Sylvan Lake is done

[muskie032]

Thank you F&W for allowing a 1 walleye limit. Sylvan lake is now toast. Massively being over fished and no more excellent catch and release days.

[58thecat]

man tuff gig...if you say catch and release only people complain...if you say one fish...people complain....if you put a slot size...people complain.....if you put a draw/tag system...people complain...common denominator....people complaining.


how about this...we anglers take charge of our actions...ran into a fella with similar complaints....yet he still had his...I asked why...gotta get my share...

[Smoky buck]

Way too early to jump to any conclusions expecially on a one walleye limit that has not even run a whole season. To many the walleye over stocking was a negative on other species and they were happy to see them thinned. My self I think walleye fight like a wet sock so have little interest in C&R walleye and rarely target them in general

There is still a ton of lakes where you can C&R walleye all day at the worst. It’s a matter of fishermen have different interests so management is trying to find a way to please a variety of fishermen

[muskie032]

Let's just say it was enjoyable to jig the walleye. All 25 of them and they would be there the next time you went out. Made for a fun day on the water. Not sure they were ever overpopulated or crowding out other fish. Look what happened to the pike in Sylvan, you allowed a 1 fish limit and they got decimated. This was not the walleye's fault. Yes trout are more fun to catch I agree there.

[Smoky buck]

Originally Posted by muskie032

Let's just say it was enjoyable to jig the walleye. All 25 of them and they would be there the next time you went out. Made for a fun day on the water. Not sure they were ever overpopulated or crowding out other fish. Look what happened to the pike in Sylvan, you allowed a 1 fish limit and they got decimated. This was not the walleye's fault. Yes trout are more fun to catch I agree there.

To each there own personally I don’t target Sylvan to say much about the make up of the fish population past or present. I can only go on what others have said about the lake

I am 90% C&R myself but I also respect people fish for multiple reasons. The fisheries in Alberta are there for all angles so some variety in management is a good thing in my opinion. Lots of changes I would like to see but understand that a portion of fishermen would view them as a negative change

PS some trout are ok but rainbows suck to me lol

[dfrobert]

Save a pike, whitefish, and perch....bonk a Walleye.

[SNAPFisher]

Originally Posted by muskie032

Let's just say it was enjoyable to jig the walleye. All 25 of them and they would be there the next time you went out. Made for a fun day on the water. Not sure they were ever overpopulated or crowding out other fish. Look what happened to the pike in Sylvan, you allowed a 1 fish limit and they got decimated. This was not the walleye's fault. Yes trout are more fun to catch I agree there.

Actually I recall a 3 over 63 cm limit for pike, like Gull had. Well I can't speak very much to the walleye fishing in Sylvan, I certainly want to see those "big girls" / pike stay where they are with better management. That lake can produce some bigguns and those should be better protected than in the past.

[wind drift]

Originally Posted by SNAPFisher

Actually I recall a 3 over 63 cm limit for pike, like Gull had. Well I can't speak very much to the walleye fishing in Sylvan, I certainly want to see those "big girls" / pike stay where they are with better management. That lake can produce some bigguns and those should be better protected than in the past.

What does the better management look like? What rules would need to be in place to allow the “girls” to live long enough to get big in a high pressure lake like Sylvan? Is catch and release good enough? Bait ban? Special licence to fish the lake?

[FearNoFish]

I think its pretty naive to say the 1 fish limit will destroy the fishery. C&R mortality has a much larger impact. I give a reference below for 16%. Even at 5, the multi weekend c&r warrior has a far bigger impact on the fishery. If you catch and release 25, you likely kill 3-4. My guess, the decline will likely be as a result of increased fishing pressure because the new harvest rules will attract more anglers, which will mean more C&R focused on walleye, and thus more mortality. An angler who releases 10 walleye to find a keeper 1-2 times per year, does far less damage than a CR angler catching 50 walleye a day 5-6 times a year.

There are lots of estimates on C&R mortality out there. This one from Ontario cites 16% mortality rate and I like it because its a review of about 110 scientific papers on the topic https://www.ontario.ca/page/catch-an...-fish-handling :

"The impact of mortality caused by catch-and-release practices is often underestimated by both anglers and fishery managers. From a review of 118 catch-and-release studies (Appendix 1), which, in total, involved over 120,000 fish, the average mortality associated with catch-and-release angling was 16.2%. Thus, while many anglers may assume that by practising catch-and-release they are having no impact on the fish population, a significant number of released fish may die. Additionally, many anglers will continue to fish after they have caught their limit under the premise that they will release all further fish caught, however they often do not take into consideration the number of fish which will inadvertently be killed as a result of this practice."

