New years day ice fishing close to edmonton

[Gongshow]

Which pothole trout lake would you recommend for a couple of hangover guys? And what would you recommend to use on said lake?

Thanks.

[Gongshow]

I've been reading about Star and Chickakoo, but can anybody shed some light on Spring lake or Salters lake or Cardiff?

Thanks.

[Geezle]

The only pothole I've really hit this season has been Chickacoo, though I haven't been there for a few weeks now. I always seemed to have good luck out there, and if you're looking to keep something, those little brookies are tasty :)


Good luck and let us know how you do :)

[Alberta Bigbore]

x2 on Chickacoo

[drake]

hangover=impaired (IMO)

Good luck driving to your lake.....hope you dont kill yourself or someone else.

regards,

Drake

p.s Happy NewYear

[linger]

spring lake has some decent perch if you can find them nice trout also. cardiff and salters has some big trout also but cardiff there tough to catch. have watched them in the tent some football trout but won't bite.:)

[ESOXangler]

hangover=impaired (IMO)

Good luck driving to your lake.....hope you dont kill yourself or someone else.

regards,

Drake

p.s Happy NewYear

really?

[Garry B]

spring lake has some decent perch if you can find them

Hi. I assume you were able to find them there. Some years ago before the resort stopped allowing day fishers in we went there and I saw some nice perch a fellow had caught. That was summer and they used a boat.

When you say 'if you can find them' do you mean they are in a specific area of the lake or are the spread out all over but hiding in specific types of structure/depth patterns? I see from the topo that Spring seems to have similar depth patterns in various areas of the lake.

Thanks

[linger]

i have had the best luck walking in from the resort across to the first set of reeds fishing in about 10 feet of wateri haven't caught really big perch but quite a few 9-to 10 inches:)

[linger]

yes i have found them spread out alot there will be days were youwill catch 2or 3 decent ones then you will have to move again.

[Garry B]

i have had the best luck walking in from the resort across to the first set of reeds fishing in about 10 feet of wateri haven't caught really big perch but quite a few 9-to 10 inches:)

If I remember correctly that's what the fellow a met years ago said. Something about reeds and pointing where you mentioned.

Well 9-10" is OK with me! Better than the biggest we got at Hasse this week which was a skinny 7." Are they also skinny in Spring? Or do they get at all chubby? Thanks.

[Garry B]

yes i have found them spread out alot there will be days were youwill catch 2or 3 decent ones then you will have to move again.

We also found the exact same thing at Hasse this week. As soon as we drilled holes we'd see fish and catch them. Then later we'd still see them but they would not bite. We'd move a bit and catch them for a while then they'd stop again. Seems like the biters bite and the rest don't do much. Best to keep hopping when they slow down or stop.

[linger]

it's funny ive caught skinny ones and chunky ones:)

[Geezle]

Everything is skinny in Hasse now...except for the pike!

[Garry B]

it's funny ive caught skinny ones and chunky ones:)

Cool - at least there are a few decent ones. I'm hoping to catch a few of those chubby fellow sometime! Thanks for the good info.

[Garry B]

Everything is skinny in Hasse now...except for the pike!

Hard to believe but a fellow we fished with Thursday with caught a monster pike that must have been a grand total of 9 or 10"! HUGE. Would this be conclusive proof the pike are reproducing there? If so they will eventually chew down the perch population and for a time there will likely be decent sized perch in there. Well, I hope there will be.

[Geezle]

Hard to believe but a fellow we fished with Thursday with caught a monster pike that must have been a grand total of 9 or 10"! HUGE. Would this be conclusive proof the pike are reproducing there? If so they will eventually chew down the perch population and for a time there will likely be decent sized perch in there. Well, I hope there will be.

Yep, they did a test netting last year and found the pike there to be at least 3 years old - which does mean that they're old enough to be reproducing. The little guy you caught is proof of that.

I'm guessing in the next couple of years the pike will start to clean out some of the perch...hopefully that will mean bigger perch, and some decent sized pike. That will probably only last a couple years though, then the pike will overpopulate and overall size will drop.

At least this is my very non-scientific thinking :o

[Garry B]

That will probably only last a couple years though, then the pike will overpopulate and overall size will drop.

I'll contribute a bit more non-scientific (maybe un-scientific) thinking. :) When the pike overpopulate the only predator left for them is man, so FW needs to pump up the limit on them so humans can prevent them from stunting. That could result in a decent balance. Could be a few decent perch and a few passable pike. Otherwise that lake is toast for anything of size. Just a bunch of scrawny fish eating themselves out of house and home.

[Geezle]

I'll contribute a bit more unscientific thinking. :) When the pike overpopulate the only predator left for them is man, so FW needs to pump up the limit on them so humans can prevent them from stunting. That could result in a decent balance. Could be a few decent perch and a few passable pike. Otherwise that lake is toast for anything of size. Just a bunch of scrawny fish eating themselves out of house and home.

Opening it up for keeping pike is another can of worms altogether.

I don't think they'd want to encourage keeping them since the pike are an illegally stocked species - just like perch in the trout ponds. If you were allowed to keep them, then every rocket surgeon with a bucket who wanted a pike lake nearby would just stock them wherever they wanted them and wait a couple years before harvest.

