Clear Lake east of Stavely?

[KJPFISH]

It’s been a few years since I’ve fished it. How’s the water level? Any updates appreciated! Cheers!

[TROLLER]

It’s been a few years since I’ve fished it. How’s the water level? Any updates appreciated! Cheers!

Should be OK but I would not reccomend driving on just yet

Funny they go from 3 pike over 63 to 1 over 100 and now zippo. T hat lake is crawling with pike so none of this makes any sense to me.

[Wes_G]

Because the word got out that it can produce decent fish and it just started getting pounded. Like PCR, when was the last time that you have heard anyone getting a burbot from there? Enough said.

[fish99]

Because the word got out that it can produce decent fish and it just started getting pounded. Like PCR, when was the last time that you have heard anyone getting a burbot from there? Enough said.

the walleye eat all the new burbot that spawned and as the big ones were removed the recruitment of new burbot went down.
walleye stockings have destroyed a lot of lakes

[Mark]

the walleye eat all the new burbot that spawned and as the big ones were removed the recruitment of new burbot went down.
walleye stockings have destroyed a lot of lakes


I agree. Almost any lake in the south that has had walleye stocked, the pike and whitefish population have plummeted. The walleye have no angling pressure and are eating themselves, and everything else, out of house and home.
I know this is not a popular comment with the walleye fans, but at least in my opinion, it's true. The lakes have gone from having a thriving pike and whitefish population to nothing. I know they say its increase angling pressure, but I haven't seen an increase in anglers in the past years. In fact, there less people fishing since all of the rule changes. Back when I was a kid you use to see the dams on Murray, Tiley B, Cowoki, Newel, Clouts, Rattlesnake and Yellow Lakes crowded with people fishing. Limits were more than generous. This what it was like for years. Whitefish were never had angling pressure. Nobody knew how to catch them. However, when the irrigation gate were closed, they used to pile up by the dam outlets in masses. Now, very few... We even had commercial whitefish netting on some lakes in the winter. That all has stopped and there are even less Whitefish than when they did the netting. The walleye were stocked, pike fishing went down hill, hardly any whitefish in the canals when the gates are closed, and the angling pressure is non existent. Hardly seem coincidental.
Completely contrary to what the biologist says, but what do I know. I only can report on what I've seen over the past 50 years.

[dodger]

I agree. Almost any lake in the south that has had walleye stocked, the pike and whitefish population have plummeted. The walleye have no angling pressure and are eating themselves, and everything else, out of house and home.
I know this is not a popular comment with the walleye fans, but at least in my opinion, it's true. The lakes have gone from having a thriving pike and whitefish population to nothing. I know they say its increase angling pressure, but I haven't seen an increase in anglers in the past years. In fact, there less people fishing since all of the rule changes. Back when I was a kid you use to see the dams on Murray, Tiley B, Cowoki, Newel, Clouts, Rattlesnake and Yellow Lakes crowded with people fishing. Limits were more than generous. This what it was like for years. Whitefish were never had angling pressure. Nobody knew how to catch them. However, when the irrigation gate were closed, they used to pile up by the dam outlets in masses. Now, very few... We even had commercial whitefish netting on some lakes in the winter. That all has stopped and there are even less Whitefish than when they did the netting. The walleye were stocked, pike fishing went down hill, hardly any whitefish in the canals when the gates are closed, and the angling pressure is non existent. Hardly seem coincidental.
Completely contrary to what the biologist says, but what do I know. I only can report on what I've seen over the past 50 years.


I have 50 years into Southern AB reservoirs and I kind of have to agree with this ^^^^. Or - were just old and can't remember?

Dodger.

[I’d rather be outdoors]

Wonder what would happen if we started stocking more forage species (minnows) At least even just a test case. You guys are right with them eating themselves out of house & home. There’s plenty examples. That said, when a prey species was introduced to a certain southern reservoir, the walleye started spawning again and (from my observation) aren’t stunted anymore. Seems like a biomass/productivity problem (in addition to incredibly stringent retention limits).

[pikergolf]

I agree. Almost any lake in the south that has had walleye stocked, the pike and whitefish population have plummeted. The walleye have no angling pressure and are eating themselves, and everything else, out of house and home.
I know this is not a popular comment with the walleye fans, but at least in my opinion, it's true. The lakes have gone from having a thriving pike and whitefish population to nothing. I know they say its increase angling pressure, but I haven't seen an increase in anglers in the past years. In fact, there less people fishing since all of the rule changes. Back when I was a kid you use to see the dams on Murray, Tiley B, Cowoki, Newel, Clouts, Rattlesnake and Yellow Lakes crowded with people fishing. Limits were more than generous. This what it was like for years. Whitefish were never had angling pressure. Nobody knew how to catch them. However, when the irrigation gate were closed, they used to pile up by the dam outlets in masses. Now, very few... We even had commercial whitefish netting on some lakes in the winter. That all has stopped and there are even less Whitefish than when they did the netting. The walleye were stocked, pike fishing went down hill, hardly any whitefish in the canals when the gates are closed, and the angling pressure is non existent. Hardly seem coincidental.
Completely contrary to what the biologist says, but what do I know. I only can report on what I've seen over the past 50 years.

