Stocked Trout Pond Help

[mountain_man]

So I went to Cardiff and then Morinville this past Saturday. I spent close to 4 hours at each. I tried several spots on each with several different approaches, and got nothing. Not eaven so much as a bite. :mad0100: I am starting to wonder if there are even fish in either of them. Any help or advise would be greatly appreciated.

[nicemustang]

Spin or fly? What were you using for lures/bait? What times did you fish (ie did you fish the middle of the HOT HOT day?)

[mountain_man]

It was not during the heat, it was early morning (6am) till roughly 10am, both Saturday and Sunday.
I threw Mepps, Pickerel Rigs w/ worms, Marshmellows, Salmon Eggs. All sort of stuff. And still nothing.

[nicemustang]

Ok, so just bad luck then. Did you try a small five of diamonds or a slip bobber? I usually only have luck under a bobber with worms.

[mudbug]

They seem to have a taste for velveeta cheese there :thinking-006:

[nicemustang]

They seem to have a taste for velveeta cheese there :thinking-006:

X2. I forgot about. In winter cheese is king.

[mountain_man]

So just the cheese on a Pickerel Rig?? Or Hook & bobber??

[nicemustang]

Both could work but I'd prefer bobber. Small small hook, #8 or 10.

[jriad]

What's the best way to keep the velvetta on the hook? Breadcrumbs maybe?

[Sundancefisher]

While fishing does slow down as to approach the warmer Summer days one thing you should consider doing is emailing your local F&W biologist and recommend limits that prolong harvest. I think you will find that those ponds get fished heavily after initial stocking. Guys fish it relentlessly for a couple weeks harvesting their max limit (is it 5 a day still?). Then as their catch rates plummet...they come way less frequently.

If they reduced the limits say to 2 a day...the sport fishery remains healthy longer and people still have enough to go home and eat for a meal.

Remember...a huge chunk of the annual F&W budget goes to stocking. Why not let the stocking last the whole Summer rather than only 2 week?

IMHO...sometimes the fish stop biting...cause they have all been caught!

[horton213]

what works for catching perch in Sundance lake??? I live there

[nevercatchmuch]

sundance - not sure how that would help. possession limits should prohibit stockpiling of freezers?

[Calgaryguy1977]

Shrimp man! Don't bother with the canned stuff as it breaks apart when you try to put it on the hook. Get the rubbery shrimp. Those shrimp rings work great. Try it and tell me it isn't great for stocked trout!

[flygirrl]

So I went to Cardiff and then Morinville this past Saturday. I spent close to 4 hours at each. I tried several spots on each with several different approaches, and got nothing. Not eaven so much as a bite. :mad0100: I am starting to wonder if there are even fish in either of them. Any help or advise would be greatly appreciated.
Lindy Rig with orange power bait or cheese:)

[mudbug]

What's the best way to keep the velvetta on the hook? Breadcrumbs maybe?

Keep it in a cooler so it's nice and cold. As for applying it use a pickeral rig, bobber or anything that gets it in the water so it sits in one spot. It falls off really fast if you try casting and retrieving. They seem to like it in the summer as well. Just let it sit deeper in the warmer weather. I think I'm going to have to go out to Cardiff and see how they're biting :thinking-006:

[AxeMan]

Lindy Rig with orange power bait or cheese:)

Ding ding....we have a winner. Presentation is the key though. Use a light enough hook and make sure the bait floats up off the bottom. 2 to 6 feet depending on conditions.

[Sundancefisher]

sundance - not sure how that would help. possession limits should prohibit stockpiling of freezers?

Fish cops check you at the lake leaving with your limit. They never check your freezer. So from a practical management perspective if you stock 1000 trout in the lake...assuming they all get caught or are catchable...that equates to 200 man days fishing. If you reduce that to 2 fish...you have 500 man days fishing. If people are all about killing them all fast and efficiently in the first few weeks...then go for it... But if you are all about going out over the course of the whole year and have a likely chance of catching something...you could also advocate a reduced limit from 5 down to 2. You need to maintain a good density ratio of fish per hectare of water if you want good, fun, exciting catch rates. If you want a meal...two should be enough. If you want to feed the family and a half a trout is not enough per person (4 person family) or save a few days worth...then your options would be get the family out fishing with you or maybe change ones thought from a meat fishery to a sport fishery with a meal plan.

