Season went way to fast

[chubbdarter]

Everyone ready for the last week-end on some of our favorite lakes?
Good luck everyone...cross their eyes!!!!
Gonna fish every day till she closes

[npauls]

I would love to get out for a few of the days left in the season but it is not looking good for me. I may end up just hitting some close local ponds and see what I can do while the wife works this weekend.

Good luck to all.

[chubbdarter]

nate you spoiled whinny bugger your surrounded by the best lakes in Alberta 1 hour inany direction....lol

[Geezle]

For as much fun as I've had ice fishing this season I'm really getting twitchy waiting for the open water.

That being said I'm looking forward to a couple more outings on the ice with some friends and the race with Terry to the 25lber! :fighting0074:

[alodar]

Jay ill be out several times in the spot until I start my new job hope to see you there buddy

[rielbowhunter]

Went bye to fast. They time goes bye faster every year. hope to fish sunday.

[Alberta Bigbore]

I dont think it went fast enough. I had ZERO motivation to drill a hole in the ice this year. I must be sick. But I am looking forward to sitting in a loawn chair with some ice cold pepsi , along the banks of the NSR, while I wait for the clicker on my baitcasters to go `click , click, click``

[npauls]

Hey Darter,

I would love to get out there and hammer some fish but unfortunately I can't afford to drive very far these days. This EI doesn't even cover the bills. I was told by the doc today that I was put on the list to talk to a surgeon so now its a waiting game to get an appt. up in calgary to see one. Looks like I will be out most of the summer if not long so my long term disability will start up in april and will put me back into a better position to get out more.

Now if I could just find someone who wants to buy my bow or trade it for an older 8ft truck camper I could spend all summer camping and fishing since it would be cheaper to stay for a few days at a time then it would be to drive back and forth every time I want to take the boat out.

[Kim473]

The best part of the season is here guys and gals. The large perch start to bite, the burbs, large pike. We got 6 to 8 weeks left. I cant wait till june tho and walleye at Calling lake.

[Freedom55]

The weekend is on us and there's not much left of the season out here where I spent the winter. There is no fishing for the whole month of April in Saskatchewan so this is it. There is a $10,000+ derby on Cowan Lake at Big River next Saturday and that about wraps it up, at least for me.
I try not to go out on weekends as the crowds are overwhelming. There must be three, maybe four other people out on any given water body and there is just no room left for anyone else. NOT!! The exceptions are (and there are two) Blackstrap, where there must be 100 shanties all gathered around "the pipe" and perhaps another fifty scattered throughout the rest of the lake.

Blackstrap, for those of you that are not familiar, is just 30 minutes south of Saskatoon and gets way too busy on any day, winter or summer.

Last Mountain Lake is the other, and it is an hour or so out of Regina. The pressure on those two lakes is roughly akin to the pressure that Alberta 'put and takes' feel every day of the season. The rest of the province is seemingly devoted to those that prefer to get away from the hububub of the urban centres (my own village is a steaming metropolis of 425). Tobin has become a tourist trap. The only factors in chosing a location are the weather and the accessability due to drifting snow.

There is another big lake close to the urban centres that you may have heard about. Lake Diefenbaker (1.5 hrs south) has 17 species of fish and there are a lot of people who fish this lake as well. The lake is so long and the shoreline is loaded with bays and cul-de-sacs so there is plenty of room for all. Plus it is a very tough lake to be successful at (if you count bag sizes as success).
Just to put forward a personal observation; I read in a couple of posts in the "quality fishing in AB" thread that seem to infer that the rainbows in Dief. are all escapees from the farm at Birsay. Not true, and here is my anecdotal evidence. Back in 2000, when I first learned about a massive release of rainbows from the fish farm and the fist-fighting/boat ramming stories that accompanied this news flash, my wife and I put in a couple of weeks in a place called Palliser Provincial Park near Riverhurst. Very close by is the east landing for the ferry. We trolled around in a little 12 footer and 7.5 kicker and were hugely successful when the weather cooperated. We watched pelicans swallowing 5 lb fish within 50m of the boat! One evening, when we were at the fish cleaning station in the park we came across a local angler who filled us in on all the details. He pointed out, among other things, the difference in flesh color between the native population of trout with the escaped tripoloids. The farmed fish were very much pinker than the flesh of the natural population of spawning fish, owing to the fact that the
European market prefers the redder meat so the food is apparently dyed to make this happen. This lead me to believe that of the four fish we were there to gut, three were noticably less red than the other and therefore, by the local anglers' theory, native. This would indicate that, despite what some people might believe, not all rainbows in the pond are Farmer Jones types. Since then, I have manged to boat my fair share of large rainbows that meet or exceed the 20" standard as proposed by BigToad et al, and my wife has at least four 25" 5.5 lb 'bows to brag about.

