How's the Laker action at Cold Lake this week?

[ragweed]

A good day on Cold Lake is still on my todo list. I tried last year and didn't have a very good trip. I'm thinking of packing up and driving north to check it out again. Wind looks reasonable this weekend. How's the fishing been?

[58thecat]

One word....awesome.

If wind is in the forecast get out on sunrise for a few hours before the wind goes wonky and usually just before sunset too.

Yesterday was a violent wind storm, seen a few boats out hunkering around points.....

Good luck.

[ragweed]

K Thanks. Just working out some details around "wife approval" and accommodations. Campgrounds look full this weekend. Any suggested hotels to use? I would be towing a boat up and would like a place to plug in and charge batteries.

[HL_transplant]

Dockside is handy and close to the Marina

[58thecat]

Could try here too,

https://evergreenbirchlodge.com/

Good luck


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[ragweed]

Any thoughts on Baywood?


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[Lambo]

We just came back from a 3 day trip there. It was awesome! Caught lots of fish, weather was great. Was a little rough jetting back to the launch on Tuesday afternoon. We were jigging in 80' and trolling in 90' to 120'.

[Willowtrail]

This week has been awesome.
Took clients out Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

94 3 guys 8 hours Monday
92 3 people 5 hours Wednesday
37 2 guys 8 hours in horrible conditions hiding from 50km winds
104 Same 2 guys from yesterday for 8 hours

The bite has still been insane, make it happen if you can

[ragweed]

Holy cow! Im excited!
Well I’m here. I just pulled into Baywood park. Not a terrible place and they have their own launch. It’s just up the road from cold Lake PP.
I’ll be on the water around the french bay end tomorrow if anyone is around. Cream and burgundy vanguard.


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[ragweed]

Long haul from yyc.


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[EZM]

This week has been awesome.
Took clients out Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

94 3 guys 8 hours Monday
92 3 people 5 hours Wednesday
37 2 guys 8 hours in horrible conditions hiding from 50km winds
104 Same 2 guys from yesterday for 8 hours

The bite has still been insane, make it happen if you can

And this is EXACTLY why I bring my binoculars and follow you around !!!!

[OL_JR]

Great fishing congrats! Can't help but wonder what that fishery could be like if there were regs in place to protect the big fish.

[58thecat]

Double headers all day long.....don’t forget to take a break and enjoy a sammich with no lines in or your not going to have a break:)

[ragweed]

I hooked into a couple trolling then tried jigging with some boats that seem to be having luck. No luck for me though. Just changed back to trolling. What’s the common jigging tool? I’ve been trying large white TC motos.


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[ragweed]

Well it ended up being a pretty good first day. 16 lakers. (14 trolling. 3 at 26”) and about 35 pike. I killed the trolling batteries so decided to do some shore casting.
This is an awesome fishery!

Can’t wait for day two. Lakers then off to hunt Wally.


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[58thecat]

Awesome:sHa_shakeshout:

I just jig with Tc moto type tubes, change the colour and size to tweak their interest but will move if they are just chasing and not really interested, sometimes it’s just a matter of finding active fish and then slaying them.

I normally don’t jig but will if I can sit over an area long enough, don’t have a electric motor to lock on a area.

Luv trolling for lakers and yup we killed them yesterday too, short four hours but it was continuos.

[ragweed]

The chase is amazing. Get a hit. Start reeling. . Wait for the next hit. So much fun.


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[Willowtrail]

And this is EXACTLY why I bring my binoculars and follow you around !!!!

This is why I built a 60mph boat and try and hide.

On the lake here today (Sunday) stop by if you see my Eagle out here

[ragweed]

I wish I saw this earlier. I would have popped by if I seen ya.


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[Willowtrail]

I wish I saw this earlier. I would have popped by if I seen ya.


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I’ll be out tomorrow if you are headed out in the morning

[ragweed]

I am. For about a half day. What area will you be in?


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[ragweed]

Today was super slow for me. In terms of numbers. Hooked into quite a few but almost all of them shook off.


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[Frank_NK28]

Great action yesterday. Lost count of hook-ups and double headers. We opted to troll. Brought 33 to the boat including one 76cm which we opted to release as well. Caught a couple with fresh previous hook marks in the lower jaw that were no worse for wear. Never netted a single fish. Just reached over the side of the boat and unhooked them to swim off in good shape and only held up a few decent fish for a quick pic. Finished the day off by having fish & chips at Clarks and shared a pistachio ice cream cone on the drive home. Spent today cleaning and winterizing the boat for winter storage and getting decoys and blinds ready for the next phase of the year. It's goose hunting time now!

[Penner]

Fished her in the evening 16 landed with a handful more lost at the boat for only a few hours effort. All in that 6-to-10 lbs range.

+10 years ago fishing was as good but fish averaged 10lbs and it wasn’t uncommon to get one or two into the twenties. Man that lake has been worked through and then some. She ain’t like she use to be. Still a hoot nevertheless.

[HL_transplant]

Fished her in the evening 16 landed with a handful more lost at the boat for only a few hours effort. All in that 6-to-10 lbs range.

+10 years ago fishing was as good but fish averaged 10lbs and it wasn’t uncommon to get one or two into the twenties. Man that lake has been worked through and then some. She ain’t like she use to be. Still a hoot nevertheless.

Definitely agree the size has really dropped off fish in the high teens were just to be expected basically every time you went out.