[wind drift]

Originally Posted by FearNoFish

I think its pretty naive to say the 1 fish limit will destroy the fishery. C&R mortality has a much larger impact. I give a reference below for 16%. Even at 5, the multi weekend c&r warrior has a far bigger impact on the fishery. If you catch and release 25, you likely kill 3-4. My guess, the decline will likely be as a result of increased fishing pressure because the new harvest rules will attract more anglers, which will mean more C&R focused on walleye, and thus more mortality. An angler who releases 10 walleye to find a keeper 1-2 times per year, does far less damage than a CR angler catching 50 walleye a day 5-6 times a year.

There are lots of estimates on C&R mortality out there. This one from Ontario cites 16% mortality rate and I like it because its a review of about 110 scientific papers on the topic https://www.ontario.ca/page/catch-an...-fish-handling :

"The impact of mortality caused by catch-and-release practices is often underestimated by both anglers and fishery managers. From a review of 118 catch-and-release studies (Appendix 1), which, in total, involved over 120,000 fish, the average mortality associated with catch-and-release angling was 16.2%. Thus, while many anglers may assume that by practising catch-and-release they are having no impact on the fish population, a significant number of released fish may die. Additionally, many anglers will continue to fish after they have caught their limit under the premise that they will release all further fish caught, however they often do not take into consideration the number of fish which will inadvertently be killed as a result of this practice."

Doesn’t that last sentence in the quote counter your point? If the guy keeping his 1 fish catches 10 before he puts it in the cooler, then catches another 15 before he quits, he’s killed 3-4, plus 1, which is a 25-33% increase in dead fish.

That might not be an issue, unless it exceeds what the lake can sustain for harvest.

That said, I thought the goal for Sylvan was to shift it to put and take for walleye anyway, in which case, there’s no big risk in overfishing it now. As a stocked lake with a 1 fish any size limit, Sylvan’s job might be to absorb a ton of pressure and provide marginal to poor fishing for the masses.

[WayneChristie]

Originally Posted by Smoky buck

Way too early to jump to any conclusions expecially on a one walleye limit that has not even run a whole season. To many the walleye over stocking was a negative on other species and they were happy to see them thinned. My self I think walleye fight like a wet sock so have little interest in C&R walleye and rarely target them in general

There is still a ton of lakes where you can C&R walleye all day at the worst. It’s a matter of fishermen have different interests so management is trying to find a way to please a variety of fishermen

Double digit Walter's on the fly after dark are pretty scrappy 18 inchers on 60 pound braid with a 6 ounce weight dont even rate a sock

[WayneChristie]

OP ever consider maybe the schools were all known so when their friends started to go missing they found somewhere else to hangout? I dont know never fished for them in Coronavirus Lake

[muskie032]

Originally Posted by WayneChristie

OP ever consider maybe the schools were all known so when their friends started to go missing they found somewhere else to hangout? I dont know never fished for them in Coronavirus Lake

LOL Good one.

[Smoky buck]

Originally Posted by WayneChristie

Double digit Walter's on the fly after dark are pretty scrappy 18 inchers on 60 pound braid with a 6 ounce weight dont even rate a sock

If I have to find a double digit walleye just to get a good tug on fly gear that sounds like a lot of work. Sorting through a ton of little wet socks to find one that can actually fight lol

I still get the itch once in a blue moon to target them but rarely

[SNAPFisher]

I think it is too early to tell. Maybe after a good decimating this year they will put a tough slot on or close it again. We'll see.

I only targeted whites at Sylvan so cannot speak too much to the wallies.

[WayneChristie]

Originally Posted by Smoky buck

If I have to find a double digit walleye just to get a good tug on fly gear that sounds like a lot of work. Sorting through a ton of little wet socks to find one that can actually fight lol

I still get the itch once in a blue moon to target them but rarely

not where I fall fish, pretty rare to get any under 5 pounds. 45 1 night and maybe one of those under 5, most 8 plus and lots of doubles. then again I live in Gods country Im definitely spoiled

[Bushleague]

Originally Posted by Smoky buck

Way too early to jump to any conclusions expecially on a one walleye limit that has not even run a whole season. To many the walleye over stocking was a negative on other species and they were happy to see them thinned. My self I think walleye fight like a wet sock so have little interest in C&R walleye and rarely target them in general

There is still a ton of lakes where you can C&R walleye all day at the worst. It’s a matter of fishermen have different interests so management is trying to find a way to please a variety of fishermen

100% agree, I've never been able to fathom the desirability of a C&R Walleye fishery. Walleye typically don't fight very hard, and most of the best ways of catching them bore the heck out of me, if I'm not going to eat them I'm not much interested in fishing for them. If you want to create a quality C&R lake, than pretty much any other species makes more sense.