My new favorite is Constance Lake (2.5 hrs north) where it's splake and rainbows. Darn fine eating at any shore lunch. No boat launch and tricky to find. Happy fishing, and get out there after ice-off and get your topwater game going. Thatsa bigga fish!!
Free (to dig my boat out of the snowdrift)

[Winch101]

I agree with Big bore ....too cold , too much snow ,,

too much arthritis .....and if we have another **** poor spring ...

I will be selling all the summer season stuff as well....:angry3:

On the brighter side ....I had the Board too keep me warm...:).

[ericlin0122]

Happily announce fly fishing season is gonna start this weekend!!

[mooseknuckle]

For as much fun as I've had ice fishing this season I'm really getting twitchy waiting for the open water.

That being said I'm looking forward to a couple more outings on the ice with some friends and the race with Terry to the 25lber! :fighting0074:

Thems fightin words!!

[Kim473]

The best part of the season is here guys and gals. The large perch start to bite, the burbs, large pike. We got 6 to 8 weeks left. I cant wait till june tho and walleye at Calling lake.

Sorry I lost my head for a minute. Season closes the end of the month at most lakes. Only two more weekends.

[Geezle]

Sorry I lost my head for a minute. Season closes the end of the month at most lakes. Only two more weekends.

I was wondering what that was about :lol:

Of course as long as the ice is good a person could probably squeeze in a couple extra trips to the stocked trout ponds that don't have seasonal closures.

[SNAPFisher]

For as much fun as I've had ice fishing this season I'm really getting twitchy waiting for the open water.


I'm afraid the date for open water this year will be July 15th.

[pikester]

Sorry I lost my head for a minute. Season closes the end of the month at most lakes. Only two more weekends.

Still, a couple weeks is more than we get on most lakes down south! Season over on the majority of lakes down this way on Mar.15th :(

[chubbdarter]

EPIC sunday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WALLEYES
Only bad thing ling got in the way....SNAKES
Eyes bit well into the dark and hammered like it was their last meal

[chubbdarter]

for anyone lucky enough to be able to fish the last 2 days.

Travers eyes are in full pre-spawn and the stable weather has made them frisky. AM is best. Big eyes!!!! Red glow chubbydarter. Water is discolored from melt water. Fish the 16 foot flats adjacent to the channel. Please let the mommas go take the legal males as they are grouped together now and there is lots of them.
CVR walleyes are staged near the rock piles in 16 fow. I warn you though the ling are stupid stacked in with the eyes in 10 fow. Let your minnow touch bottom and it a snake fest. Best combo for eyes was a glow mooselock and a 6 inch tag. Evening was best. Best fishing ive seen in a few years. Average eyes were 4.5 lbs. Get after boys!!!!!!....lots of small pike too, fish have spring fever.

[coorslight]

im gonna keep going to lakes that are open all year whens the ice get to bad to ddrive

[chubbdarter]

p.s.....can someone explain why the ling in cvr have such a yellow color to them? Sadly ive caught ling there before and they were a blackish green color. Is it due to the ice thickness and snow cover?

[nicemustang]

p.s.....can someone explain why the ling in cvr have such a yellow color to them? Sadly ive caught ling there before and they were a blackish green color. Is it due to the ice thickness and snow cover?

They change colors just prior to and a bit after spawn. They will return in to normal color.

[chubbdarter]

fishing was so good forgot to take many pics and light was low
http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt154/azzrocket2/001-26.jpg
most fish were like footballs
http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt154/azzrocket2/002-24.jpg

i'll take more and better pics tomorrow

[Bound2Fish]

Everyone ready for the last week-end on some of our favorite lakes?
Good luck everyone...cross their eyes!!!!
Gonna fish every day till she closes

Chub, have you fished every day like you said you were going to?

[chubbdarter]

Chub, have you fished every day like you said you were going to?

fished from 5:30am to 8pm saturday
fished from 3am to 9pm sunday
too pooped today to go
Will hit it again tomorrow

[iliketrout]

Nice pics. Congrats on the great closing to your season.

[FishBrain]

nice fish!!!
Would love to get a few eyes for the pan.

