were pulled.

The Commercial nets were not in for a solid month at a time.

Drewski

SNAPFisher
08-22-2022, 08:02 PM
The lake has never been a stellar lake for fish production. Yes there have been some okay fishing in the past, but it just doesn't support a large fish population. In talking to the local elders that net Sandy, Wabasca and Calling lake, they say the reason they don't net Rock Island is that it doesn't produce very many fish of any species and never has. I fish it every year or two just for a change, from Calling lake where ai have my cabin. Caught a few walleye around the islands last summer, but nothing more than that. It's been a zero limit lake for some time, and I don't see it changing. The camp grounds is one off the best around but you will probably be all by yourself if you go, so enjoy. The dock is out and the water is a bit low this year, but you can get your boat in easily. Hope this helps.

And Rock Island is netted regularly. Maybe not the elders in your area but at least one band is on Rock Island regularly.

sns2
08-23-2022, 08:29 AM
We used to commercial fish it twice a year and there was a lot more than 18 nets set and the lake was fine 🤷🏻*♂️ But it’s gotta be the natives lol

Any body of water has a reproductive capacity. Once it’s reached its reached, and when it is, one group is made to stop. Another group isn’t. It could be purple martians doing the netting for all I care, if it’s unregulated, then it’s screwed for all of us. Don’t be so quick to assume that everyone has a hate on for natives because you’d be wrong. It’s about uncontrolled harvesting of a species that screws things for everyone. Rock Island has such a nice campground that it is a shame the fishery has collapsed, but collapsed it has.