[58thecat]

Great action yesterday. Lost count of hook-ups and double headers. We opted to troll. Brought 33 to the boat including one 76cm which we opted to release as well. Caught a couple with fresh previous hook marks in the lower jaw that were no worse for wear. Never netted a single fish. Just reached over the side of the boat and unhooked them to swim off in good shape and only held up a few decent fish for a quick pic. Finished the day off by having fish & chips at Clarks and shared a pistachio ice cream cone on the drive home. Spent today cleaning and winterizing the boat for winter storage and getting decoys and blinds ready for the next phase of the year. It's goose hunting time now!

Sounds like a great day, if we keep letting the legal keepers go man that lake would be smoking in no time with gooders, Clark’s is a beauty place with history to the area and the food is great too:sHa_shakeshout:

[ragweed]

I had a lunch break at Clark’s on Sunday. Very enjoyable.


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[-JR-]

I am a big fish eater so I had to try Clarks last year.
Was not very happy at all ! Maybe they got a new cook ,i don't know !
You guy tell me if your was like this . I think mine was way over cooked.
When you take your fork and knife to cut off a piece did the whole out crust
just shatter ?

[58thecat]

I am a big fish eater so I had to try Clarks last year.
Was not very happy at all ! Maybe they got a new cook ,i don't know !
You guy tell me if your was like this . I think mine was way over cooked.
When you take your fork and knife to cut off a piece did the whole out crust
just shatter ?

Nope, but if I was not satisfied as has happened in the past at other places I just ask for a new order.....I know might find a lugger in it.:)

[-JR-]

Nope, but if I was not satisfied as has happened in the past at other places I just ask for a new order.....I know might find a lugger in it.:)

It took me over 1/2 hr just to get my order was not going to wait longer .
I should of sent it back and just left . As we all know what happens to the next order

[-JR-]

Was out on cold lake for a week that ended on the closing day to keep a laker .
The fishing was great except where they were spawning . Found many spawning beds in the thousands of fish . But they were not into feeding at all.
LOL
Had to move over at least 100 yards for the feeder.

On the weekend 3 days before the season ended there was a boat ,hopefully not anyone from A/O that had about 3-4 floating fish around his boat and the birds were having a hay day picking at them . Never seen him once try to help the fish down .
I yelled over to him he needs to release them head first as hard as he can with all his might so the fish is one ft below the water then he will swim down because they are full of air and they don't know which way is up or down. ,Even then he did not reach over to them and try . Just kept on jigging .
There should be a law on this ,this guy, should of stopped fishing if he can't get them down ! WTF

I should of taken a picture and posted here .....next time !

[58thecat]

Was out on cold lake for a week that ended on the closing day to keep a laker .
The fishing was great except where they were spawning . Found many spawning beds in the thousands of fish . But they were not into feeding at all.
LOL
Had to move over at least 100 yards for the feeder.

On the weekend 3 days before the season ended there was a boat ,hopefully not anyone from A/O that had about 3-4 floating fish around his boat and the birds were having a hay day picking at them . Never seen him once try to help the fish down .
I yelled over to him he needs to release them head first as hard as he can with all his might so the fish is one ft below the water then he will swim down because they are full of air and they don't know which way is up or down. ,Even then he did not reach over to them and try . Just kept on jigging .
There should be a law on this ,this guy, should of stopped fishing if he can't get them down ! WTF

I should of taken a picture and posted here .....next time !


That just makes me sick thinking about it!

Last time we were out we had a floater and man we dunked him hard a few times but would surface so out came my little descending device with some weights on it,

Hooked it up and lowered the fish down and I would say about 30 feet or so he swam off.

Some states have it law that if you fish with the possibility of taking fish from depths you must have a descending device on board.

Should do the same here too.


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[mlee]

We were out on cold lake Sunday until about 4. We fish a less busy area of the lake but there were a couple trollers running back and forth along the one break .....we spent the day drift jigging and helped 2 floaters from the trolling boats back down. See it alot with guys trolling.....
Luckily the water temps have come way down and the fish seemed to recover quickly.

[-JR-]

mlee was that you fishing with your dog

[mlee]

mlee was that you fishing with your dog

No dog....wife and 2 year old.

[58thecat]

We were out on cold lake Sunday until about 4. We fish a less busy area of the lake but there were a couple trollers running back and forth along the one break .....we spent the day drift jigging and helped 2 floaters from the trolling boats back down. See it alot with guys trolling.....
Luckily the water temps have come way down and the fish seemed to recover quickly.


Good on you to revive those trout, I was with a buddy a few weeks ago and had the same thing happen too on our way back, floaters but after a few moments with the little device we got them down to swim off and hopefully survive.


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[Frank_NK28]

Good on you to revive those trout, I was with a buddy a few weeks ago and had the same thing happen too on our way back, floaters but after a few moments with the little device we got them down to swim off and hopefully survive.


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Of the 33 we brought to the boat we had one floater. Did we keep trolling? No we went back and pulled up to the fish. My wife guided the boat and I reached over and got the fish righted and held it upright until it revived and took off with a good tail splash that covered my glasses in water. We saw a pair of fellows let one go last year and troll off, a few minutes laater the fish appeared on the surface floating. I trolled over to it and my wife spent about 5 minutes trying to revive it. We thought for sure it was a goner then all of a sudden it was like it suddenly awoke from a coma and could not get away fast enough. Sadly I've seen a couple that Pelicans got to before we could. Unfortunately it is going to happen with so much catch and release going on with a species that is caught at great depths. My personal choice though it reduces the chances of larger numbers of catching bigger fish is to target the fish suspended above 70 ft. I don't go after any deeper than that and in August with water temps increasing those deeper fish at 70+ feet have a real hard time readjusting after release. The majority of our fish come trolling above 50 feet....the solid lines across the scree are the downrigger balls and lines clipped into the releases. Yes we got the old Lowrance dialed in purty good!! :D