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  #1  
Old 12-25-2008, 09:02 AM
Winch101 Winch101 is offline
 
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Location: Okotoks wilderness
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Default Pike On the downturn

Merry Xmas to all ....

Theres a post below this , nice pike caught , suggested that it is to big to keep , but it is legal .

What are your thoughts particularly for the south , should there
a slot limit say 63 cm.( 24.75 in.) to 90 cm. ( 35.5 cm ) and still
keep 3 fish .

Keep one fish say in those size restrictions ....?

Keep one fish period ....?

I keep reading in these forums that Pike numbers are down
because of the Walleye closures so people target and keep Pike .
Is this true ...?

Is the Alberta Government off on their limits , or regs period ,

My overall thoughts , coming from a place where there are actually fish
that for the volume of water in the south the fishing is pretty good ...
I was assured when I moved to calgary that any place the Govt would let you keep Walleyes there probably werent any .... Thats not true ....

Keep your tip up....W101
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  #2  
Old 12-25-2008, 09:09 AM
steve steve is offline
 
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YES there definetly should be a slot limit like Saskatchewan. Let the medium to large size spawners go. Keep a little one for eating and if you get lucky and catch a monster 43'' plus you can keep it.

It sucks being 20 years old and being able to say " back in the day when I was a kid this lake used to have good pike in it" but due to poor management look at it now.

Last edited by steve; 12-25-2008 at 09:35 AM. Reason: addition
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  #3  
Old 12-25-2008, 10:28 AM
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walker197 walker197 is offline
 
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yeah i also believe a "slot" size type of restriction on most fish would be a benefit to all anglers and our children, goodness knows fish sizes are down also population, but as far as i can see our kids will be glad to catch a 24" pike. merry christmas to all
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  #4  
Old 12-25-2008, 11:02 AM
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dodger dodger is offline
 
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I believe in tighter restrictions on all fish in Southern AB lakes rivers etc because of the fishing pressure. I think that there are enough bodies of water North of Edmonchuk to allow a little more room for keeping fish. BUT, I am a little biased as I do release 98% of the fish I catch so it's easy for me to say toughen up the regs. As Steve mentions there is a definite change to the quality of our fisheries in the South in a short period of time. It was not long ago that 10lb + Pike at McGregor was the norm and as many Perch that you wanted were available.
Dodger.
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  #5  
Old 12-25-2008, 11:07 AM
Piker Piker is offline
 
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Default pike downturn

In this area we have reservoirs and catch basins. The big pike are in the deep water res. which most people target so the slot limit would be better there. The catch basins are actually very shallow lakes that are full of small pike but you can keep 3 of any size. In severe winters these lakes tend to winterkill but it has not happened in quite a while. In the winter years ago there would be dozens of people out and now you only see 3 or 4. I think the regs are not too bad they just need tp be enforced. Pike are my favorite fish and I c&r most of the time. I keep a few to eat and smoke. In the reservoirs which are controlled by the irrigation companys water levels are the main concern for fish spawning. If the levels are low and then get drawn down early eggs are left high and dry. Thats why there are a lot of age classes in Chin Res. Pretty well the same all over the south. I do not think there is any one answer but I see and hear about a lot of poaching and I think that is a big problem. thks for reading Dave
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  #6  
Old 12-25-2008, 11:30 AM
TundraBuck
 
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steve took the words from me. The three provinces to the east of us have a slot limit like that.

I believe there should be a limit of two fish between 50 and 70 cm, and then one fish over, say 1134 cm (45 inches) to keep that "fish of a lifetime" to get mounted. It is a sad affair with Alberta's Fisheries Management, and this is good that it is becoming more apparent.

The more guys who realise this goal, the better off alberta's pike fisheries will be.
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  #7  
Old 12-25-2008, 11:31 AM
TundraBuck
 
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Also, this shouldn't be limited to lakes only in the south. This should be province-wide. Lakes like Sylvan and Gull, close to Red Deer, also see a ton of pressure. This 3 over 63 cm limit has to go.
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  #8  
Old 12-25-2008, 12:23 PM
steve steve is offline
 
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How come it seems that were the only ones that realize the benefit of a slot size. Is there not biologists and SRD doing studies? I was looking at the stocking reports there willing to spend the money and pound walleye fry into a good number of lakes in Ab, which is great! But all the would have to do is change the printing in regs to a slot in a couple "trial lakes" and i put my bottom dollar on them getting positive feedback and results for the years to come.
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  #9  
Old 12-25-2008, 12:41 PM
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Bear Ballz Bear Ballz is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TundraBuck View Post
Also, this shouldn't be limited to lakes only in the south. This should be province-wide. Lakes like Sylvan and Gull, close to Red Deer, also see a ton of pressure. This 3 over 63 cm limit has to go.
X2 And I'd like too add Coal lake in there as well.
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  #10  
Old 12-25-2008, 01:15 PM
rustynailz rustynailz is offline
 
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Does someone have hard data based on pop studies to suggest that pike numbers are down? I find it tough to believe...there are so many awesome pike fisheries around, and few of them are secrets. Most of us could easily list 20 lakes within 2-3 hours of Calgary with good pike fishing, and in more than half of those lakes a fish over 40" wouldn't be unexpected.

Dodger mentions McGregor...but how much of Big Mac actually gets fished? Maybe 1%? It only really gets hammered at Milo and the causeway. Look at a map - McGregor is an ocean. Newell, Crawling, McGregor, Keho, Travers, Sylvan, and to a lesser extent Badger are not fished that hard for their size. I've noticed a marked improvement in the fishing since the limit was dropped from 10 to 3, and the average fish we catch now is around 6 or 8 pounds compared to less than 4 before the new regs.

I think existing regs need to be enforced. I couldn't tell you the last time I got checked by a CO while ice fishing. I don't know whether a slot limit is conducive to bait fishing, but as long as the regs are simple to understand and there's an opportunity for people to harvest fish, I'm all for it.
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  #11  
Old 12-25-2008, 01:31 PM
TundraBuck
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by steve View Post
How come it seems that were the only ones that realize the benefit of a slot size. Is there not biologists and SRD doing studies? I was looking at the stocking reports there willing to spend the money and pound walleye fry into a good number of lakes in Ab, which is great! But all the would have to do is change the printing in regs to a slot in a couple "trial lakes" and i put my bottom dollar on them getting positive feedback and results for the years to come.
I've been writing letters to various F&W managers, and once even to Ted Morton. I don't know what it will take.
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  #12  
Old 12-25-2008, 01:34 PM
steve steve is offline
 
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I cannot speak for any lake south of Edmonton which I should have mentioned. But I know for a fact that size of pike is down on all the lakes I fish north of the city and more than likely numbers too. Maybe its just where or how I fish but you have to catch alot of little ones to get one over 63cm and the little ones don't seem that easy to come by anymore.
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  #13  
Old 12-25-2008, 01:37 PM
TundraBuck
 
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Well there is a trick to catching bigger pike while keeping the little ones away, I'll PM you.
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  #14  
Old 12-25-2008, 01:37 PM
steve steve is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TundraBuck View Post
I've been writing letters to various F&W managers, and once even to Ted Morton. I don't know what it will take.
I'm going to do that to. You gotta start somewhere.
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  #15  
Old 12-25-2008, 10:46 PM
TundraBuck
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by steve View Post
I'm going to do that to. You gotta start somewhere.
Yep. If we can get enough guys taking action something may happen, just like the sunday hunting victory.
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