The only appeal I can see is that once over populated they can be caught in large numbers with very little effort... meh.

IMO they should have these lakes on a rotating open season, one year Pidgeon, Wab the next etc... if the lakes can sustain a HEALTHY (not necessarily shooting fish in a barrel numbers) population then over lap them. Instead of one fished out lake, you get multiple balanced fisheries.

[Dewey Cox]

35 post since june '09, and six in this one thread he started to argue with everyone?

Obviously just waiting to have a legitimate discussion.

[muskie032]

Originally Posted by Dewey Cox

35 post since june '09, and six in this one thread he started to argue with everyone?

Obviously just waiting to have a legitimate discussion.

No dude I don't live on these forums obviously. I just had to vent today, not trying to get in arguments. Don't worry I'm done now.

[Coiloil37]

Originally Posted by Smoky buck

My self I think walleye fight like a wet sock so have little interest in C&R walleye and rarely target them in general

Personally I would change that to somewhere between 99.5% and 100% of freshwater fish.

[smitty9]

Originally Posted by muskie032

Thank you F&W for allowing a 1 walleye limit. Sylvan lake is now toast. Massively being over fished and no more excellent catch and release days.

Wasn't F&W

[WinefredCommander]

About time they opened a damn lake and it might as well be that one.

[muskie032]

Originally Posted by smitty9

Wasn't F&W

Well my bad ok Alberta environment? Whoever did it then. I'm just having my rant cuz it is now going to turn into a recreational lake that's non fishing. Like so many lakes we already have here in Alberta. lol

[slough shark]

Originally Posted by muskie032

Well my bad ok Alberta environment? Whoever did it then. I'm just having my rant cuz it is now going to turn into a recreational lake that's non fishing. Like so many lakes we already have here in Alberta. lol

This move wasn’t meant to make sylvan a better fishery immediately although at least you can finally keep a walleye somewhere, it was meant to give a boost to whitefish, perch and pike populations which we ought to start seeing increase in the next couple years. Other than walleye everything else has been in the decline and removing a mid level predator ought to improve that

[FlyTheory]

Originally Posted by muskie032

Well my bad ok Alberta environment? Whoever did it then. I'm just having my rant cuz it is now going to turn into a recreational lake that's non fishing. Like so many lakes we already have here in Alberta. lol

Pretty sure that AEP poll everyone did last year is the reason why all these limits are available. The people voted! The scientists hazard against this, but hey, democracy trumps science and suspicions! Lets see what happens

[pikergolf]

Originally Posted by FlyTheory

Pretty sure that AEP poll everyone did last year is the reason why all these limits are available. The people voted! The scientists hazard against this, but hey, democracy trumps science and suspicions! Lets see what happens

This right here. The bio at the meeting I attended told me this would happen. Fishermen are equipped better and far better at catching fish. he predicted even a one fish limit would damage fisheries. But there are soooo many fishermen that are sooooo much smarter than bio's. They got their way.

[Who Da Fisherman]

Originally Posted by muskie032

Well my bad ok Alberta environment? Whoever did it then. I'm just having my rant cuz it is now going to turn into a recreational lake that's non fishing. Like so many lakes we already have here in Alberta. lol

Which lakes?
I can catch fish on all these mid AB and south lakes.
WDF

[Dan'ol]

I grew up with a cabin at sylvan lake in the birchcliff area. I remember as a kid catching perch off the dock, days of catching some really big Pike and some nice whitefish, and then in recent years the non-stop walleye action. I have almost never been skunked at that lake. Couple weeks I went out there and I agree that the fishing was slow, prob the slowest I have seen in years. However, if it means that the perch and pike come back I would be really excited.

[Pioneer2]

80% of a walleye's diet is perch.

[Walleyedude]

Originally Posted by Pioneer2

80% of a walleye's diet is perch.

What makes you say that?