lake trout, Athabasca river.

[Talking moose]

Originally Posted by Jet

I would engage you in a battle of wits but I refuse to duel with an unarmed person.

I'd still take you with no arms.....
Now go knit me a sweater you big brute!

[tight line]

Originally Posted by CK Angler

Well, here it is folks, straight from the horses mouth. It will fall under the provincial regulation allowing a catch limit of three. See attached screenshot, I contacted F&W through Facebook.

And im reading all this, thinking, man, to me it would fall under Provincial catch limits (3 lake trout) And i thought i knew the regs..i would have been a dirty poacher..

Definately a few areas that are easy to misinterpret. Glad to see some clarification, and glad to see that there are lakers(and a few Bulls) being caught there! Great thread!

[Positrac]

I'm going to bonk one in my favorite hole on Sunday....that's if I an get there. Not much water in the Athabasca these days.

[catnthehat]

Originally Posted by Positrac

I'm going to bonk one in my favorite hole on Sunday....that's if I an get there. Not much water in the Athabasca these days.

Getrdun!
You shouldn't have to much of a issue with your outfit- just remember that bad cut about three miles up, and the crossover at about 7 miles - oh, and don't forget the rifles at 12 miles, and......yeah, guess there isn't much water!
Cat

[Positrac]

Originally Posted by catnthehat

Getrdun!
You shouldn't have to much of a issue with your outfit- just remember that bad cut about three miles up, and the crossover at about 7 miles - oh, and don't forget the rifles at 12 miles, and......yeah, guess there isn't much water!
Cat

When are you going to break out old "Double Time"? Peak flow is at the end of May - beginning of June. If there is ever a time to jump the falls that will be it. A couple boats for an overnighter to the Grand would be fun.

[CK Angler]

Well would you look at that ! Just released this guy, 35 inches. Took me 9 years but I've finally done it ! Landed my first Athabasca River lake trout. So pumped right now!!
WOW!!
That's great!'
Cat

[Talking moose]

Originally Posted by CK Angler

Well would you look at that ! Just released this guy, 35 inches. Took me 9 years but I've finally done it ! Landed my first Athabasca River lake trout. So pumped right now!!

Right on!! Seems there's a targetable population around there! Amazing

[Positrac]

Very nice Laker CK! Congrats!

[Talking moose]

And he just caught another one 29"!!!! Good job CK!!!

[CK Angler]

Zero in 9 years, 2 in one day how freakin sweet is that !

[Positrac]

What a great day! Get's me pumped for tomorrow!

[catnthehat]

Originally Posted by CK Angler

Zero in 9 years, 2 in one day how freakin sweet is that !

You're on fire, Kid!
Cat

[catnthehat]

Originally Posted by Positrac

When are you going to break out old "Double Time"? Peak flow is at the end of May - beginning of June. If there is ever a time to jump the falls that will be it. A couple boats for an overnighter to the Grand would be fun.

Left Doubletime down at the lake today, will roll the old girl up next week hopefully
Cat

[SamSteele]

Originally Posted by CK Angler

Well would you look at that ! Just released this guy, 35 inches. Took me 9 years but I've finally done it ! Landed my first Athabasca River lake trout. So pumped right now!!

WOW!!

That's great!'

Cat

Great picture!

[CK Angler]

Here is a pic of the 29" these guys put up a good scrap when your fighting them in the current. I put in a 13 hour shift fishing from 8-9 yesterday, and I believe that the lakers were in chasing Goldeye. The Goldeye were super active and I caught more pike in the area then ever before so I feel the pike were in feeding on them as well. It was a slow day overall but when the Goldeye started jumping the bites would follow, patience was key. And I picked up two garbage bags worth of others ppl's crap left behind, fish gods rewarded me

[catnthehat]

Amazing , same as when we are fishing the shallows - when you see Minnies jumping cast right to them because there is something chasing them!

When you think about it, Lakers this far upstream should not be unusual , we have caught walleye at Mountain Rapids that were tagged in the big lake.
Cat

[Talking moose]

Another laker caught at ft Mac today by a different fisher.... 26".

[catnthehat]

Originally Posted by Talking moose

Another laker caught at ft Mac today by a different fisher.... 26".