[chubbdarter]

nice fish!!!
Would love to get a few eyes for the pan.

yup its always easier to let the big mammas go when you get some eaters. Combined it was a over 30 eye week-end with some nice big fish......I wish we had 1 more week.....very sad

Dace did well too at another lake, I supect all the eyes in southern Ab were on the feed this weekend

[rielbowhunter]

Thanks Chub now I am thinking of skipping work tomorrow.:thinking-006:
Congrats look like you had a great time, I could use a day like that.
if I do will I see you a traverse early?

[chubbdarter]

Thanks Chub now I am thinking of skipping work tomorrow.:thinking-006:
Congrats look like you had a great time, I could use a day like that.
if I do will I see you a traverse early?

either there or cvr

[Fishtracker]

Great info! Thought today was the last day down South. Might need to hit it in the am!:) Chubb, you figure using something that glows is the way to get into the eyes at Travers?

[chubbdarter]

Great info! Thought today was the last day down South. Might need to hit it in the am!:) Chubb, you figure using something that glows is the way to get into the eyes at Travers?

im not a huge fan of extreme glow for big eyes. I rarely tazer to glow, instead i use a l.e.d. flashlight to flash hooks up. The mooselook flash spoon thats been working for me at travers and cvr is a subtle green hue and i covered half the spoon with a orange lure tape. I tryed a full glow and not 1 fish would lite me red on the lx5. Did the change and they came right in. The only chubbydarter that worked has a red glow belly , but subtle.

[Fishtracker]

Thanks! Now just need a GPS location and should be all set! lol...
Seriously though, the information you have shared on this lake is amazing and very much appreciated!

[chubbdarter]

Thanks! Now just need a GPS location and should be all set! lol...
Seriously though, the information you have shared on this lake is amazing and very much appreciated!

gave it away to 2 guys already....its a big spot if you guys play nice..lol. i'll pm you the spot

[chubbdarter]

headed to cvr in the am.....then probably headed to newell to practice the no bait thing.....good luck guys

[rielbowhunter]

good luck to you I am headed to trav, in the am then back to work at noon, lol

[Alberta Bigbore]

fishing was so good forgot to take many pics and light was low
http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt154/azzrocket2/001-26.jpg
most fish were like footballs
http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt154/azzrocket2/002-24.jpg

i'll take more and better pics tomorrow

Atta boy, nice fish Terry!!!

[chubbdarter]

Atta boy, nice fish Terry!!!

thanks Mike they finally really started to see things my way...lol was a 30+ eye weekend...kinda lost count but thats a good thing.

NEXT year im getting you out...even if your kicking and screaming ..lol

[chubbdarter]

good luck to you I am headed to trav, in the am then back to work at noon, lol

Bill i will get newell figured out and then we can extend our season

[Fishtracker]

Chubb your the man!!!
Thanks!

[chubbdarter]

Bill where do you live? i can leave a tub of walleye master jumbos outside my house for you to pick up...share with th guys headed there. im confident they make a diffrence

[Alberta Bigbore]

thanks Mike they finally really started to see things my way...lol was a 30+ eye weekend...kinda lost count but thats a good thing.

NEXT year im getting you out...even if your kicking and screaming ..lol

LOL!!! Hey now... i decided to not icefish this year by choice. :snapoutofit:


But i know what you mean... i want to try those reservoirs you talk about. This year has been a year for me to enjoy shooting and collecting firearms in my spare time. But The girlfriend has been asking to try icefishing... so I guess i will have to dust off the gear and electronics and hit it hard next year... and by that i mean the Ice fishing.. get your mind out of the gutter !!! haha:sHa_sarcasticlol:

[chubbdarter]

the Valley was EPIC!!!!!....lots of eyes, a few pike and only 1 snake...27 fish total....weather was gorgeous, food awesome.
Geese on the ice were only bad thing.
Message from Dace was good news from the Mac
I'll post what little pics i took tomorrow

[Daceminnow]

since Chubb already used EPIC i will have to use really, really GOOD. solo mission again. last guy on the north end of Mac for the hardwater season and it paid off. over a dozen and only one northern. 7:30-9:00 was non-stop. try to post a couple pics this evening if i can figure it out. sad its done for another season. look out trout we're coming.

[nicemustang]

If you want to learn to post pics, I made an idiot guide. Even you can do it Derrick!

http://www.outdoorsmenforum.ca/showthread.php?t=82419

[New Hunter Okotoks]

I did a solo mission to Travers the night before. Started fishing at 11:00 PM and fished straight through until 10:00 AM. Not one bite. I'll get 'em next year.

Moved at 9:00 and went to the coal banks. There was about 50 feet of open water in front and lots of water coming down the chute.

