High quality pike fishery

[terriblebear]

How would everyone on this forum think about the province turning one of the water bodies in southern Alberta into a special high quality pike fishery. Maybe one of the southern reservoirs like Badger or rattlesnake could be taken off line of commercial fishing and managed for trophy pike. I've read on this forum that commercial fishing helps these water bodies keep the whitefish populations in check but by enhancing or improving pike spawning areas I think the pike could manage that. The Alberta pike record is 38lbs but was only 45.5 inches long. How heavy would a 55 inch fish be if aloud to get that big. I think some of those southern res's could produce those monsterous european sized pike. It might not be a numbers fishery but you don't get huge heavily built fish in high density fisheries, just look at those pike fisheries in Idaho. The ingredients are already there to grow massive 35lb plus pike,abundant forage and good fertile water conditions.

[WayneChristie]

sounds like a good idea, but there are already a lot of big pike out there, they are just too smart to get caught for the most part. the resources people are too busy catering to the trout crowd anyways

[steelhead]

Stupid SRD.


Change the regs so that all the big fish are released and not kept.

Problem solved.

Every lake will be a trophy lake.


It works for every other province, but Alberta has convinced us that it wont work here.


They havent realized they cant manage pike and walleyes like they do trout.


Stupid.




STEELHEAD

[fishnab]

Teriblebear:
It would be nice but you have a lake like Badger or Keho that seldom sees a F&W officer, if ever?!
Regardless of the regs, you would still have the (occasional) fishermen who comes out there with a dingy with a trolling motor and takes home to eat 2 pike 20lbs and a 16lb. Fortunate to catch those fish, absolutely.
We fish and camp there quite a bit with guests and always promote to release the big fish. There is not enough respect for the law, the the regs or others @ dry camping places like these lakes.
Don't believe me? Camp there during a fire ban and see what happens! Bon fires! Anyone who has ever camped or fished there knows there is long grass, brush, farm land and bird nesting etc. Called the RCMP once, got a voice message on my cell the following day the officer couldn't find the lake?! F&W couldn't be reached. You're in an akward possition when 4 campers have fires and you don't. Pretty obvious who called it in.
The whole thing is disturbing.

Guess I took this off topic but it's related.

[HunterDave]

Change the regs so that all the big fish are released and not kept. Problem solved. Every lake will be a trophy lake. It works for every other province, but Alberta has convinced us that it wont work here. They havent realized they cant manage pike and walleyes like they do trout.

It seems simple enough a solution doesn't it? I suggested the same idea on the infamous "Quality Trout" thread and I was told that it'd never work because ALL of the trout would be caught before reaching the no keep size. Back in Ontario the size was not regulated where I fished however anglers understood to keep the eating sized fish and let the large spawning fish go. Why is keeping a smaller "eating" sized fish to eat and releasing the larger "spawning" sized fish such a hard concept to grasp????? :confused:

[ADIDAFish]

It seems simple enough a solution doesn't it? I suggested the same idea on the infamous "Quality Trout" thread and I was told that it'd never work because ALL of the trout would be caught before reaching the no keep size. Back in Ontario the size was not regulated where I fished however anglers understood to keep the eating sized fish and let the large spawning fish go. Why is keeping a smaller "eating" sized fish to eat and releasing the larger "spawning" sized fish such a hard concept to grasp????? :confused:

I agree with releasing the big spawners in lakes where the fish are reproducing and I think the current regs are retarded for pike and walleye and in some cases trout. In the bow they keep the spawners. I promote the "Quality" regs for bodies of water where there is limited to no reproduction, but I know where you stand on that topic...

[cujo1969]

There is no commercial fishing on badger.

[terriblebear]

With no commercial pike fishery on Badger that seems to make that res a good choice for a start as it kicked out the current record. The commercial whitefish fishery does effect the forage base for big pike and the incidental catch of pike would hurt the trophy potential. Non-compliance of rules would seem to be the biggest issue. Many southern reservoirs do seem to have a history of big pike but once fishing pressure takes its toll you don't see those 35lbers anymore. You need a lot of fish that size for one to reach 50 plus. I think the environmental conditions are there. These bodies of water are much more able to grow big pike fast compared to sheild lakes of the north. The isolation of these northern lakes is what helped Max lake in Manitoba produce a 59 inch fish in 1992 and Apisko lake also in Manitoba kick out a 60.5 incher 6 or 7 years ago. Alberta reservoirs have the right conditions to produce pike quicker and thicker than the vast majority of sheild lakes. Might take 9 or 10 years to show maximum results but it would happen.

