Would you support the intro of a bass fishery in Alberta?

[chubbdarter]

Originally Posted by npauls

Nah just get them from out of province like they have done with other species. A kiddy pool would be a pretty decent place to start though. You could easily control the water temp and add a small airation system and then bucket brigade them into the small ponds.

doing that for a put and take Bass fishery might be a tad pricey......i see the funding coming out of the Cold lake hatchery budget

[Sundancefisher]

Originally Posted by KegRiver

If you want the problems Australia has, go ahead move to Australia, don't try to bring those problems here. We have enough problem wildlife as it is.

When will people learn! You can never predict what a species will do in an environment it didn't come from?

We were told that Wild Hogs could never survive on their own here. Now we can SEE that that was quiet literally, HOGWASH.

I'm not going to run off a list of the worst offenders, rest assured, it is a long list. Think Killer Bees in the USA, Rabbits in Australia, Beaver in south America.

We might get lucky, maybe Bass can't survive here. And maybe, just maybe evolution no longer happens. We could possibly get away with it this time.

And next time, when someone wants to introduce their favourite species, it would be ten times harder to say no, and that one turns out to be a total disaster. Or maybe it's the one that comes after #2. Does it matter which one causes the collapse of the Walleye population or the Golden Trout population, or any other native species?

History can teach us if we will listen.

Rainbows and Browns have been planted around the world from Europe to New Zealand to South America and all over North America.

Bass have been planted throughout the US and Central America...peacock bass have also been moved around. Coho Salmon and Chinook salmon have been planted in South America...

From a biological perspective...it is not very good...from a sporting perspective they have been successes.

I am hoping for Taimen introduction into the North Saskatchewan...

[grinr]

Originally Posted by npauls

I don't see how bass winter killing is any different then all the little trout ponds that are winter killed or fished out every year and restocked. If they can restock rainbows a few times a season there is no reason that they can't do the same with bass. And if they are going to be killed then there shouldn't be any worries about them spreading around and hurting other "Native" species.

FYI,bass grow so slowly in cold Canadian waters with their extremely short growing season that a put-and-take fishery is out of the question unless you'd like to fish for 4 inch bass before they die next winter.Typically it takes a CDN smallmouth anywhere from 5-8 years just to reach a halfways respectable 3lbs.Canadian Shield bass that reach a whopping 5 lbs are often as much as 15 years old and more.

[Daceminnow]

Originally Posted by tacklerunner

With all this bass talk it's funny, strange, ironic how many people are willing to travel to BC to catch bass.

I must be the oddball because I lived in BC within an hour or two of many bass lakes for 24 years and have never been bass fishing. Now I travel to BC regulary to catch trout. What's wrong with me????????????

nothing. far as i can tell you've got your head screwed on just about right tackle.

[horsetrader]

Originally Posted by tacklerunner

With all this bass talk it's funny, strange, ironic how many people are willing to travel to BC to catch bass.

I must be the oddball because I lived in BC within an hour or two of many bass lakes for 24 years and have never been bass fishing. Now I travel to BC regulary to catch trout. What's wrong with me????????????

You should be ashamed of your self next you go help a poor bass out and bring him to alberta............


PS don't listen to daceminnow he's from the dark side.....

[iliketrout]

Originally Posted by horsetrader

90% of the species in alberta are NON-NATIVE the alberta...

Exactly...why further divide limited resources to introduce yet another?

[horsetrader]

Originally Posted by iliketrout

Exactly...why further divide limited resources to introduce yet another?

why not stop restocking one and try another?

[rielbowhunter]

yes! why not in a man made lake.
I have fished for them in duck lake BC , and i had a blast. fished for them as a kid in Ontario , and had lots of fun because they where easy to catch.

[chubbdarter]

Originally Posted by rielbowhunter

yes! why not in a man made lake.
I have fished for them in duck lake BC , and i had a blast. fished for them as a kid in Ontario , and had lots of fun because they where easy to catch.

Bill did grandpa Bass jump out of the water and steal your KFC too at Duck?

[Daceminnow]

Originally Posted by rielbowhunter

yes! why not in a man made lake.
I have fished for them in duck lake BC , and i had a blast. fished for them as a kid in Ontario , and had lots of fun because they where easy to catch.

easy to catch? really. slowly, very slowly, this "Big Mouth" thing might be starting to make sense. maybe?

[Jwood 456]

Originally Posted by Sundancefisher

Smallmouth have a lower water temperature tolerance... Largemouth will not do as well in Alberta...stress is too much for them.

Someone once said blue marlin...I would prefer them to smallies...but smallies are better than 6 inch brookies...

Yeah it seems that way that smallies prefer cooler water. Smallies tend to be found in deeper water than large mouth bass and seem to be frequently found with walleye. That's what I personally found when fishing in southern Manitoba. When I would catch walleye and small mouth bass at the same place at the same time, the walleye felt like a deadweight on the line, compared to the bass IMO. I also noticed there were even small mouth bass in northern manitoba where the summer climate is a cool as Alberta's and the winters are even colder than Alberta's. Perhaps there isn't enough rocky substrate in Alberta lakes to support them. All of the smallies I caught in Manitba, were caught over rock reefs on a drop off. In manitoba, the smallmouth bass lakes were laden with rock reefs.