[crazyfish]

good looking fish there CHUB ! Still a few weeks up north, i'll be out saturday with my girls and see if the fat slabs are bitting again. Been out a few times and done ok. Good luck to all the northern anglers !

[chubbdarter]

since Chubb already used EPIC i will have to use really, really GOOD. solo mission again. last guy on the north end of Mac for the hardwater season and it paid off. over a dozen and only one northern. 7:30-9:00 was non-stop. try to post a couple pics this evening if i can figure it out. sad its done for another season. look out trout we're coming.


Pic from Dace on B-Berry......congrats dace on a awesome couple of last trips


http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt154/azzrocket2/GetAttachment-35-1.jpg

[chubbdarter]

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt154/azzrocket2/005-17.jpg
hahaaahaaha longer pliers next year
http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt154/azzrocket2/007-12.jpg
http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt154/azzrocket2/006-13.jpg
http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt154/azzrocket2/008-10.jpg
http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt154/azzrocket2/005-17.jpg
http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt154/azzrocket2/003-22.jpg
http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt154/azzrocket2/002-25.jpg
http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt154/azzrocket2/009-12.jpg

[chubbdarter]

my photobucket is so slow..post more later

[iliketrout]

Nice picks Chubb! What a season you had!

[nicemustang]

Haha...its just not me that don't like to touch those ugly burbs. Nice pics though. Hankering to get out again.

[New Hunter Okotoks]

Haha...its just not me that don't like to touch those ugly burbs. Nice pics though. Hankering to get out again.

We used to catch so many ling and never actually "touched" any of them.
The routine: Fish comes up with little fight and line "circles" the hole. Yell out " Don't worry,it's another GD ling" Identify at bottom of hole and leave plenty of slack line hoping for "long-line release" which NEVER happened. Pull out of hole and cut line no closer than 6 inches from mouth. Kick off to side and wait for old Finlander to come and pick them all up from the fisherman. Even 8 hours later they were still alive if temp. was near freezing. That old Finn could have made a fairly decent side income selling "previously enjoyed" treble hooks.

[Daceminnow]

Pic from Dace on B-Berry......congrats dace on a awesome couple of last trips


http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt154/azzrocket2/GetAttachment-35-1.jpg


thanks Chubb. you guys got into some good ones. right on. sent you a couple more from last night if you have a minute to post. appreciated.

Dace

[rielbowhunter]

Bill where do you live? i can leave a tub of walleye master jumbos outside my house for you to pick up...share with th guys headed there. im confident they make a diffrence

Missed this post. Any ways we could have used something Different .sign0176:, All I got all day was one small pike landed and lost a couple. ready to sell the auger :angry3:. can't wait for spring to get back at them walleyes. lol.

[Fishfinder]

Chubs, u the man. Great pics n info, thanx for sharing! Awesome!

I've enjoyed my first "real effort" ice season and caught some perty fish, nothing too large to report home to about but it's been a blast:)

That being said, I can't wait to be cursing the sun/burn and mosquitos and all the other fun stuff that comes with spring/summer. It's Sturg season soon for this boy, once the Ol SSR opens up again and the snakes are sneaking out and rivers are overflowing, weeds a snagging me hooks, WOOWOO, bring on the Spring I say:sHa_shakeshout:

I bought a new truck today too, can't wait to take her out.

Wayne....I'll show u mine if u show me yours(:

Cheers n GL all!:)

[chubbdarter]

Chubs, u the man. Great pics n info, thanx for sharing! Awesome!

I've enjoyed my first "real effort" ice season and caught some perty fish, nothing too large to report home to about but it's been a blast:)

That being said, I can't wait to be cursing the sun/burn and mosquitos and all the other fun stuff that comes with spring/summer. It's Sturg season soon for this boy, once the Ol SSR opens up again and the snakes are sneaking out and rivers are overflowing, weeds a snagging me hooks, WOOWOO, bring on the Spring I say:sHa_shakeshout:

I bought a new truck today too, can't wait to take her out.

Wayne....I'll show u mine if u show me yours(:

Cheers n GL all!:)

the really test is when a hot chick in her summer skimpeys walks by and you wonder when the ice will be safe enough to walk on....then your hooked..lol

p.s. funny story ...im so old on the last trip i forgot my tackle pack....fished with what was hooked up on the rod all day.

[alodar]

Seasons not over yet for me at least not till I manage a huge pike out of wab or the 30th which ever comes first I'm Sooooo close I can taste the satisfaction..... and slime

[Fishfinder]

the really test is when a hot chick in her summer skimpeys walks by and you wonder when the ice will be safe enough to walk on....then your hooked..lol

p.s. funny story ...im so old on the last trip i forgot my tackle pack....fished with what was hooked up on the rod all day.

