How was your opening day?

SamSteele · #1 05-16-2022, 10:41 AM

I know some areas have been open for a bit, but for those that opened on the weekend how was your first day out?

I got out with the fam to get some fish into the new rig.

SS

riderprider · #2 05-16-2022, 10:47 AM

Have you ever considered adopting an adult?

Outbound · #3 05-16-2022, 11:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by riderprider

Have you ever considered adopting an adult?

Right!? Fantastic fish. I need to find lakes that have lunkers like that in them. Best I've managed is about 24"...

zabbo · #4 05-16-2022, 11:26 AM

Some fine looking fisheeees there! Nice to see the family out!

58thecat · #5 05-16-2022, 02:53 PM

Not as big as yours but we killed it too!
Had a blast catching.

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dodger · #6 05-16-2022, 03:42 PM

Froze my b%tt off but had a 40 Pike day. I think one of your Pike total lbs is higher than all of mine combined

But I do have a sore jaw from smiling for 8 hours.

Dodger.

Bushleague · #7 05-16-2022, 04:31 PM

I got off nightshift at 6 this morning, did some shore fishing on the way home for a couple hours. Caught one really nice walleye in the neighborhood of 6 lbs, one half decent pike around the 30" mark, and a couple smaller fish.

Got days off for the next 4 days, and then the family is taking off for the long weekend so I should be able to get a fair bit of fishing in this next week.

Smoky buck · #8 05-16-2022, 05:14 PM

One more shift then I am off for 5days some fishing will happen

AlbertanGP · #9 05-16-2022, 08:40 PM

Awesome photos Mark...I always look forward to your early season pike photos...even better with the family out.

Surprisingly, I actually managed to fish for a couple of hours Saturday morning after spending all day Friday mapping. I fished an electric-only trout lake I spent all last weekend mapping in the cold/rain/snow/whitecaps. I caught this nice 6lb rainbow trolling across the deepest part of the lake with a 3 way rig with PowerBait. I then had to promptly go home and have a shower since I felt dirty.

The kids got a Frenchie pup a few weeks ago and I swear that thing can sleep anywhere. It can make you second guess jumping into 48*F water when it farts as well. lol.

roper1 · #10 05-16-2022, 09:05 PM

Awesome pics Gents! Well done!!

SamSteele · #11 05-17-2022, 04:38 AM

Nice work Dean! That pup looks like he’s going to be a great boat dog. I always wanted one of those, but my NSDT always wants to retrieve every cast and has been known to go in after a fish splashing in the surface.

Anyone else get out after them over the weekend?

tirebob · #12 05-17-2022, 07:09 AM

Wow great opening day boys!

WayneChristie · #13 05-17-2022, 07:18 AM

I hit the lower Bow on Monday last week. water level is way down but I did catch a dozen fish, 2 types of suckers and a walleye, no dinos yet. hopefully we get some good runoff this year!

SNAPFisher · #14 05-17-2022, 07:54 AM

Nice pics and fish Sam and AlbertaGP!!
The family looks like they are all having a great time. The dogs look incredibly relaxes

I think runoff will be later than normal. It has been a cold start. Heading to Jasper this weekend and looks like two nights will be into negative temps.

fish99 · #15 05-17-2022, 11:13 AM

caught lots of pike biggest was 42 inches . was cold most days.

Outbound · #16 05-17-2022, 12:15 PM

Great pics AlbertanGP!

I'm on days off next week so I'm hoping to hit one of our local trout lakes. Lord willing turnover holds off until then.

AK47 · #17 05-17-2022, 01:38 PM

Got first sturgeon of the season ( 49 inches), 3 silver redhorse, 2 goldeye and 2 shorthead redhorse. So it was nice, except at the end of the day got hammered with rain and hail lol.

58thecat · #18 05-17-2022, 03:22 PM

Well done!

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dr.crentist · #19 05-17-2022, 03:59 PM

Got out for an hour and a bit on Sunday night, sun was shining, couple of beers on the dock. Little Pike and Walleye, one each.

Bushleague · #20 05-17-2022, 05:56 PM

Took the boat out on Lesser Slave this morning with my daughter, pretty bad chop and dirty water so we didnt catch much. Hit it from the shore in a spot that tends to produce better under such conditions, using deadbait and a float. Got a half dozen or so pike, two were around 30 inches.

Tomorrow I'll hit an out of the way favorite ( long boat ride, or a tough hike through a swamp) that almost always produces some nice pike in the early season.

Gbuss · #21 05-18-2022, 12:16 PM

Managed a nice 23.5 and a 21 inch walleye Sunday morning

Gbuss

Bushleague · #22 05-18-2022, 04:01 PM

Hiked through the swamp to my "Super Secret Spot", its a bad enough slog that you basically always question your sanity on the way in.

Didnt land anything trophy class, but the afternoon was pure magic with non stop pike in the 30-36" range on deadbaits. Sometimes after the cast my float would just lay on its side and I'd think the bobber stop had slipped... only to find a pike had picked up the bait before it had time to sink.

Eventually a monster pike decided to eat my bobber and ended up cutting the line, instead of re-rigging I switched to lures. The lures werent catching as well as deadbaits, but covering water more aggressively I did land some nice fish that I likely wouldnt have put a herring in front of.

Hiking out I once again had to question my sanity... still deciding if I'll go back tomorrow.

SamSteele · #23 05-18-2022, 04:44 PM

Good stories and pics all!

SamSteele · #24 05-22-2022, 06:50 PM

First two fish yesterday were over 40”. That’s always the start of a great day!

Bushleague · #25 05-22-2022, 07:08 PM

Nice fish Sam, I havent yet managed to hit the 40" mark this season. But I've had some great days, with fish in the 32-36" range real steady.

Today I got a massive walleye on a 8" herring before work, probably give it another go tomorrow morning on the way home.

Too, I've never really understood the point of double tailed jigs, but finally clued in to the fact that they can be fished much slower in shallow water. They're working really well for me, ya learn something new every season I guess

sns2 · #26 05-23-2022, 04:28 PM

Way to go guys!!!!

Smoky buck · #27 05-23-2022, 04:40 PM

Made it out for my first open water trip and opted to go knock my first tiger off the list. The wife and I only fished for about 2-4hrs and caught about 30 trout between the two of use a mix of rainbows, Tigers and one brown caught at the river on the way home. Nothing big with the largest being 14inches

Only took a pic of the first little Tiger I caught

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AlbertanGP · #28 05-28-2022, 01:03 PM

Probably the only picture you'll see of me with a pike as I don't fish for them. I caught this guy at 10pm last night while hammering walleye off my dock...38.5". Apparently I wasn't the only one fishing for walleye.

Twisted Canuck · #29 05-28-2022, 02:35 PM

Nice fish Dean!

Outbound · #30 05-28-2022, 03:39 PM

I got out to a local lake on Wednesday. Flies weren't producing so I switched to my spinning rod and dragged a Kwikfish behind me as I moved locations on the lake. That produced a very fat 22" rainbow that I'm estimating at 7 - 8 pounds. Easily the biggest I've pulled out of that lake to date. About 20 minutes later I got another fish about 4 pounds and an hour after that I got one about 1.5lbs. Then things died right off, the wind kicked up and the weather turned so I called it a day. Pretty good way to start the season.

Sorry, no pics. I was fishing alone and am primarily a C&R guy.