Sundance today [Archive] - Alberta Outdoorsmen Forum

AK47

12-20-2010, 12:30 AM

So I had a chance to fish there today for couple hours from 11am till 1 pm. Very gentle nibbles, perch were not aggressive at all comparing to what it used to be last year. Managed to get 30, strange but most of them where females, few in 9-10 inch range. Caught 5 trout as well, couple so small that it made me wonder if they are spawning there or it was just recently stocked with 7-8 inchers? Had couple big trout on but had no chances to pull them out with super light set up.... hate when that happens, I wish I could have my jigs back.... I did not want them to bite!

http://i53.tinypic.com/2a6ro6a.jpg

jacenbeers

12-20-2010, 12:39 AM

That is awesome. You are quite lucky to have access. I have wanted to go there for a while now.

Garry B

12-20-2010, 10:49 AM

I agree with jacenbeers, you sure are lucky to be able to fish there. It's an extreme thought but it fleetingly crossed my mind I need to move to the Sundance community just to be able to fish there! :lol: :lol: :lol: That's crazy for sure.

But seriously, those larger fish are nice and chubby. Seems from the pictures I have seen those perch fatten up nicely and are very healthy. Thanks for the pictures.

AK47

12-20-2010, 11:57 AM

well, if I would be looking for new house I would certainly look for one with community lake access ( Sundance, Midnapore or Bonavista would be my choice)...To bad I do not live here and need to depend on friends with membership.

goldscud

12-20-2010, 12:59 PM

Rainbows can't spawn in lakes with no inlet/outlet creeks. Sundance was stocked in October with a couple thousand small trout (some only 5").
The female perch are seriously growing eggs...that's why they look so fat. There is a lot more 10"ers available this year.
Great work AK47....hope you get a thousand more!!!

Newspeak

12-20-2010, 01:03 PM

^^

There is a man made waterfall/stream there, wouldn't surprised me if a few do spawn every year. Always saw plenty of trout minnows there as well.

Brock1

12-20-2010, 01:29 PM

forgive me for my ignorance, but why do you have to have access to this lake. Why cant anyone fish a body of water?

baitfisher83

12-20-2010, 01:31 PM

because it's a private lake..only Sundance district residents are allowed access and can only have 2 guests with them.

Brock1

12-20-2010, 01:46 PM

ohhh. nice perk to living there.. I have a private lake where I fish too. Its called utikuma, and you guys can all come if you want......:sHa_shakeshout:

goldscud

12-20-2010, 02:55 PM

Vagabond

12-20-2010, 06:56 PM

I saw lots of tiny fish (about 3/4") in Chaparral lake this summer, it must be trout. I have seen lots of small trouts in Midnapore lake before. I believe some trouts can spawn in lakes...

goldscud

12-20-2010, 07:22 PM

Vagabond...why do the small fish have to be trout (and not a minnow species)?
Next spring catch some of these minnows and compare them to this picture of a fathead minnow:
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y85/fishmonger/FatheadMinnow.gif

It is highly unlikely that rainbow trout are spawning in a man-made lake (though not impossible). There is very little evidence for rainbow trout spawning in lakes where there isn't a creek to migrate into.

Badback

12-20-2010, 07:43 PM

Newspeak and Vagabond another advantage besides the lake at Sundance is there are a couple Biologists that live in the community...They have also been involved in the perch cull program at Sundance where I got to work with them...In two years there were Chubs, Flat Head Minnows a sucker and lots of perch in the nets...I did ask them about trout spawning and as Gold Scud stated, gravel water flow rates etc...I did learn that this last fall, the trout that were stocked had lots of smaller trout (some 7 inches)...I confirmed the smaller trout with my fishing cam on Sunday...

Vagabond

12-21-2010, 12:28 PM

Good point.

Vagabond...why do the small fish have to be trout (and not a minnow species)?
Next spring catch some of these minnows and compare them to this picture of a fathead minnow:
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y85/fishmonger/FatheadMinnow.gif

It is highly unlikely that rainbow trout are spawning in a man-made lake (though not impossible). There is very little evidence for rainbow trout spawning in lakes where there isn't a creek to migrate into.

goldscud

12-21-2010, 12:39 PM

Here is a lake Chub. These are often mistaken for young trout
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y85/fishmonger/lakechub.jpg

Sundancefisher

12-21-2010, 04:50 PM

Newspeak...The inlet creek is not always on and there is no gravel available for the trout to build redds (nests) for the eggs. The trout can't spawn on 20" boulders. The eggs would just wash out into the lake. If the community were to install an area with some 1/2 to 3/4" spawning gravel and appropriate flow rates, the fish probably would try to spawn. The "trout minnows" you have seen are not trout. There is Flat head minnows and lake Chub in Sundance. Another thing to consider is that the 7+lb fish are all triploids and won't be spawning. Not sure if the new little fish are triploids or not.

Actually...fathead minnows and lake chub...and small perch...lots of small perch.

X2 on the post goldscud

The creek is fenced off. Water is turned off over night. Creek has no gravel...just large rocks over a concrete raceway. Water drains completely. Trout can not spawn in man made lakes without intentionally building a proper spawning channel that has a continuous water flow of the correct speed, depth, temperature and gravel size and gravel bed thickness.

Many people mistake minnows for baby trout. That being said...every year I get yelled at twice or more for killing more than my limit of trout. For those that stop shouting at me...I point out why the 100 fish at my feet are called yellow perch and not rainbow trout.

When netting...we catch tons of lake chub...some up to 8 inches in length. Now that we have had some trout stocked as small as 5 inches...we have to be more careful with netting not to kill trout.

AK47

12-21-2010, 05:06 PM

So Sundance, when do you gys plan on doing that annual derby?

Sundancefisher

12-21-2010, 08:20 PM

So Sundance, when do you guys plan on doing that annual derby?

Your banned remember!

If you can't catch a perch to save your bacon...or catch more than the wife...why bother trying to fish.

There is laundry to wash and fold, windows to clean, carpets to vacuum, mats to shake out...

Fishing...well that is just not your game...

LOL

baitfisher83

12-21-2010, 08:36 PM

When did AK's wife outfish him???I wanna congratulate her..lol

AK47

12-21-2010, 10:25 PM

When did AK's wife outfish him???I wanna congratulate her..lol

I wish my wife would be fishing but that is not the case unfortunately.

AK47

12-21-2010, 10:36 PM

Your banned remember!

If you can't catch a perch to save your bacon...or catch more than the wife...why bother trying to fish.

There is laundry to wash and fold, windows to clean, carpets to vacuum, mats to shake out...

Fishing...well that is just not your game...

LOL

LOL trying to get under my skin:)?.... not going to work, my win is inevitable:)

Sundancefisher

12-22-2010, 06:22 AM

LOL trying to get under my skin:)?.... not going to work, my win is inevitable:)

LOL

We will see...we will see...

Sundancefisher

12-22-2010, 07:39 AM

Looks like I am probably going to go fishing on Friday... Looking like a beautiful warm winter Friday...demanding a perch culling...:sHa_shakeshout:

Watch for a post tomorrow after I finalize it with the missus.

Badback

12-22-2010, 08:54 AM

Newspeak

12-22-2010, 11:59 AM

Yup, probably just the minnows or chubs that I saw. I haven't been there in 10 years or so, and never realized there were other species in there as well.

I have seen the trout traveling a surprising ways up the stream, though. But if the water gets shut off, and the big pools drain at night, I guess they just died.