PCR Walleye

[cougarcreek]

Does anyone have a reason why the walleye in PCR are small for their age. It also seems that the diifference in size from the 2 separate stocking years (2001 & 2003 if I remember) has disappeared. My thought is there are to many fish for the food chain.

[jts1]

Bingo.... There is not enough food in there between that and the poaching. Its a good thing they drop like 40 000 000 fish in it.

[nicemustang]

They stocked it with too many walleye, and no food source. So we have a stunting problem. Until some of them are ready to start spawing (next year or two), we won't see any changes. Even then, not sure if it will help.

I haven't been down there much, but there are many different sizes. The problem is that you don't seem to catch the bigger ones, the little ones are too agressive. In winter the size varies quite a bit.

It also would be tough to stock the lake with anything to help the situation. White fish are hard to stock and for them to adapt and stay alive in the lake. Perch may not take either and could just be eaten quickly. Dunno what to say about PCR.

[mclean]

This res. was built as a walleye fisherie, but the biologists in charge in Southern Alberta now are concerned that if bait fish are introduced into PCR that they the baitfish may goe up stream and get into some trout streams.
Their solution was to stock the res with burbot a few tears ago, burbot is not really the food supply that walleye require, try somthing like perch, lake whitefish, then we would have an exelent walleye fisherie, plus a whitefish and perch fisherie, everybody would be a winner.

[RedHeadedFisherman]

They stocked it with too many walleye, and no food source. So we have a stunting problem. Until some of them are ready to start spawing (next year or two), we won't see any changes. Even then, not sure if it will help.

I haven't been down there much, but there are many different sizes. The problem is that you don't seem to catch the bigger ones, the little ones are too agressive. In winter the size varies quite a bit.
.

I have fished PCR the whole summer last year (est> 1000 fish.( up to now this year, est> 300> fish)from the dock, shore,(by the bridge, both sides, and from a boat.. and have never caught any walleye over the 20" mark.
has anyone else??

RHD

[aulrich]

I was surprised that whitefhish were not in the mix at PCR when I first hear of the place, since pike walleye burbot and whitefish seem to be the recipe for southern Alberta resivours.

[nicemustang]

No i don't think they are any over 20" yet, but they are there. Most people are catching smaller ones than that, around 16-17".

[plinker]

We fish PCR a fair bit and have noticed that the fish always seem to be the same size. We fished the dock for the first time on Sunday, and I found something very interesting. We are catching the same fish over and over. The determining factor was when we got them to the dock, you could see some mild bleeding around the mouth where they had been caught in the last few hours. You could also see the previous damage to the mouth area from getting themselves caught previously. This included, hook tears, gaps in the skin in the mouth area, and fresh damage around the mouth, with no healing signs yet. There is nothing for them to eat in PCR and it is showing as they aggresively hit bait, over and over. This is my opinion, I am not a fish biologist, but common sense dictates that when more than 20 fish that you have pulled in, have the same damage to their mouths and it is all fresh, then I would think it is an issue of them being very hungry and not bothering or learning from the last time they were pulled from the water.

[buckman]

Perhaps its time to let anglers keep a couple, to reduce overall numbers, and allow some of them to grow larger.Walleye are in the perch familly and tenDto stunt if overpopulated.

[nicemustang]

actually perch are part of the walleye family :fighting0074:

[fishpro]

Actually, walleye are a part of the perch family :fighting0030:

[Alexey]

Both belong to Percidae Family:test:

[calgarygringo]

Just got in the door from last 3 days out there. I don't even take the boat there any more as I can get my fill from an hour or so at the dock. 40-50 in an hour to 2 is enough for me. Caught a couple pike off there this week as well.
If someone knows the right guys they did a netting a big study on it last summer. I asked the local C.O. a few weeks ago when we were there if he knew what they found. Said in a nutshell there is no showing of any spawning occuring yet. They hoped there may be at least 1 to 2 years already but no signs. Also said they are definetly undersized and under fed. We talked about bait fish but suggested when they do whites they are harder to get going but when they do go crazy multiplying and of course perch we know all the problems it can create. The pike though they figure are growing at twice the normal rate in there. If anyone knows the southern guys that would have done the survey would be great to see the actual report from there. Bottom line is no food, no big fish and no reproduction happening...

[slingshotz]

If only we could trawl net Lake Sundance and Midnapore for the perch and dump them into PCR, the walleye would probably get trophy sized in a year!

I'm, certainly not an expert but if Perch reproduce so easily in so many different areas due to bucket biologists, doesn't it stand to reason that they would do the same in PCR. I know all excuses for introducing diseases, etc but so far all I've ever heard is how the perch take over areas not how they killed off something due to a disease.

Look at the giant Hasse pike pigs gorging on perch, imagine if it were walleye instead of the pike....

[WayneChristie]

I vote stock more pike and let them clean up the walleye! since you cant eat the fish there due to mercury, make it a trophy pike lake. It pretty much is anyways, they get pretty big in there.