[chubbdarter]

With no commercial pike fishery on Badger that seems to make that res a good choice for a start as it kicked out the current record. The commercial whitefish fishery does effect the forage base for big pike and the incidental catch of pike would hurt the trophy potential. Non-compliance of rules would seem to be the biggest issue. Many southern reservoirs do seem to have a history of big pike but once fishing pressure takes its toll you don't see those 35lbers anymore. You need a lot of fish that size for one to reach 50 plus. I think the environmental conditions are there. These bodies of water are much more able to grow big pike fast compared to sheild lakes of the north. The isolation of these northern lakes is what helped Max lake in Manitoba produce a 59 inch fish in 1992 and Apisko lake also in Manitoba kick out a 60.5 incher 6 or 7 years ago. Alberta reservoirs have the right conditions to produce pike quicker and thicker than the vast majority of sheild lakes. Might take 9 or 10 years to show maximum results but it would happen.

did the AB pike record from Keho get broken at Badger?......just lately?

[Lefty-Canuck]

did the AB pike record from Keho get broken at Badger?......just lately?

I don't know....I think Keho still stands but I could be wrong. IMHO Badger has gone downhill the past few years and was much better 5-10 years ago than it is today....

LC

[Lefty-Canuck]

Personally I think there is quite a few "high quality" pike fisheries. This isn't to say you can land a 20plus pounder everytime you go but.....there is the chance of doing that in many different places. Depending on the time of year and such and the gear you use there is a good chance to hammer a big one in many places. The problem is not alot of people target pike and many do not use the proper gear for them......so they get off or break off before they are landed. I have no doubt in my mind that there are 40 plus pound fish out there in many different Alberta water bodies.

The Keho record fish was caught through the ice I think? The pike tend to "fatten up" over the winter (metabolic rate slows down)....hence the skewed measurements on this fish (short length compared to weight ratio).

You start advertising a "trophy pike" fishery in Alberta and have that fishery be NON C&R.....it will not be a trophy fishery for long......some of the best pike fishing is out there right now....

LC

[Logan]

I don't know....I think Keho still stands but I could be wrong. IMHO Badger has gone downhill the past few years and was much better 5-10 years ago than it is today....

LC

I myself blame this entirely on the impact from the Ice fishing derby. When 400-500 people fish a lake hard and people decide to take a multitude of fish in the 15-28lbs range it's gonna take a toll.

[chubbdarter]

Personally I think there is quite a few "high quality" pike fisheries. This isn't to say you can land a 20plus pounder everytime you go but.....there is the chance of doing that in many different places. Depending on the time of year and such and the gear you use there is a good chance to hammer a big one in many places. The problem is not alot of people target pike and many do not use the proper gear for them......so they get off or break off before they are landed. I have no doubt in my mind that there are 40 plus pound fish out there in many different Alberta water bodies.

The Keho record fish was caught through the ice I think? The pike tend to "fatten up" over the winter (metabolic rate slows down)....hence the skewed measurements on this fish (short length compared to weight ratio).

You start advertising a "trophy pike" fishery in Alberta and have that fishery be NON C&R.....it will not be a trophy fishery for long......some of the best pike fishing is out there right now....

LC

That Pike was caught in the spring, back before the spring closure regulations. Just off the east shore north of where the first dyke starts on your way from the highway to the boat launch

[Lefty-Canuck]

I myself blame this entirely on the impact from the Ice fishing derby. When 400-500 people fish a lake hard and people decide to take a multitude of fish in the 15-28lbs range it's gonna take a toll.

I have heard this as well and I would tend to agree...sadly we as fishermen can't rely on SRD to manage the resources....so we have to make smart choices as sportsmen.

LC

[pickrel pat]

to grow large fish fast, the southern resevoirs have sheild lakes beat by a mile. the southern resevoirs are far more fertile, which is the key.

[thorne]

I realise you are refering to the southern sector, but as an example look a Wabamun. Shut down to catch and release only back in 2005 (?) anyway
10+ pike are common (me or someone Im with usually gets at least 1 every time we head out) 15+ every 3rd trip or so, and 20+ are popping up every now and then. I personally would love to keep it a catch and release only as every year the fishing gets better and better...only 5 years ago there was a chance at someting over 10 and 20+ were 1 or 2 a year...amazing the difference only a few years has made! As for other species I dropped my camer down last march and within 1 hour saw perch, white fish, burbot, and pike. Not secret spot just a regular location on the lake well know to almost everyone (West of Falis) and it was like an aquarium down there...was so cool just to sit and watch everything going by. Visability was at least 12 feet...even watched my daughters rod drag along the bottom...another story...she`s learning...:)