What that lake really needs is to winterkill so it can be stocked with trout again. Apparently it used to be a really good trout pond, though that was before I was fishing out here.

[Garry B]

Opening it up for keeping pike is another can of worms altogether.

I don't think they'd want to encourage keeping them since the pike are an illegally stocked species - just like perch in the trout ponds. If you were allowed to keep them, then every rocket surgeon with a bucket who wanted a pike lake nearby would just stock them wherever they wanted them and wait a couple years before harvest.

What that lake really needs is to winterkill so it can be stocked with trout again. Apparently it used to be a really good trout pond, though that was before I was fishing out here.

Ah, yes. I remember that argument from other threads. Aside from a winterkill then the only solution is Rotenone to kill it off and start again. Too expensive in my mind.

[Geezle]

Ah, yes. I remember that argument from other threads. Aside from a winterkill then the only solution is Rotenone to kill it off and start again. Too expensive in my mind.

Too controversial as well. That's why they just stopped stocking it I guess. Leave it to its own devices and see what happens.


Sorry for the hijack Gongshow :o Hope the fishing was good today!

[EDMfishing]

PP2 Site-Specific Regulations
The names of most lakes and major streams appear alphabetically under
“PP2 Lake and Stream Listings.” Smaller streams often are not listed, but
may be included in regulations as tributaries to lakes or larger streams.


LAKES
A. For Trout-Stocked Lakes, Reservoirs and Ponds in PP2 that are
named on page 8 under “Alberta’s Fish Stocking Program.”
 Open all year – Trout limit 5; bait allowed.


B. For Lakes, Reservoirs and Ponds listed and fish species listed
under “PP2 Lake and Stream Listings” starting on this page.
 You must follow the regulations stated with each listing.


C. For other PP2 Lakes, Reservoirs and Ponds not included under
(A) or (B) and for fish species not mentioned at a listed lake.
 Open all year – Walleye limit 3 over 50 cm; Pike limit 3 over 63 cm;
Perch limit 15; Lake Whitefish limit 10; Burbot limit 10; (where
present, Trout limit 5; Mountain Whitefish limit 5 over 30 cm); Bait
allowed.

[Gongshow]

Sorry for the hijack Gongshow :o Hope the fishing was good today!

No problem!

The fishing was great today! We went to Salters lake. I caught three trout, my buddy caught three trout and my brother caught two.

All the trout we caught today were one pound and under, so we didn't keep any of them but we did see one guy pull out what looked to be a really nice fat one.

And Drake...........
Turns out none of us where hungover as we all decided to stay home with our families for new years instead of going out. So we didn't kill anybody or were killed on the way to the lake. Not that that is any of your business or anything.

[linger]

Cool - at least there are a few decent ones. I'm hoping to catch a few of those chubby fellow sometime! Thanks for the good info.

no problem i hope you get a few of the bigger ones. good luck:)

[seahawkfisher]

I don't think they'd want to encourage keeping them since the pike are an illegally stocked species
strange, i recall SRD being the ones that put the pike in there...

[goober]

strange, i recall SRD being the ones that put the pike in there...

X2

[Geezle]

strange, i recall SRD being the ones that put the pike in there...
Details?

I was always lead to believe that it was the bucket brigade :confused:

[Geezle]

PP2 Site-Specific Regulations
The names of most lakes and major streams appear alphabetically under
“PP2 Lake and Stream Listings.” Smaller streams often are not listed, but
may be included in regulations as tributaries to lakes or larger streams.


LAKES
A. For Trout-Stocked Lakes, Reservoirs and Ponds in PP2 that are
named on page 8 under “Alberta’s Fish Stocking Program.”
 Open all year – Trout limit 5; bait allowed.


B. For Lakes, Reservoirs and Ponds listed and fish species listed
under “PP2 Lake and Stream Listings” starting on this page.
 You must follow the regulations stated with each listing.


C. For other PP2 Lakes, Reservoirs and Ponds not included under
(A) or (B) and for fish species not mentioned at a listed lake.
 Open all year – Walleye limit 3 over 50 cm; Pike limit 3 over 63 cm;
Perch limit 15; Lake Whitefish limit 10; Burbot limit 10; (where
present, Trout limit 5; Mountain Whitefish limit 5 over 30 cm); Bait
allowed.
Read the top of page 8 in the regs :)

The following list of lakes, reservoirs and ponds identifies sites that are frequently stocked with rainbow trout, and some with brook trout, brown trout
or cutthroat trout. Water bodies appearing below are open all year with a trout limit of five. The harvest of species other than trout from stocked
trout waters is not permitted. Stocked waters where the harvest of other species is allowed or where bait restrictions apply are listed under "Lakes and
Streams Listings" for each Watershed Unit.

[mooseknuckle]

Glad you guys had a good day out there!! Im staring out the window right now going hmmmmmm??? Should i shovel the driveway?

[seahawkfisher]

check this out
http://outdoorsmenforum.ca/showthread.php?t=56900
cheers