Cold Lake
I am planning on fishing Cold Lake next week does anyone know how deep the lake trout are?
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I spent a week there over May long and caught them all between 70-120’. I didn’t spend much time looking in the shallow water but found lots where I was fishing.
Take some northern king spoons. They outfished everything else I tried. |
I don't buy the "absolute rule" they are deep in summer and shallow in spring on many lakes including cold lake. Mark fish and drop and drag your gear there. Might be 20' or it might be 90'
Ice off the lake - early season - many many years and we are down 60'-90' and catching fish best at that depth. Summer on a lake that size and the thermocline isn't that deep, and I've caught tons of lakers in August down only 25' or 30' (longer set back). I've also caught them casting a spoon into "the soup" and jerking it on the surface in low light as they drive bait to the surface in the middle of summer. I've also nailed on a fish down 120' off the rigger and then one on the planner board on a deep diving rapala (maybe down 20') like 4 minutes apart. Lakers go where there is food. Mark them and fish where you see the fish. |
If you have electronics as in fish liar use it, hunt for the bait balls with hits just off of them, get the depth and go get them, they are lake trout and are very easy to catch using various techniques but sitting in the middle of now where with not an indication on the fish liar gadget is like winking at a beautiful woman in a dark room, you know what your doing but no one else does....good luck eh!
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I most often catch them in 50-120 fow and some suspended over deeper water.. The depth will depend on the location, time of day, weather and likely a number of other effects.
As others have said move around until you see fish on your fish finder. Then target them at whatever depth they are at. Shallower fish are usually more active, you can't always find shallower fish though. |
Thx for the Info I tried fishing twice for Lake trout on the weekend they seemed to be at every level but none were biting. (Most people I talked to were having little luck) We did manage to fill our over 50cm tags from Wolf Lake. (beautiful big lake with few boats on the water)
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Moving around to find more active fish can be effective too. If I am marking fish but can't get them to bite or chase jigs etc then it often isn't worth wasting time trying to catch them. Just move and find some fish more interested in feeding. |
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Good to hear you were catching fish Big Thumper I wish I would have been where you were we fished Sunday from 8 to 10 am when we ran out of battery power for the trolling motor also trying depths where you had luck.
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Was out Sunday from 10-12, caught four lakers using a pink lady, willow leaf attached to it and then three feet behind that a 4" apex hot spot rainbow trout pattern. Approx 30 feet down, just farting around then went for pike after....was too hot out for my liking and the freeking big fly's were disgusting so packed it in but the trout were hitting:sHa_shakeshout:
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Horse fly's. As long as your skin isn't wet from the water or sweating you will be fine. If you skin happens to get wet and they take a bite, you'll know.
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Having the days where the water is like glass sure is nice ......Thanks for sharing. Group of us are heading up July Long . I hope the weather is the same. |
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Catching big fish is hit or miss, mostly just low to mid 20's(inches) and a few high 20's/low 30's. |
Right at the launch the sign says a 75cm trout is 18 plus years old. Only in Alberta would they encourage you to kill an ancient fish like that. Could have a slot for a month of retention in the summer and a month of retention in the winter. Keep one small one, 45-55cm along those lines.
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I think slot would be good but I'd set it larger then that. Say 65-75 cm. Wouldn't affect the population too much but would make it so there are more trophies swimming around and the fish people do keep would be better eating.
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I don't keep many fish myself, I kept 3 all last year, 1 laker, 1 walleye and 1 burbot but know there are guys going out there to catch to keep. |
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You would probably notice fewer fish in the 65-75 cm range but you would also catch more 20-30+ lbers which is a trade I would make any day of the week. I also wonder if the 65-75 cm sizes would actually get fished out though, I think it might be like Calling or Slave were the lake is productive enough to support retention. It sees decent pressure but really not that much considering the size of it and I would imagine most locals would rather find a walleye or pike to eat since the meat is far superior. One other thing to think about is the guys that go out to try and catch a keeper currently C&R probably 30-40 smaller fish on average before they catch a keeper and with noticeable C&R mortality. If those guys only had to go catch 5-10 fish to catch their one keeper they could end up killing fewer fish then what they currently do. |
They would go for a tag system before they go for just a slot size.
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These undersized ones are starting to get to that legal size but that's where the problem is, us as anglers have to regulate ourselves if this pale is to ever meet a true trophy lake. We got out and if we are concentrating on the lake trout, fish in and around the bait balls getting marks etc we can put 20 plus fish on in a few hours...in between sandwiches :) |
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They could do like they did on the Red River in Manitoba one trophy tag fish a year then have a slot size for eaters
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Would it be shocking and upsetting to most if we took one of the few lake trout lakes in Alberta and made it C&R? It is the only trout lake in AB with a large town on its shore and a huge provincial park. Imagine a lake two hours away from millions of people that had catchable 30lb fish.
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Lake has trophy potential but where are they ? A handful of 30’s a year for the pressure it gets makes me wonder, Manitoba is the other way , allowing fish under 65cm to be kept and no retention of larger fish. That has proven to work
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Going a little OT.
I have some flatfish blanks that I need to put some paint to, what are some go to colors. at this point I am thinking silver, gold, glow and firetiger. |
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