Pigeon lake report

[Anxious Cat]

Anyone out on pigeon lake today? I'm going in from the provincial park!

[Hunter Trav]

Originally Posted by pikeman06

I got my limit in an hour and a half on Monday. A little deeper than I prefer to fish, but filled the smoker with 10 nice whites. Almost too fat and greasy, but not complaining. Sent my buddy to the same spot and he went 2 days without a fish. Go figure.

Sounds about right for Pigeon. I always seem to be there a day late...lol

[Red Bullets]

This week... Feb 13 to 20th.

I would love to get out at least once this winter to ice fish at Pigeon lake. If anyone going fishing there has room for a passenger it would be greatly appreciated. I am in South Edmonton if it could happen. I no longer drive and this would probably be my last time on the ice due to health.

I know the lake good and fished it for several decades with good success. Would love at least one more whitefish from there. Hopefully more. I have my own gear and do not require to sit in your tent.

Would only work this coming week as I have a chemo treatment the following week.

Thank you for considering my asking. Please message me if I could tag along.

[Macdrizzle]

Originally Posted by pikeman06

I got my limit in an hour and a half on Monday. A little deeper than I prefer to fish, but filled the smoker with 10 nice whites. Almost too fat and greasy, but not complaining. Sent my buddy to the same spot and he went 2 days without a fish. Go figure.

Are you Brandon S.?

[Wolfsnare]

Good sir , if u can get a ride to pigeon I will help u Some day I will need assistance and u have done many good favors. Time to repay. Will be at pigeon this weekend. Sorry can’t pick you up. But will take care of you. If any person can help out Get u there Send me a pm. We can make this happen sir. Chasing pigs. 🐖 Come on ladies and gents. KARMA. 👍🐟🎣🐖

[Red Bullets]

Originally Posted by Wolfsnare

Good sir , if u can get a ride to pigeon I will help u Some day I will need assistance and u have done many good favors. Time to repay. Will be at pigeon this weekend. Sorry can’t pick you up. But will take care of you. If any person can help out Get u there Send me a pm. We can make this happen sir. Chasing pigs. 🐖 Come on ladies and gents. KARMA. 👍🐟🎣🐖

Thank you so much for your consideration. I did have a member offer to take me out on Friday. I am excited like a little kid. Haven't been out this year. Hoping and praying the whitefish cooperate.

Wolfsnare, I truly appreciate you offering to meet up and help too. I did have another younger member offer to take me out on Monday too. The support on this forum goes above and beyond in making an old farts day. I will message you and maybe we can do a meet and greet in the near future.

I am sincerely grateful for our Alberta outdoorsmen and women. It truly means the world to me. Thank you.

[-JR-]

Originally Posted by Red Bullets

Thank you so much for your consideration. I did have a member offer to take me out on Friday. I am excited like a little kid. Haven't been out this year. Hoping and praying the whitefish cooperate.

Wolfsnare, I truly appreciate you offering to meet up and help too. I did have another younger member offer to take me out on Monday too. The support on this forum goes above and beyond in making an old farts day. I will message you and maybe we can do a meet and greet in the near future.

I am sincerely grateful for our Alberta outdoorsmen and women. It truly means the world to me. Thank you.

Its been awhile since I Ice fished ,if his offer falls threw i might be able to go out with you on Saturday .only have an SUV not a truck

[WildCats]

Originally Posted by Red Bullets

This week... Feb 13 to 20th.

I would love to get out at least once this winter to ice fish at Pigeon lake. If anyone going fishing there has room for a passenger it would be greatly appreciated. I am in South Edmonton if it could happen. I no longer drive and this would probably be my last time on the ice due to health.

I know the lake good and fished it for several decades with good success. Would love at least one more whitefish from there. Hopefully more. I have my own gear and do not require to sit in your tent.

Would only work this coming week as I have a chemo treatment the following week.

Thank you for considering my asking. Please message me if I could tag along.

Anytime you want to go, let me know. I can head up from Wetaskiwin early to pick you up. All gear and hot lunch supplied, whatever you need.