Lol, good stuff. In the end I'll take the fish over the woman anyday (as I am a taken man), however, if she was a mermaid... I might vere. Only caught 3 merms in AB so far, the first two I let go, the third...well...I'll keep u posted. She hooked me.
As far as forgotten gear goes...feget about it. We've all been there:sign0161:!
Cheers:)

[Fishfinder]

Seasons not over yet for me at least not till I manage a huge pike out of wab or the 30th which ever comes first I'm Sooooo close I can taste the satisfaction..... and slime

Like Geez, persistence n time pays off. You will find her in due time my friend:)
Tight lines:)

[WayneChristie]

Chubs, u the man. Great pics n info, thanx for sharing! Awesome!

I've enjoyed my first "real effort" ice season and caught some perty fish, nothing too large to report home to about but it's been a blast:)

That being said, I can't wait to be cursing the sun/burn and mosquitos and all the other fun stuff that comes with spring/summer. It's Sturg season soon for this boy, once the Ol SSR opens up again and the snakes are sneaking out and rivers are overflowing, weeds a snagging me hooks, WOOWOO, bring on the Spring I say:sHa_shakeshout:

I bought a new truck today too, can't wait to take her out.

Wayne....I'll show u mine if u show me yours(:

Cheers n GL all!:)

Hitting the lake this weekend, let me know if you have a day off, I have a feeling the hogs are moving again.

[chubbdarter]

posting pics for Dace who finnished his season with some spiney backs...good work buddy
sorry i failed to enlarge the pics
http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt154/azzrocket2/ereeee.jpg
http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt154/azzrocket2/kksksk.jpg
http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt154/azzrocket2/mmee.jpg
http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt154/azzrocket2/owoow.jpg
http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt154/azzrocket2/GetAttachment-35-1.jpg

[npauls]

Nice fish Dace.

Glad to see you ended the season with some eyes. We went out on the last evening and didn't get anything.

[Daceminnow]

thanks again for posting the pics for me chubb. it was well worth spending the dying hours before close on the ice. have to say it was a tad bit erie coming across the lake well after dark without a soul left out there. the ice sure started to deteriorate since the week-end. was solid on Saturday and by Tuesday it was starting to honeycomb pretty good. nate you will have to make the trip up next year a couple times. NOH you should have met me, could of used another guy to help keep up with the fish!

[chubbdarter]

thanks again for posting the pics for me chubb. it was well worth spending the dying hours before close on the ice. have to say it was a tad bit erie coming across the lake well after dark without a soul left out there. the ice sure started to deteriorate since the week-end. was solid on Saturday and by Tuesday it was starting to honeycomb pretty good. nate you will have to make the trip up next year a couple times. NOH you should have met me, could of used another guy to help keep up with the fish!

yup i know the feeling...when we got on it was nice and hard on the surface....all day i prayed please dont let us get stuck on the way off as the water started to get deeper where we were fishing.
Its a long run to our rock pile and we were breaking thru the snow and splashing water the whole way back...I NO LIKEY.....trusty gps got us safe to shore....but driving by instruments isnt my thing

[New Hunter Okotoks]

thanks again for posting the pics for me chubb. it was well worth spending the dying hours before close on the ice. have to say it was a tad bit erie coming across the lake well after dark without a soul left out there. the ice sure started to deteriorate since the week-end. was solid on Saturday and by Tuesday it was starting to honeycomb pretty good. nate you will have to make the trip up next year a couple times. NOH you should have met me, could of used another guy to help keep up with the fish!

Yeah Dace I could have used more action than what I got at Travers! LOL! I ended up switching stuff around timewise for Tuesday and was able to leave Monday night. I fished from about 11:00 PM until about 10:00 AM without a single hit and fished it hard. It was a clear night and figured it might be good. I was wrong! LOL!

Really glad you and Chubb finished the season strong. Will get out and learn more next year about Walleye.(Pickerel!)

[chubbdarter]

Yeah Dace I could have used more action than what I got at Travers! LOL! I ended up switching stuff around timewise for Tuesday and was able to leave Monday night. I fished from about 11:00 PM until about 10:00 AM without a single hit and fished it hard. It was a clear night and figured it might be good. I was wrong! LOL!

Really glad you and Chubb finished the season strong. Will get out and learn more next year about Walleye.(Pickerel!)


You'll be fine next year no more blind fishing!!!!
That big moon actually hurt the fishing....our bite died not long after full sunset. Under normal darkness the fish will bite into the night