Walleye tag system is working on pigeon
I remember when the tag system was introduced on pigeon lake and the Bulk of the feed back was it's not enough and open it up to one or two fish per angler to thin the skinny / starving herds of walleye and allow more food for the ones left, also leave some room for the pike numbers to improve. I can say the walleye are looking great! Nothing like they did a few years ago! Sylvan should introduce the same system, hopfully gull lake too will be able to in a few years but that's a tough one.
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Good to here!
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Ok yes but how are the rest of the species doing in there? Pike or Perch make a comeback yet? Any trophy class Walleye or are they all still 2 to 3 lbs on average? Haven't seen any 8 or 9 pounders caught there in a number of years. 10 or 12 years ago they were fairly common and easy to catch one like that, not now. The Walleye may look nice and healthy again, debatable if the lake as whole is or not I think.
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Average is around 4 lbs. I caught one just over 5lbs. This was about 3 weeks ago over 2 days/5 hours of fishing.
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Walleye are improving, but the other species are getting hammered. The tag system works for that species but throws off the balance for the rest of the lake.
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All species of fish should have tags,say a yearly limit of 3x daily so as an example take 9 pike out of any lake and you are done killing pike for the year. Stocked trout tags should cost 1$ a piece to help recoup costs.
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A guy definitely can't complain too much about Pigeon these days. There is stupid good walleye fishing and some decent size. The pike and perch fishing is crap but I don't think that it really matters that much. Leave Pigeon a walleye lake instead of trying to change it and wreck it like they did to Wabamun which had 0 upside to the addition of walleye... |
Not a terrible idea to go all tags, although I do hate having to lug around tags and remember to tag the fish. Big ticket if you forget. I'd like it if they made the acquisition of tags easier and also the process itself (tags should have needles, just spear it through the fish's tail or fin; much easier to deal with when the bite is hot or you're on a canoe/kayak).
Still. I'd be OK with that system. Regarding stocked trout: not sure $1 a trout would really make sense in terms of the hassle (but it would definitely reduce fishing pressure because of it). Might as well just up license fees. I'd like to simply see take limits on trout decreased to 2 or 3. Nobody needs 5. And I feel like this just encourages people to take any fish they catch, not just the decent eating size trout. At the end of the day I'd like to see more education given by the province on angling and I think a license should require taking a course. A course could outline best angling practices and considerations around size when taking fish for eating (i.e., leave the 30 lb laker; it won't taste good and is better suited to breeding; if you want a trophy, then take pictures and measurements and go to a taxidermist for a replica, but put the fish back). I'm sure a good deal of the damage to our fisheries is caused by individual ignorance. There will always be damage due to disrespectful idiots, and this is why we have enforcement, but if the problem of ignorance can be partially solved with a few program and policy tweaks I don't see any reason not to do that. |
I don't see how they could make an all tag system financially feasible and also how they could possibly enforce it.
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I don’t think it would be any less enforceable than the walleye tags.
But there are a couple of ways around it. When I go hunt game birds in Saskatchewan I get a full set of tags and a log sheet, my license is linked to the numbered tag set/log sheet. shoot a bird tag it and mark the log sheet A smart phone app a picture of the tagged fish and it’s logged, the upside is the tech can be leveraged for big game reporting as well. Should also be usable as my fishing license. Or just embed the cost of printing the tags in the license |
I thought pike in pigeon is 0 limit now? No pressure there. It will take awhile yet before the balance is found and each lake will have special circumstances to achieve balance. Patience. Some friends got back from pigeon 2 weeks ago and each hooked up with some pike.
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I also caught a 5.5 lb walleye last year. Let's see how that goes over the next few years...hoping for a 7.5 lber or better :) |
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less fish? More money?
So am I hearing right that the consensus here is we all should be allowed less fish and pay more to have less? Even on the stocked trout which are specifically stocked as a put and take fishery for the purpose of increasing angling opportunities and reducing pressure on native species? Sounds like to me we're giving into preservationist ideology. This is no longer conservation for the future opprotunity its quickly going to be don't ever interact with nature period. Some senior bios tell me that the thinking in Europe is already that sport fishing is flat out wrong on the basis of cruelty to the fish.
I don't think there is any value in one angler trying to tell another angler what he should catch or keep. Provided we're all within the law who cares if I keep 5 and someone else keeps zero. My needs and your needs are two totally different things. This isn't about personal need this is about what does the fishery support. Frankly that is a bios job. And if we don't use a little more flexibility with one another then we too will go the way of Europe. |
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However, focusing Pigeon on the best walleye fishery it can be and say Wabamum as the best pike fishery, in the area that is. And, quit trying to compete them as both fish...makes me go "hmmmmmm" P.S. One change, make Pigeon a trophy walleye and white destination. The whites are already the best I've had - hands down. I would hate to lose that :) |
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Comercial fishing removed a lot more fish then they were allowed and helped the lake immensely. ..this and many lakes are over still way over populated. |
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I would say the real average is half that. I caught a couple hundred while there just before Canada day. Best was 3.5 but I stayed at the PP. I did get a couple big pike, one was 28" and 4.5 lbs. haven't seen any that size there for awhile. I think pigeons walleye numbers are due to the lake itself. Now that commercial fishing is done I don't see angling as a major influence on the diversity of the lake. Yet the impact of other influences such as commercial and native fishing may impact the populations forever. My uncle told me a story about how natives used to drive down farm roads with their trunks full of whites for sale. One time in the spring and full of roe. That's sad. I think walleye are simply the most resilient to the past effects and best and quickest to flourish and recover. I'm not a biologist with all the data to educated myself with but I don't believe the walleye numbers are majorly effecting whites, pike and others yet perhaps perch more so. I think the angling is actually helping walleye. 99% of them get released and eat minnows all day. I caught the same fish almost a dozen times one day while there this year. Their very easy to catch which probably skews ones perception that the lake is just boiling with walleye alone. I'm not saying there's not lots, or their not the dominate species, but not the the extent you get the impression from by just fishing. I'm happy to see how healthy the walleye are doing and I don't think we should be playing god too much. I think pigeon could go sideways easy and we could be reminiscing about the days pigeon had fish. There's so many dead or near dead lakes in AB that used to be great. The best thing we can do is let Mother Nature do her work, IMO. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk |
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The issues with the other species at Pigeon are related (directly or indirectly) to land development in and around the watershed whether it be farms or recreational properties. It is not because of the Walleye. All of the species co-existed in the lake long before us anglers or commercial fisherman screwed it up. The tag system is a innovative way to manage the fishery while still allowing for some harvest. Although some people hate it, I'm a big C&R guy so I'm for anything that helps me catch larger fish more regularly so tag system gets my support. |
I bet there is actually quite a few pike in Pigeon. Who actually goes out there and even targets them? I think most people catch a few as by catch fishing for walleye but that is far from the ideal techniques for targeting pike.
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Dont worry you guys will get your wish the hole province will go that way cause them wallwyes are worth big money and the ndp goverenment needs your money
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You do realize wab had walleye before ? They are only reintroducing a species that was in the lake up until the mid 90's... |
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Dinosaurs once roamed the earth, do we need to bring them back too? |
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