Okay this begs the question - are so many bring caught recently because of a schooling / migration trend, or have they always been caught but nobody figured it was unusual??
I never heard of so many being caught here before .
Cat

[Talking moose]

Originally Posted by catnthehat

Okay this begs the question - are so many bring caught recently because of a schooling / migration trend, or have they always been caught but nobody figured it was unusual??
I never heard of so many being caught here before .
Cat

No clue. Lakers are a fall spawning fish, was wonderful if they swim upstream to spawn and got iced in last fall and had to hole up in the deeper pools until the ice let go? Plausible I guess.... Especially if the river was exceptionally low late last fall at freeze up....

[Talking moose]

Today's was caught under the bridge to somewhere.

[catnthehat]

Originally Posted by Talking moose

No clue. Lakers are a fall spawning fish, was wonderful if they swim upstream to spawn and got iced in last fall and had to hole up in the deeper pools until the ice let go? Plausible I guess.... Especially if the river was exceptionally low late last fall at freeze up....

The river will not freeze right down, the current is normally about 3mphIIRC
It is pretty clear when the level is low , but compared to the east end of the big lake it is pretty silty!
Cat

[Talking moose]

Originally Posted by catnthehat

The river will not freeze right down, the current is normally about 3mphIIRC
It is pretty clear when the level is low , but compared to the east end of the big lake it is pretty silty!
Cat

Ya, it doesn't freeze right down, but some of the shallower portions must be pretty tight to the bottom? Maybe tough for a 10 lb fish to navigate through? I don't know... Just a thought.

[CK Angler]

I was up ice fishing the big lake end of March this year, and when chatting with the locals they were telling us since Alberta banned comerical netting they find more and more lakers every year in their own nets, his theory was since there's so much more lakers now with the ban on commercial netting that they are moving further south west into the Alberta side of the lake in search of food. If you've never been the Alberta side of the lake is relativley shallow and years ago according to this guy it wasn't all that common to pull up lakers in their nets in the numbers they do now. Thinking about his comments yesterday, and seeing how i landed those two, it kind of makes sense. There is probably more lake trout in the river then we think, coming up with the migrating fish in the spring following the food source. It's certainly not the worst theory. My question is now, I wonder if they stick around all year? The river is pretty shallow, I'm certainly no biologist, so I don't know if they can survive year round when the water warms. Either way it's pretty cool to know they are up here and are somewhat targetable, atleast they seem to be in the spring.

[Talking moose]

People were catching lakers through the ice on the river. Seen pics on Facebook. So most likely spend the winter in the deeper holes. Think I seen those pics on AFB on your thread CK.

[catnthehat]

They may leave the river in the summer as the water warms up slightly as well .
The netting moratorium does certainly make sense !
Cat

[catnthehat]

Originally Posted by Talking moose

People were catching lakers through the ice on the river. Seen pics on Facebook. So most likely spend the winter in the deeper holes. Think I seen those pics on AFB on your thread CK.

Even the deep holes are not that deep however.
The deepest I have found is a hole that is 28' ,Just before Firesign which is only about 11 miles north of town.
The lake averages only about 5' IIRC
Cat

[CK Angler]

Was out hunting big fall walleye yesterday on the Athabasca and this big girl decided to come out and play ! 38 inches ! Thought I had the biggest walleye of my life on and was surprised to see this big girl, we were rigging big minnows when she bite, that's three this year now ! Felt like I needed to revive this thread.

[ROA]

That fish is probably over 20years old? Wonder how many of those years were spent in the river? Interesting.

[Positrac]

Originally Posted by ROA

That fish is probably over 20years old? Wonder how many of those years were spent in the river? Interesting.

Knowing CK that big girl will live to spawn again. Great fish btw. I went by there on Saturday but was too busy looking for the non-existent moose to fish.

[CK Angler]

Originally Posted by Positrac

Knowing CK that big girl will live to spawn again. Great fish btw. I went by there on Saturday but was too busy looking for the non-existent moose to fish.

Thanks ! It was a slower day overall but catching the big girl made up for it !

Should have chucked a line in when you were up north, I've heard there's deadly Fishin up there, I'm still hoping to make it up there one of these days.

May not be able to find moose but i heard you found a sand bar lol

Cheers bud cya on the river