[horsetrader]

Originally Posted by Daceminnow

easy to catch? really. slowly, very slowly, this "Big Mouth" thing might be starting to make sense. maybe?

That's it Dace leave the dark side walk into the light........

[WayneChristie]

Originally Posted by chubbdarter

thats why i never picnic near Duck or Osoyos Lakes anymore.....watching a grandpa Bass leap out of the water and roll back down the bank with my bucket of KFC was terrifying. It got worst when a Daddy bass took the fries and the baby bass grabbed the salads......There was no food left for the momma bass....so it rolled past us and grabbed a milk cow in the field behind us.

off the meds again?

[Daceminnow]

Originally Posted by horsetrader

That's it Dace leave the dark side walk into the light........

my mom, all my sisters, and my high school sweet-harts all live out of province near "Big Mouth" infested waters. i'm still young enough to enjoy working for my fish. thanks.

[iliketrout]

Originally Posted by horsetrader

why not stop restocking one and try another?

Why stop restocking one to try another?

[chubbdarter]

Originally Posted by WayneChristie

off the meds again?

hahahhahahahahahah doubled up the dosage

but at least we are talking about Bass...a fish i believe that does in fact gaurd it's nest....lol

[Jwood 456]

Originally Posted by Jwood 456

Yeah it seems that way that smallies prefer cooler water. Smallies tend to be found in deeper water than large mouth bass and seem to be frequently found with walleye. That's what I personally found when fishing in southern Manitoba. When I would catch walleye and small mouth bass at the same place at the same time, the walleye felt like a deadweight on the line, compared to the bass IMO. I also noticed there were even small mouth bass in northern manitoba where the summer climate is a cool as Alberta's and the winters are even colder than Alberta's. Perhaps there isn't enough rocky substrate in Alberta lakes to support them. All of the smallies I caught in Manitba, were caught over rock reefs on a drop off. In manitoba, the smallmouth bass lakes were laden with rock reefs.

Speaking of that, Beaver lake near Lac La Biche has lots of rock reefs and may be able to hold smallies.

[horsetrader]

Originally Posted by Daceminnow

my mom, all my sisters, and my high school sweet-harts all live out of province near "Big Mouth" infested waters. i'm still young enough to enjoy working for my fish. thanks.

AWWWW I think we lost him again...DARTER.......

[chubbdarter]

Originally Posted by horsetrader

AWWWW I think we lost him again...DARTER.......

Dace is a good guy.....but when he found out his donny outfit doesnt fit anymore but the marie dress does.....he gets beotchy once month

[horsetrader]

Originally Posted by chubbdarter

Dace is a good guy.....but when he found out his donny outfit doesnt fit anymore but the marie dress does.....he gets beotchy once month

Now thats a keeper.........

[Big Red 250]

Originally Posted by Jwood 456

Speaking of that, Beaver lake near Lac La Biche has lots of rock reefs and may be able to hold smallies.

I've caught dozens of smallie's in manitoba, in lakes that don't have any rock reef's. I find they like to hang out under boat docks, sunkin islands, shorelines but always on rock rubble bottoms.

[KegRiver]

From time to time I see people claiming that half the fish species in Alberta are introduced species.

My research does not support this claim.

From the Royal Alberta Museum;

"Alberta has 51 native species of fish and 8 introduced species"


From SRD;

"There are approximately 65 species of fish swimming in Alberta waters. Of these:

* 54 of these species have established populations in the province, and include a mix of both native and introduced fish.
* 11 species have all been introduced to the province, either through legal stocking or through illegal or accidental release. These fish are present in limited numbers in Alberta."

No matter which set of figures one chooses to believe, if either, it is clear that introduced species are no where near half the number of native species.

Of interest, several of the introduced species have contributed to the loss of native species in the waters they presently occupy.

I should also note that several of the introduced species came from the pet trade and are most often considered to be minnows. In other words, they are very small fish species.

The only larger fish species introduced, that I could discover, were; Brown Trout, Golden Trout (Thanks Horsetrader), Small Mouth Bass, (unsuccessful to date)and Grass Carp.

Some of the small species include; Goldfish, African Jewelfish, *****ly Sculpin, Mosquito Fish, Three Spined Stickleback, Pumpkin Seed, and Sailfin Molly. That makes seven by my math. Add the former large species and we get a total of 11 which is the number SRD gives.

It looks to me like there are only two species of sport fish that were introduced and one of those requires a very specific environment.


This is not the picture some seem to attempting paint.

[horsetrader]

Originally Posted by KegRiver

From time to time I see people claiming that half the fish species in Alberta are introduced species.

My research does not support this claim.

