Grotto Pond near Exshaw

GWC · #1 04-11-2014, 12:56 PM

Grotto Pond clear of ice now, access is good and boardwalk in good shape. Fish are there and being hotly pursued by earlybirds! cheers

the local angler · #2 04-11-2014, 02:11 PM

wow really i would have thought that it would be still ice covered good to know thanks

TROLLER · #3 04-11-2014, 04:27 PM

Cannot imagine there would be many fish in there. They only put about 2000 every year to begin with. Most of them are caught usually by Sept

the local angler · #4 04-11-2014, 04:35 PM

i hear most stocked ponds and lake in alberta only got half of the volume they were suppose to get because of the flooding last year. most of the stock was moved to a different hatchery or something.

kinwahkly · #5 04-11-2014, 10:33 PM

Are they last years fish? they wouldn't have stk it yet?

Flieguy · #6 04-12-2014, 08:24 AM

pics???

stocking usually begins late april

bergman · #7 04-12-2014, 07:42 PM

Was out again today - cold day, but no ice on the pond - Just on my rod! Could only last about half an hour before things got plugged up entirely. Might try again tomorrow, supposed to be +7c.

I only saw one jump while I was there.

the local angler · #8 04-12-2014, 10:00 PM

nice must be the only fish left in the lake lol i can't tell from that pic were you fly fishing? might head up there myself too maybe was going to do a scouting trip to see the ice situation on a few of the lakes.

Flieguy · #9 04-12-2014, 11:34 PM

awesome! see you and the rest of the southern alberta forum members there

bergman · #10 04-13-2014, 07:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by the local angler

nice must be the only fish left in the lake lol i can't tell from that pic were you fly fishing? might head up there myself too maybe was going to do a scouting trip to see the ice situation on a few of the lakes.

Yeah, I took the fly rod, but I'd have probably done better with a pickerel rig and some corn. Too cold.

Flieguy · #11 04-13-2014, 09:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bergman

Yeah, I took the fly rod, but I'd have probably done better with a pickerel rig and some corn. Too cold.

did you try chironomids, scuds, or any type of nymphs?

TROLLER · #12 04-13-2014, 05:20 PM

Did you happen to check out Gap lake down the road?

I am thinking both those spots would have been beat up pretty bad after last Junes floods.

kinwahkly · #13 04-13-2014, 06:16 PM

Grotto pond no secret out there .

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flieguy

awesome! see you and the rest of the southern alberta forum members there

GWC · #14 04-13-2014, 07:03 PM

..as of April 11th no open water on Gap Lake

the local angler · #15 04-13-2014, 08:04 PM

hmm i wonder if grotto has some sort of underground spring that thaws it more quickly then other lakes nearby.

bergman · #16 04-14-2014, 08:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TROLLER

Did you happen to check out Gap lake down the road?

I am thinking both those spots would have been beat up pretty bad after last Junes floods.

Gap Lake is about 50% ice free (yesterday, Apr. 13). The boat launch was open, but if the ice drifts that could change.

Both had pretty bad overland flooding last year - I think you're probably right and the fish took a beating. I don't know how much the pond got filled up, but the flood debris was pretty bad...

I have a photo of the parking lot from last July, after the flood:

FWIW I was fishing leeches and scuds.

bergman · #17 04-22-2014, 12:00 PM

Anybody know exactly what date they start stocking ponds?

kevinhits · #18 04-22-2014, 12:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bergman

Anybody know exactly what date they start stocking ponds?

I believe, from what I know from the past, is just before May long weekend

Pierre · #19 04-22-2014, 02:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by the local angler

i hear most stocked ponds and lake in alberta only got half of the volume they were suppose to get because of the flooding last year. most of the stock was moved to a different hatchery or something.

From the Calgary Journal

Tamara Unruh, public outreach program representative at the Bow Habitat Station, said over 250,000 fish were evacuated and despite electrical outages and volunteers knee-deep in water, every last fish was safely transported to the Cold Lake Fish Hatchery.

http://www.calgaryjournal.ca/index.p...-june-flooding

And I have looked through the stocking of my favourite lakes and it appears that my fav lakes got their usual amount of overstocked fish

Crackmacs · #20 04-23-2014, 03:11 PM

Was out at Grotto Pond on the weekend, just stopping by to picnic. Saw 5 or 6 people fishing. Watched two guys using bait of some kind pull 2 small trout out (which they kept), looked like they had been there a while. No ice whatsoever now.

mrmoose · #21 04-27-2014, 05:40 PM

Had to visit Grotto for work since we will be releasing the trout we have raised in our classroom out there at the end of May. It was a beautiful morning. Only bad part was not getting a bite. I only fished for about an hour and a half since I wanted to be back on town for the hockey game. Seems like a nice pond to get out to and I know I will be trying again soon.