Trout stocked in Cow Lake

[Don Andersen]

Well, well,
Trout stocked into a pike fishery. These rainbows are now near 5 lbs.
With the demonstrated success, maybe it’s time to stock trout into Gull, Buck, Pine etc.
can you imagine a walleye fishermen hooking a 10 lb. Rainbow that decides to head to Sask. He would give up on walleye fast,
Unlike pike, perch stocking, trout die within 5 years meaning the process is reversible if proved unsuccessful.


Don

[boonedocks]

Stocked trout only have a lifespan of 5 years?! I didn’t know that, learn something everyday.

[ironicbrew]

Originally Posted by boonedocks

Stocked trout only have a lifespan of 5 years?! I didn’t know that, learn something everyday.

Even shorter than that if I'm on the water

[pikeman06]

Sure, sounds good. Anything is better than nothing. Not enough mature fish in the lakes to even make a comeback and nobody stocking anything but walleye. I always thought the might be too warm for rainbows but if they survived a winter in cow they should be fine in gull.

[tallieho]

Originally Posted by Don Andersen

Well, well,
Trout stocked into a pike fishery. These rainbows are now near 5 lbs.
With the demonstrated success, maybe it’s time to stock trout into Gull, Buck, Pine etc.
can you imagine a walleye fishermen hooking a 10 lb. Rainbow that decides to head to Sask. He would give up on walleye fast,
Unlike pike, perch stocking, trout die within 5 years meaning the process is reversible if proved unsuccessful.


Don

Don; Here's hoping for success on Pine Coulee. At least the g-men are trying.Reg's changed,in some ways should help.In forcing them ???

[Smoky buck]

To each their own but rainbows are boring. They also become lethargic in warm water. For those who wish to eat the they also go muddy in warm water especially in lakes with a major algae bloom

Would I care if they were stocked in buck, gull, and pine no but I definitely see it as a poor investment. Would much rather see money invested into improving the perch and baitfish populations in these lakes than stack rainbows in them

Maybe I just have no love for rainbows after working with them for too many years.

[Don Andersen]

But isn’t there two fish here. Gamefish like trout and food fish like walleye.
Ever had a walleye run 100 yards, jump 8 times and refuse to be landed.
Nope!
I rest my case.
Let walleye get eaten - let rainbows rip your reel.
Buck is a waste of water.

Don

[Smoky buck]

Originally Posted by Don Andersen

But isn’t there two fish here. Gamefish like trout and food fish like walleye.
Ever had a walleye run 100 yards, jump 8 times and refuse to be landed.
Nope!
I rest my case.
Let walleye get eaten - let rainbows rip your reel.
Buck is a waste of water.

Don

Would rather see investment into creating quality pike fisheries which are better suited for these waters and provide better opportunities throughout the season

If we want to introduce non native fish bring in musky. Even browns are a better option

I have fished many high quality trout fisheries through BC well living there and rainbows are not worth the hype. Slug tripliods are even lower on the list. No interest in stockies especially when then are in less than ideal conditions that effect the quality of fishery

You are not going to create a rainbow alley(which sucks compared to some less known rainbow waters) quality in Alberta slough style lakes

[Don Andersen]

Originally Posted by Smoky buck

Would rather see investment into creating quality pike fisheries which are better suited for these waters and provide better opportunities throughout the season

If we want to introduce non native fish bring in musky. Even browns are a better option

I have fished many high quality trout fisheries through BC well living there and rainbows are not worth the hype. Slug tripliods are even lower on the list. No interest in stockies especially when then are in less than ideal conditions that effect the quality of fishery

You are not going to create a rainbow alley(which sucks compared to some less known rainbow waters) quality in Alberta slough style lakes

Wow, you moved from BC for quality pike fishing.
Now, I just gotta ask, how do you create a quality pike fishery?
After more than 50 years of professional management, it hasn’t be accomplished yet in Alberta. I’m sure the pro managers need your input.
Why Browns over rainbows?

Don

[Bushrat]

Caught sticks that fight harder than walleye Smarter too!