From the Royal Alberta Museum;

"Alberta has 51 native species of fish and 8 introduced species"


From SRD;

"There are approximately 65 species of fish swimming in Alberta waters. Of these:

* 54 of these species have established populations in the province, and include a mix of both native and introduced fish.
* 11 species have all been introduced to the province, either through legal stocking or through illegal or accidental release. These fish are present in limited numbers in Alberta."

No matter which set of figures one chooses to believe, if either, it is clear that introduced species are no where near half the number of native species.

Of interest, several of the introduced species have contributed to the loss of native species in the waters they presently occupy.

I should also note that several of the introduced species came from the pet trade and are most often considered to be minnows. In other words, they are very small fish species.

The only larger fish species introduced, that I could discover, were; Brown Trout, Golden Trout (Thanks Horsetrader), Small Mouth Bass, (unsuccessful to date)and Grass Carp.

Some of the small species include; Goldfish, African Jewelfish, *****ly Sculpin, Mosquito Fish, Three Spined Stickleback, Pumpkin Seed, and Sailfin Molly. That makes seven by my math. Add the former large species and we get a total of 11 which is the number SRD gives.

It looks to me like there are only two species of sport fish that were introduced and one of those requires a very specific environment.


This is not the picture some seem to attempting paint.

n Alberta we can find 62 species of fish from which about 41 species are very little known while the other 21 species of fish are called sport or game fish, and are of interest commercial and domestic fishers as well as to anglers. 16 of these appreciated fish species are native to Alberta and 5 were introduced to this area through stocking.

Brook trout, golden trout, brown trout, Dolly Varden and smallmouth bass are the five species of game fish that have been introduced to Alberta. On the other hand, there are some fish species (non-game) that were illegally introduced and that developed self sustain populations, including:

[Sundancefisher]

Originally Posted by horsetrader

n Alberta we can find 62 species of fish from which about 41 species are very little known while the other 21 species of fish are called sport or game fish, and are of interest commercial and domestic fishers as well as to anglers. 16 of these appreciated fish species are native to Alberta and 5 were introduced to this area through stocking.

Brook trout, golden trout, brown trout, Dolly Varden and smallmouth bass are the five species of game fish that have been introduced to Alberta. On the other hand, there are some fish species (non-game) that were illegally introduced and that developed self sustain populations, including:

People seem to be excluding rainbows...while they are native to the Athabasca drainage...those that have been released in Alberta are not. They are introduced rainbows.

That being said...the discussion stalls at non Alberta native fish...however what can be equally as bad insofar as genetics and disease transfer problems are concerns are interdrainage species transfers. Bull trout from L. Kananaskis is not the same genetics as bull trout that were in the Oldman Drainage. Cutts from the Oldman drainage are not the same genetics as cutts in the Bow drainage. Walleye from Lesser Slave is not the same genetics as walleye in another drainage.

Just a thought.

[ericlin0122]

Why?? making current trout fishery better is more important.

[Alberta Bigbore]

I would support Channel catfish stocked into rivers like NSR (might do harm on the existing Sturgeon population though).... and dugout ponds for kids to have fun with....


I would support Largemouth bass in lakes like Wabamun, but if the attempt failed... just give up


...and... I would support the stocking of Smallmouth bass into RIVERS like NSR...... they happen to do well in many rivers..... some with quite alot of current as well, and some youd swear they were a tiny little trout stream. And NSR does in fact have crayfish populations amongst all the other food sources the river has in it.

[Jwood 456]

Originally Posted by Alberta Bigbore

I would support Channel catfish stocked into rivers like NSR (might do harm on the existing Sturgeon population though).... and dugout ponds for kids to have fun with....


I would support Largemouth bass in lakes like Wabamun, but if the attempt failed... just give up


...and... I would support the stocking of Smallmouth bass into RIVERS like NSR...... they happen to do well in many rivers..... some with quite alot of current as well, and some youd swear they were a tiny little trout stream. And NSR does in fact have crayfish populations amongst all the other food sources the river has in it.

Lol, if Large Mouth bass were introduced to Wabamun, they would probably dissapear right away and the pike would somehow be mysteriously bigger.(jk)

[whitetail Junkie]

I wish they would put bass in alberta,Very good eating Fish and Very fun to catch,there's alot of Trout lakes that should have been Bass lakes.Dont get me wrong I like Fishing Trout,but there is way to many Chit Trout lakes in Alberta.

[Jwood 456]

This appers to be the small mouth bass range. Though according to the fishing guide the bass were also in north central Manitoba.

native%20and%20expanded%20range[1].jpg

[FisherPotch]

Wow that poll sure evened out! I think it was 16-3 with mine being the third vote for yes when I last saw the poll.

Nobody knows if there's Triploid bass??

If Island still has smallies how can we say it was unsuccessful?? Obviously they stayed where they were supposed to and the bucket brigade wasn't involved.

I love fishing for stocked trout from my pontoon or float tube but I'd gladly give up a few rainbow stocked pits or lakes for bass.