WC

[Elchinodiablo]

Man, this people on this forum are amazing!! I gotta say kudos to all the guys and girls that are willing to step up at a moments notice to to offer advice, information and a helping hand and their experiences to make someone elses day jist a litlle better. I am not to proud to say this makes my heart happy and gives me hope. Keep it going people!!

Sent from my SM-S911W using Tapatalk

[coyotezh]

Originally Posted by pikeman06

I got my limit in an hour and a half on Monday. A little deeper than I prefer to fish, but filled the smoker with 10 nice whites. Almost too fat and greasy, but not complaining. Sent my buddy to the same spot and he went 2 days without a fish. Go figure.

only explaination: you caught all the fish in the area

[Red Bullets]

Was able to get out to Pigeon today with an AO member. Horpenski and I fished in three different depths over the course of the day. 17 ft., 30 ft and 5 ft. I was a beautiful day on the ice but the fishing sucked. We marked lots of fish in deep water but no bites. The last 2 hours we fished in 5 feet of water and I hooked into a big pike but it stole my hook and swam away. Couldn't keep and pike anyways.

A very big hats off and commendations to Horpenski for his generosity to take me out. He is an upstanding gent that made for a pleasant day. Too bad the fish weren't more user friendly. I was so sure we would catch at least a whitefish each.

There were several others fishing in deep water but not sure how they made out either.

So much for the Red Bullet's fishing report. It was wonderful to get out icefishing. Thank you to the AO forum too.

[fish99]

Originally Posted by Red Bullets

Was able to get out to Pigeon today with an AO member. Horpenski and I fished in three different depths over the course of the day. 17 ft., 30 ft and 5 ft. I was a beautiful day on the ice but the fishing sucked. We marked lots of fish in deep water but no bites. The last 2 hours we fished in 5 feet of water and I hooked into a big pike but it stole my hook and swam away. Couldn't keep and pike anyways.

A very big hats off and commendations to Horpenski for his generosity to take me out. He is an upstanding gent that made for a pleasant day. Too bad the fish weren't more user friendly. I was so sure we would catch at least a whitefish each.

There were several others fishing in deep water but not sure how they made out either.

So much for the Red Bullet's fishing report. It was wonderful to get out icefishing. Thank you to the AO forum too.

glad you were able to get out , the morning bite was good , not much moving after 10 am . it will only get better keep tring , there is lots of whites in the lake . no summer kills the last 2 years .

[coyotezh]

Originally Posted by fish99

glad you were able to get out , the morning bite was good , not much moving after 10 am . it will only get better keep tring , there is lots of whites in the lake . no summer kills the last 2 years .

Correct me if I am wrong.... I thought the reason for low white population in Pigeon lake is because there are too many Walleyes in the lake, not just summer kills?

[Curtsyneil]

If there was a poor population of whitefish in the lake the daily limit listed in the regulations would have bin changed many years.

[fish99]

Originally Posted by coyotezh

Correct me if I am wrong.... I thought the reason for low white population in Pigeon lake is because there are too many Walleyes in the lake, not just summer kills?

Both can cause low population
The walleye numbers are way down from the hay days.

[Soiler]

Originally Posted by coyotezh

Correct me if I am wrong.... I thought the reason for low white population in Pigeon lake is because there are too many Walleyes in the lake, not just summer kills?

The numbers of years now with no commercial netting would definitely be helping their numbers… I doubt that their numbers have ever really gotten that low, Pigeon has been known for its whitefish for a longtime. The cannery back in the day shipped them all over…

[Macdrizzle]

Went on Saturday Feb 17. Slow day. 6 bites, landed 4 and kept 2.

Something turned the bites off after noon. Still marked a few fish far and in-between. They would chase the hook then turn away last minute. This is my second time for me on the lake. Steep learning curve

[Curtsyneil]

Originally Posted by Macdrizzle

Went on Saturday Feb 17. Slow day. 6 bites, landed 4 and kept 2.