I fished Tilley B this fall. Caught a lot and saw a lot of pike caught. The fish that were at the 10 or 12 lb mark were nice healthy fat fish. But..... without fail those that should have been in the 5 to 6 lb range were very underweight. About 2 lbs underweight. I suspect those bigger ones were eating other pike and the smaller ones had no white fish to eat. The reason I went was to fish for whites, I never had a bump or saw a white rise or saw one in the shallows. We have had some very warm summers with little wind and I suspect a lot of the whites have died due to temp and oxygen issues. Some of the southern reseviors really lend themselves to walleye. Chin, Grassy, Forty mile, Rolling Hills, Travers are deep without a lot of pike areas. I know there are others as well. The shallower lakes the pike should be doing better, but in those lakes temp becomes an issue for the whites and they die off. The balanced lakes like Newell, Crawling Valley, Badger, Rattlesnake etc. that have deeper water with pike shallow stuff should have really been managed for large pike. IMO

[Wes_G]

the walleye eat all the new burbot that spawned and as the big ones were removed the recruitment of new burbot went down.
walleye stockings have destroyed a lot of lakes

Sorry, I disagree. The meat heads that took their limit home every time they fished there is what killed the burbot fishery. Every weekend there was 30-40 vehicles there with most taking every burbot they caught. The lake is not that big and cannot support harvest like that. The walleye population has now pretty well been thinned right down from PCR but have you seen any burbot come back?


And since the decline in the whitefish population is also now being mentioned. It's pretty much the only thing that people can keep any more with a very liberal limit. When I was on Travers this summer there was a group of no less then 15 boats all of which had anywhere from 2-5 people in them all fishing whites. I watched one of the boats at the launch at the end of the day take the cooler out and bring it to the van, it was so full of fish the lid would not close and the tails were overflowing out the top. It took 2 of them to carry the cooler to the car. Today down south I was driving down a dam and counted 14 people all with multiple whites some looking close to their limit. If they are doing this every time they go out they are keeping hundreds of fish a year per person. Most times I have kept a fish there stomachs were for the most part empty. A walleye or pike will not eat a dozen small whites or burbot in a day but a fisherman can keep 10. You want to know where all your fish are going, this is it!

[fish99]

Sorry, I disagree. The meat heads that took their limit home every time they fished there is what killed the burbot fishery. Every weekend there was 30-40 vehicles there with most taking every burbot they caught. The lake is not that big and cannot support harvest like that. The walleye population has now pretty well been thinned right down from PCR but have you seen any burbot come back?


And since the decline in the whitefish population is also now being mentioned. It's pretty much the only thing that people can keep any more with a very liberal limit. When I was on Travers this summer there was a group of no less then 15 boats all of which had anywhere from 2-5 people in them all fishing whites. I watched one of the boats at the launch at the end of the day take the cooler out and bring it to the van, it was so full of fish the lid would not close and the tails were overflowing out the top. It took 2 of them to carry the cooler to the car. Today down south I was driving down a dam and counted 14 people all with multiple whites some looking close to their limit. If they are doing this every time they go out they are keeping hundreds of fish a year per person. Most times I have kept a fish there stomachs were for the most part empty. A walleye or pike will not eat a dozen small whites or burbot in a day but a fisherman can keep 10. You want to know where all your fish are going, this is it!

totally agree all the catchable burbots were fished out with the walleye eating most of the spawned burbs
travers used to be net fished i remember being there one winter to ice fish when the nets were being pulled out ,
the commercial fisher man told me that they were able to fish for 10 days or until they caught 100,000 lbs of whitefish . you should of seen the size of pike and suckers that came up in the nets that kept . would of made you cry .
i do not think that all the guys fish for whitefish will take more in a year then the nets did.
pigeon lake had a big commercial whitefish fishery . as well the white fish were small around 2-3pounds .
now there are few whitefish in the lake due to walleye eating most of the small whitefish with very few making it adulthood.
the ones that duo make it grow to 5-9 lbs as there is lot shrimp in the deep water that the millions of smaller whitefish are not around to consume .