[Fishtracker]

Originally Posted by Don Andersen

Wow, you moved from BC for quality pike fishing.
Now, I just gotta ask, how do you create a quality pike fishery?
After more than 50 years of professional management, it hasn’t be accomplished yet in Alberta. I’m sure the pro managers need your input.
Why Browns over rainbows?

Don

Easy answer. Follow the same rules as they have been using for quality trout fishery. Zero keep, bait ban, no ice fishing, (Do) stock baitifish. (Do not) stock walleye into the lake.

But in 50yrs they still haven't figured that out I guess!

[swabs24]

I also don't care to much for stocked rainbows. Although I wouldn't be opposed to putting in a few here and there. I would however be interested in improving pike, walleye and perch fisheries around Edmonton. Something about stocking makes me sort of loose my excitement lately although I am not sure why...

Nick

[Smoky buck]

Originally Posted by Don Andersen

Wow, you moved from BC for quality pike fishing.
Now, I just gotta ask, how do you create a quality pike fishery?
After more than 50 years of professional management, it hasn’t be accomplished yet in Alberta. I’m sure the pro managers need your input.
Why Browns over rainbows?

Don

I did not come to Alberta for quality fishery or management lol. I could get into all kinds of things regarding Alberta’s fisheries management but it would be beating a dead horse on this forum. I spent 10years as and owner operator in freshwater aquaculture and as a representative of that industry. I was brought in on many interesting projects in the past. My knowledge goes beyond avid fisherman

I will answer your questions regarding brown’s. They are more tolerant of poor water quality, higher temperature, more diversity in the dietary choices and lower oxygen levels for starters. They also adapt to angling pressure a lot better then rainbows.

Rainbows are only commonly stocked because they are cheap and readily available

[Penner]

Originally Posted by Don Andersen

But isn’t there two fish here. Gamefish like trout and food fish like walleye.
Ever had a walleye run 100 yards, jump 8 times and refuse to be landed.
Nope!
I rest my case.
Let walleye get eaten - let rainbows rip your reel.
Buck is a waste of water.

Don

x2 to that. No Pike or Walleye can match a Rainbows fight pound for pound.

[DiabeticKripple]

Originally Posted by Don Andersen

Wow, you moved from BC for quality pike fishing.
Now, I just gotta ask, how do you create a quality pike fishery?
After more than 50 years of professional management, it hasn’t be accomplished yet in Alberta. I’m sure the pro managers need your input.
Why Browns over rainbows?

Don

It has been done in AB.

Wabamun was a fantastic pike fishery, until some idiot bio decided to transplant LSA walleye in and decimated the forage fish in the lake.

They just couldn’t leave it alone. Had to ruin the best pike fishery in AB with more dumb walleye that you could go to LSA 20 mins away and catch hand over fist.

[Drewski Canuck]

At one point in the past, Cow Lake was a stocked rainbow trout lake. Then the pike got in, and it was abandoned to the pike until it completely winter killed. Then it was re stocked with trout much like Hasse Lake west of Edmonton was restocked after a complete winter kill.

There would be a great project lake north of Athabasca to return to a trout fishery. Ghost Lake. It is full of fresh water shrimp and perch. It would need a weir like Carson Lake, but it would be doable as a trout lake and likely a very good trout lake.

We need more trout lakes restored to being trout lakes. The Province does not like spending the money on rotenone treatment like BC is doing with its lakes around Kamloops and in the Kooteny valley. However, we could have a number of trout lakes restored in the Province wanted to do so.

Drewski

[Don Andersen]

Originally Posted by DiabeticKripple

It has been done in AB.

Wabamun was a fantastic pike fishery, until some idiot bio decided to transplant LSA walleye in and decimated the forage fish in the lake.

They just couldn’t leave it alone. Had to ruin the best pike fishery in AB with more dumb walleye that you could go to LSA 20 mins away and catch hand over fist.

Yupe, walleye bad. They reproduce and stay forever. Trout stocking stops and within 5 years or so, no trout left. They won’t reproduce. Better that, use 3NAF sterile stock.
Situation is reversible.