Something turned the bites off after noon. Still marked a few fish far and in-between. They would chase the hook then turn away last minute. This is my second time for me on the lake. Steep learning curve

Mornings are always better for activity than the afternoon. If you were to look straight up into the sky and noticed that there was no clouds in the sky so a blue bird day with lots of sun that also explains why the fish were not cooperating. I would say the reason why they were chasing your hook then turning away cause they see your line or the hook wasn’t what they wanted. For a guy that just started goin out there chasing whites the day you had actually was prity good so I wouldn’t be to disappointed.

[lakerman]

Originally Posted by Macdrizzle

Went on Saturday Feb 17. Slow day. 6 bites, landed 4 and kept 2.

Something turned the bites off after noon. Still marked a few fish far and in-between. They would chase the hook then turn away last minute. This is my second time for me on the lake. Steep learning curve

The secret I have never cracked, other places I can catch and release my share, the pigeon lake haunts me till this day.

[Drewski Canuck]

For the whites, we used to catch loads of them in the same places that the Burbot are spawning.

Burbs dump millions of eggs, and everything in the water will be at the area eating as many eggs as possible.

Sometimes a burb will get hooked, and I believe burbs are closed right now at Pigeon so they have to go back. But you will get lots of whites on the same spots that the Burbot are spawning.

By the way, anyone have an idea of how much a 33 inch burbot would weigh? No scale with us, and it was well over 10 #, but just a guess.


Drewski

[Fradaburidi]

Originally Posted by Macdrizzle

They would chase the hook then turn away last minute.

If your hook is not at the end of the line, let's say you have a small spoon and above it is the hook, the fish a lot of time will hit the line first when trying to get to the hook/wire worm and go away.

I don't fish with more tan one hook/lure. I find it messy

[SNAPFisher]

Originally Posted by Drewski Canuck

For the whites, we used to catch loads of them in the same places that the Burbot are spawning.

Burbs dump millions of eggs, and everything in the water will be at the area eating as many eggs as possible.

Sometimes a burb will get hooked, and I believe burbs are closed right now at Pigeon so they have to go back. But you will get lots of whites on the same spots that the Burbot are spawning.

By the way, anyone have an idea of how much a 33 inch burbot would weigh? No scale with us, and it was well over 10 #, but just a guess.


Drewski

Nice!!! My biggest is 29 inches and 9 lbs so for sure over 10 lbs.

[SNAPFisher]

Originally Posted by Macdrizzle

Went on Saturday Feb 17. Slow day. 6 bites, landed 4 and kept 2.

Something turned the bites off after noon. Still marked a few fish far and in-between. They would chase the hook then turn away last minute. This is my second time for me on the lake. Steep learning curve

Nice work!

[cube]

Originally Posted by fish99

Both can cause low population
The walleye numbers are way down from the hay days.

I don't think the walleye numbers are down much if any, at least given the Fall netting data over the last number of years.

2022 41.4 per net per night
2020 28.5 per net per night
2018 51.5 per net per night
2015 51.5 per net per night
2013 47.6 per net per night
2012 39.9 per net per night
2010 29.0 per net per night

So I think it is still valid to say that the high walleye numbers are still contributing to an ecological imbalance in that lake.

[RACKER]

I was wondering how the ice is at the Mulhurst launch. Trying to decide to bring the truck or quad. With the temperature not being that warm the last week that the ice should be good enough to bring the truck but wanted to hear back if others were driving on the last couple days.

[fish99]

Lots of trucks out today getting on at sandholm beach

[SNAPFisher]

Originally Posted by RACKER

I was wondering how the ice is at the Mulhurst launch. Trying to decide to bring the truck or quad. With the temperature not being that warm the last week that the ice should be good enough to bring the truck but wanted to hear back if others were driving on the last couple days.

Filled the wife's walleye tags on Wednesday evening. Barely any melt. You are good with the truck and you don't even need cleats.

[fish99]

all good things have come to a end . pigeon lake was on fire this ice fishing season . spent many days catching and releasing limits of whites . introduced new people to white fishing , made new friends along the way . some even caught bigger fish then i did .beginers luck lol. i think the numbers of whites are way up from years passed and only will get better. nothing over 10 lbs this year. but did chat with a few that cracked the 10 lb mark. hope all had a great season we did.
cannot wait till next season . cheers