[chubbdarter]

One of the biggest factors Ive seen in Fish quality is Fisherman Quality
Todays anglers not only are in greater numbers but are far better informed and equipped.
My first Aqua View cost almost 800 bucks....now you can buy a fish cam for 100 bucks. This tool alone has taught more fisherman about fish and their enviroment than any single piece of equipment i know of. Unlike a fish finder or flasher there is no thought process to interperate what you see. Serious fisherman use it especially in the winter and save the data for open water fishing. The tools of the trade have improved every fisherman's ability...when i was a kid a frog was a frog.....today a frog comes from Live Target
This trend will only continue and pose a even greater problem in the future.
Catch and Release does have its benifits but as we have seen without proper management its failing miserably. Pigeon is the poster child for shrinking fish. CVR fish are no where near the big shouldered fish of 3 years ago.

[huntsfurfish]

One of the biggest factors Ive seen in Fish quality is Fisherman Quality
Todays anglers not only are in greater numbers but are far better informed and equipped.
My first Aqua View cost almost 800 bucks....now you can buy a fish cam for 100 bucks. This tool alone has taught more fisherman about fish and their enviroment than any single piece of equipment i know of. Unlike a fish finder or flasher there is no thought process to interperate what you see. Serious fisherman use it especially in the winter and save the data for open water fishing. The tools of the trade have improved every fisherman's ability...when i was a kid a frog was a frog.....today a frog comes from Live Target
This trend will only continue and pose a even greater problem in the future.
Catch and Release does have its benifits but as we have seen without proper management its failing miserably. Pigeon is the poster child for shrinking fish. CVR fish are no where near the big shouldered fish of 3 years ago.

I agree CD! And limited harvests are in order on some waters. Guess that is where the tag system has some merrit.

[terriblebear]

If you do some research on it you will find that you can manage a lake well for trophy pike. Most of those giant British pike are from reservoirs that are stocked heavily with trout. In the bad old days the pike were netted out to "save" the trout. The thinking is now more enlightened. They have found the best thing to do to suppress the pike population is to let the big pike do it for you. Yes they will eat some trout but they will eat more small pike.Most of these bodies of water are under 500 acres. Nature abhorrs a vacuum and what these lakes lack in numbers of pike is made up for in many of the remaining pike growing very big. Good trout fishing with good trophy pike fishing,what a concept.

[WayneChristie]

If you do some research on it you will find that you can manage a lake well for trophy pike. Most of those giant British pike are from reservoirs that are stocked heavily with trout. In the bad old days the pike were netted out to "save" the trout. The thinking is now more enlightened. They have found the best thing to do to suppress the pike population is to let the big pike do it for you. Yes they will eat some trout but they will eat more small pike.Most of these bodies of water are under 500 acres. Nature abhorrs a vacuum and what these lakes lack in numbers of pike is made up for in many of the remaining pike growing very big. Good trout fishing with good trophy pike fishing,what a concept.

great idea, lets toss a handfull of pike in each stocked trout pond, make it worth fishing! :sHa_shakeshout:

[pikester]

With no commercial pike fishery on Badger that seems to make that res a good choice for a start as it kicked out the current record. The commercial whitefish fishery does effect the forage base for big pike and the incidental catch of pike would hurt the trophy potential. Non-compliance of rules would seem to be the biggest issue. Many southern reservoirs do seem to have a history of big pike but once fishing pressure takes its toll you don't see those 35lbers anymore. You need a lot of fish that size for one to reach 50 plus. I think the environmental conditions are there. These bodies of water are much more able to grow big pike fast compared to sheild lakes of the north. The isolation of these northern lakes is what helped Max lake in Manitoba produce a 59 inch fish in 1992 and Apisko lake also in Manitoba kick out a 60.5 incher 6 or 7 years ago. Alberta reservoirs have the right conditions to produce pike quicker and thicker than the vast majority of sheild lakes. Might take 9 or 10 years to show maximum results but it would happen.

did the AB pike record from Keho get broken at Badger?......just lately?

Couldn't have said better myself... so I didn't!

[terriblebear]

Any truth to stories that bonofide 40 lbers have been netted out of several southern reservoirs over the years. I've actually talked to a few people who netted over the years a they said that quite a few 40's have been taken and some mounts have been made.

[WayneChristie]

Any truth to stories that bonofide 40 lbers have been netted out of several southern reservoirs over the years. I've actually talked to a few people who netted over the years a they said that quite a few 40's have been taken and some mounts have been made.