Don

[Don Andersen]

Originally Posted by Drewski Canuck

At one point in the past, Cow Lake was a stocked rainbow trout lake. Then the pike got in, and it was abandoned to the pike until it completely winter killed. Then it was re stocked with trout much like Hasse Lake west of Edmonton was restocked after a complete winter kill.

There would be a great project lake north of Athabasca to return to a trout fishery. Ghost Lake. It is full of fresh water shrimp and perch. It would need a weir like Carson Lake, but it would be doable as a trout lake and likely a very good trout lake.

We need more trout lakes restored to being trout lakes. The Province does not like spending the money on rotenone treatment like BC is doing with its lakes around Kamloops and in the Kooteny valley. However, we could have a number of trout lakes restored in the Province wanted to do so.


Drewski

Who there cowboy. The govt stocked pike into Cow. This was after some ******* stocked perch. Both have nearly died off due to winterkill. I haven’t seen any perch for 4 years. Then Cow Lake got stocked with browns that winterkilled and then rainbows where some winterkilled. The remainder are doing OK.

Don

[Drewski Canuck]

So Don go back even BEFORE the Pike were introduced to deal with the Perch that were introduced. Cow Lake was a trout fishery back in the 1980's. It was a very fertile lake, because it was a bit shallow. 10 Pd rainbows had been caught out of that lake.

Drewski

[muzzy]

If we are going to stock with some fighting fish why not stock Smallmouth bass and musky They would be great in NSR and maybe select few lakes

[tallieho]

Then along came an aeration system, prevent or miniunize winterkill.Don; You probably no how long it ,took for some smart ass.To steal the pump etc.

Frickn amazes me.You have Pigeon,Sylvan ,Buck all with.Pike Perch,Walleye & Whitefish.But people are so greedy.That even now the hatcheries are putting aside,fish egg space.So as these so called natural [mother nature] ,put them there .Can be be replenished,because people refuse to abide by reg's.

I have lived in AB. all my life.Never in my wildest dreams.Would i ever expected to see zero limits on Pike/Walleye .

Who can you blame now.You no longer can blame the commercial fisherman.

[Drewski Canuck]

Talliho,

In the 1990's there were VERY VERY FEW Cormorants in Alberta.

Then the population of Cormorants exploded. Before Lac La Biche was rehabiltated with successive years of walleye stocking, F & W did a CULL on the brood islands on Lac La Biche.

From one of the Bios involved, they were shooting as many as 4,000 Cormorants a year AND oiling the eggs at Churchill Provincial Park at the nesting site.

It was so bad that the Trout Pond in LLB had a styrofoam Alligator put in to scare away the Cormorants. These birds dive 30 feet and can take down a 12 inch perch or walleye or pike or trout in one gulp. Cormorants eat more than a pound a day of fish.

So when you ask what the cause of the decline is, perhaps there is one very big problem that could be addressed: Cormorants. It is NOTHING to see flights of 50 - 100 of these black demons on a lake diving in groups taking out fish after fish.

But back to Cow Lake, yes it should be stocked with trout as it was so long ago.

Drewski

[DiabeticKripple]

Originally Posted by tallieho

Then along came an aeration system, prevent or miniunize winterkill.Don; You probably no how long it ,took for some smart ass.To steal the pump etc.

Frickn amazes me.You have Pigeon,Sylvan ,Buck all with.Pike Perch,Walleye & Whitefish.But people are so greedy.That even now the hatcheries are putting aside,fish egg space.So as these so called natural [mother nature] ,put them there .Can be be replenished,because people refuse to abide by reg's.

I have lived in AB. all my life.Never in my wildest dreams.Would i ever expected to see zero limits on Pike/Walleye .

Who can you blame now.You no longer can blame the commercial fisherman.

You can blame to commercial fisherman, just not the common ones.

[trigger7mm]

Drewski Canuck is right about cormorants being a big problem in trout lakes. There should be a bounty on those flying rats.