I bet 99% of everyone on this board has wasted fish at some point and just killed it cause we had the blood lust. I have and I feel bad for it. That dead wasted fish could of been the day of a lifetime for some young person and his mother or father or brother or sister. Stories to remember fondly for ever. I have seen many a kid out fishing all day at Cardiff and not a bite. They get bored...hate fishing and probably are ruined for life.

Hence... I don't mind taking 2 trout home versus 5. Some people can just get greedy and keep fishing just because they are biting and they are allowed 5. Then they go home and just give them away to neighbors and friends. Not really the intent of our sport fishery IMHO.

Just a thought

Cheers

Sun

[aulrich]

Lowering the limit would not be a bad thing, me and the boys could actually in theory can take 20 out at a time (though I hate the taste of hatchery fish). One thing to remember is the first weeks after stocking those ponds have huge fishing pressure so you might just add a week more of combat fishing but for all summer action there are lakes like chain, ressor and other to go to.

[ericlin0122]

I have good luck with this setup in stock pond.
hope this can help you.

http://lh3.ggpht.com/__J7HPCkHujM/TDIwFMeUi9I/AAAAAAAAB7g/5krQaf_DAIo/s400/Untitled-1.png

[Mark]

I agree 100% with you Sundance. I think it easily be a province wide regulation. Look at the popularity of places like Beaver Lake or Bullshead. They are packed and you're lucky if you can keep one or two a day (depending or the lake). Quality vs. quantity.

[jts1]

I have good luck with this setup in stock pond.
hope this can help you.

http://lh3.ggpht.com/__J7HPCkHujM/TDIwFMeUi9I/AAAAAAAAB7g/5krQaf_DAIo/s400/Untitled-1.png

Floating lindy rig. You can buy real cheep. Great for trout with a worm or a leach for walleye

[nicemustang]

I had tonnes of hits on worms yesterday at a pond, but couldn't land squat. Little buggers just bitting off the worm, not taking the hook. Was using a pickeral rig as usual.

I'm going to be rigging up a stinger type rig.

[mudbug]

I have good luck with this setup in stock pond.
hope this can help you.

http://lh3.ggpht.com/__J7HPCkHujM/TDIwFMeUi9I/AAAAAAAAB7g/5krQaf_DAIo/s400/Untitled-1.png

That works really well but remember to use Velveeta cheese, it's the one I swear by as well as many others. Also clip a bell to the end of your rod so you know when you get a hit because they'll get a free meal if you don't set the hook fast enough :)

[aulrich]

Stocked trout waters have two diverce basic clients, adults that would rather catch one 10lb trout than ten one pound trout and beginners who would rather catch it the other way around.

As nice as Bullshead is supposed to be I would not like it if all stock water was managed like that. Allen bill <> bullshead.

I took my kids regularaly to Allen Bill when they were little ,now that they can fish we don't bother anymore.

[ericlin0122]

That works really well but remember to use Velveeta cheese, it's the one I swear by as well as many others. Also clip a bell to the end of your rod so you know when you get a hit because they'll get a free meal if you don't set the hook fast enough :)

bell too slow. you need to watch your line, as long as it moved, you wanna set the hook right away. and need to keep you line tight.

[mudbug]

bell too slow. you need to watch your line, as long as it moved, you wanna set the hook right away. and need to keep you line tight.

That is very true, I use a bell most times because I tend to read or sometimes nap inadvertantely because I tend to fish from shore alone :budo:

If I'm paying attention and have company I don't use the bell and have way better results. Also If I'm out in the boat I don't read or nap and don't use a bell at all then. :)

definately keep the line tight at all times too :)

[Bill L]

What's the best way to keep the velvetta on the hook? Breadcrumbs maybe?

I wrap my cheese in old pantyhose making small balls. It works great and keeps the bait on the hook. This is really good if you have kids so they do not loose the bait every time they cast or reel their line in.