F and W netted a 55 pounder 3 or 4 years ago and returned her to the lake. she may be gone but her genes are still out there

[terriblebear]

Just out of curiousity does the North or South Sask river have any history of giant pike. It would seem most serious pike anglers would pass over these rivers in favour of lakes or reservoirs. Might be some big surprises in some river system in the province. Also, it would seem the peace and athabasca river is at best only locally fished near easy access points. I would imagine pike are not the main target species in any of the above mentioned rivers.

[slough shark]

There would be large pike in all the above rivers however being in a river is working against them for producing the huge pike. They have to work constantly against the current which they are not designed especially good for, they are built more for the short burst rather than fighting the constant push of the current. The rivers can produce old fish that will be large however they will be skinnier that their lake cousins. As well as previously mentioned the northern lakes have a shorter growing season so the southern lakes will naturally produce larger fish.This is of course assuming that they make it long enough as the southern lakes have more pressure which is the biggest weakness there. The other ingredient needed is the lake must have whitefish as the pike grow biggest when the have a good fatty midsized food source (1-2 pound fish) in abundance. This is likely why at least in my mind why often times the biggest fish don't get caught by sportsmen fishermen rather they are caught by net fairly frequently. Most fishermen use lures and spoons that are maybe as long as 6 inches long rather than their typical meal which is likely 12-16 inches long. If fish and wildlife wanted to make a few lakes produce the BEASTS that we all dream of I would think that a slot limit for keeping of say 26-34 inches that way the fish get a chance to grow up and when they hit a certain size they have a free pass for the rest of their life and they are also in their prime breeding years, just my 2 cents on that.

[Dale S]

There are only a couple of res. that would be big enough to support a lot of trophy fish. Most of them are to small. And if you have ever dealt with an irragation district they would be hard to get on board.At any given year they have to drain a lake for repairs to dams and ditches.All the res. down south belong to irr. districts.

[terriblebear]

Actually you don't need big water to produce big pike. Forage and a cold water refuge along with time to grow will do it. So a whitefish forage base, if the water can support whitefish its cold enough for pike, and protection in the form of enforcable regs should provide the time to grow. Most of those big British pike come from waters under 500 acres,a lot under. Of course "proper" catch and release is a big part of the recipe.

[chubbdarter]

I agree with Dago....the majority of our southern waters that consistantly produce huge pike are large impoundments. Water temp fluctuations are less in larger bodies of water, which helps stop summer kills. Winter kills are far less on big southern impoundments also.

[HunterDave]

Personally I think there is quite a few "high quality" pike fisheries. This isn't to say you can land a 20plus pounder everytime you go but.....there is the chance of doing that in many different places. Depending on the time of year and such and the gear you use there is a good chance to hammer a big one in many places. The problem is not alot of people target pike and many do not use the proper gear for them......so they get off or break off before they are landed. I have no doubt in my mind that there are 40 plus pound fish out there in many different Alberta water bodies.

I couldn't agree more! Excluding the lakes that already have special restrictions for pike, I know for a fact that there are regular +63cm lakes that have +20 lb pike in them. One such lake in the Edmonton area is Lac Lanonne. Everyone goes there to catch walleye but there are some monster pike caught there every year by the people that fish for them. I happen to know a older fella that lives out there and he only fishes for pike. He does REALLY well!

[Speckle55]

:sign0087:Food for thought my(Hinton) Pike 1985 Mar 1 was 32.5 and was 25 years old .. the lake was Fickle lake.. Harold Miller(Edson) talk to me the next year 1986 and in 1987 he took Alberta and should of took 1988 but his club forgot to send in and he took 1989 .. 29 lbs 28 lbs and 31 lbs.. in 2006 Gerald Tkachuk(Hinton) caught a 33.2 from Fickle which is the North American WR for ice fishing beating mine by 13 oz.. some lake have potencial for big pike

[cube]

I would LOVE to see some accesable lakes managed for the production of trophy pike. I for one think that far too little is done in the way of management for pike in this province.

[BGSH]

your better off catching a monster pike in northern b.c or saskatchewan

[Dust1n]

your better off catching a monster pike in northern b.c or saskatchewan

Alberta has some awsome big pike destinations. Its just not many people mention them on here or are not willing to drive the distance.
We call it Lake X. PS one was mentioned about 2 days ago about launching...

[pickrel pat]

your better off catching a monster pike in northern b.c or saskatchewannorthern b.c?

[terriblebear]

Maxhamish and Gladys lake in BC both have 40LB potential. They are almost at the Yukon border and are very hard to get into.