Alberta - Here comes the TIGER Trout !

[waterninja]

I'm a little confused by some of the posts. I didn't think that ANY of the trout that are stocked in AB lakes are "native" to AB, and I don't think any of them reproduce.
I thought the main issue is whether or not they can survive our winters and even some of the summers we get. If Tiger Trout are a hardier breed and have a good or better chance to survive for a few (or more) years then I'm all for it.

[goldscud]

Cutthroat program:
http://esrd.alberta.ca/fish-wildlife...Jun04-2014.ppt


Bull trout in Upper Kananaskis lake came from the hatchery with origins in Lower Kan lake

[chriscosta]

Originally Posted by CanadianBadass

I may be wrong, But I heard a rumor that Hasse is getting them ! and no I am not joing lol !

Are you joking lol

[Northern Yaker]

Originally Posted by FlyTheory

That's awesome! Where did you get this info from? Thanks for the update 😊

Saw a few others ask as well... Can anybody provide some actual proof of this?? Provide a link?? Otherwise it's all just part of the AO rumor mill.

[Brandonkop]

Originally Posted by CanadianBadass

I may be wrong, But I heard a rumor that Hasse is getting them ! and no I am not joing lol !

You mean Hasse might actually turn into a reasonably good fishery again??? I can't wait till they stock and grow a few years. Will be awesome to have a new fish around. All the guys saying waste of money.... what native stocks were you hoping they would improve? When they do so called stocking for native stocks they end up ruining the fisheries anyways. Trout fisheries near cities are a great way for people who do not have as much resources to get out and do some fishing. I'm highly in favor of trout stocking! I just wish they would aerate more lakes so the investment wouldn't disappear in the case of winterkill. I've spent many days fishing Hermitage Park, Cardiff, Mornville... when say I didn't have time to get out to a real lake and I'm sure glad those ponds are around. We really need the ACA to aerate Hermitage park pond though... that thing would grow some slobs!

[Xbolt7mm]

Originally Posted by goldscud

Crawling valley trout were not Gerrards...just regular rainbow stockers and Bow fish that grew with unlimited food resources.

It was originally stocked with Gerards

[RavYak]

Hopefully they stock a couple lakes out in the boonies somewhere where the fishing pressure won't be too great and in a few years a guy might be able to go catch a nice tiger. Anywhere close to the cities will get hammered.

[tight line]

Originally Posted by RavYak

Hopefully they stock a couple lakes out in the boonies somewhere where the fishing pressure won't be too great and in a few years a guy might be able to go catch a nice tiger. Anywhere close to the cities will get hammered.

Thinking the same thing... These fish should be stocked in a fairly remote lake, with minimal other species, strictly C&R and No Bait. Try and keep fishing pressure on the light side untill they see how they overwinter, and get an idea of growth rates. If its Successfull, then think about stocking some lakes closer to urban areas. Not saying everybody doesnt have a right to fish for them, but putting them in high pressure lakes is not a good idea, considering these fish probably have a pretty large price tag..

[slough shark]

Why wouldn't they stock them in trout ponds with perch? With a minimum size limit it seems to me that this would be a win win, they keep the perch under control and we get to catch large aggressive fish!

[dbllung]

Hate to sound like a defeatist , but if anglers are only "encouraged" to let them go , then they are likely to be like the rest of our heavily pounded stocked trout populations. They need to be protected with no uncertain terms. Tired of catching tonnes of little fish in "quality" fisheries where a big trout is 20 inches. It is laughable !

Jmo

[Rikkles Fisher]

Mmm 🐯

[Deep]

Yes, Flieguy is correct. It is the potential for reproduction that has our fisheries folks concerned about escapement.

[Bhflyfisher]

Originally Posted by dbllung

Hate to sound like a defeatist , but if anglers are only "encouraged" to let them go , then they are likely to be like the rest of our heavily pounded stocked trout populations. They need to be protected with no uncertain terms. Tired of catching tonnes of little fish in "quality" fisheries where a big trout is 20 inches. It is laughable !

Jmo

x2.

20" trout, is not a quality trout. That does not set the bench mark for a quality fishery. To say we even have quality stocked fisheries in the first place is pretty laughable (minus a couple reclaimed lakes). Honestly I'd like to see them dropped somewhere with a reasonable hike in. No bait. C&R.

Get it going, get a good idea on their habits, and go from there. Anywhere near the big 3 cities in Alberta (Edmonton, Calgary, Medicine Hat) is just going to get pounded if its one of the few lakes in Alberta that has tigers.

[Luxor]

Originally Posted by Bhflyfisher

x2.

20" trout, is not a quality trout. That does not set the bench mark for a quality fishery. To say we even have quality stocked fisheries in the first place is pretty laughable (minus a couple reclaimed lakes). Honestly I'd like to see them dropped somewhere with a reasonable hike in. No bait. C&R.

Get it going, get a good idea on their habits, and go from there. Anywhere near the big 3 cities in Alberta (Edmonton, Calgary, Medicine Hat) is just going to get pounded if its one of the few lakes in Alberta that has tigers.

What do you consider a reasonable hike?
That's a tough call because its going to exclude many people.
Personally I'd like to not see more C&R fishing.
The point of fishing and hunting is to eat. But sadly its turned into a game of fun and a manufacturers financial gain.

[tight line]

Originally Posted by Luxor

What do you consider a reasonable hike?
That's a tough call because its going to exclude many people.
Personally I'd like to not see more C&R fishing.
The point of fishing and hunting is to eat. But sadly its turned into a game of fun and a manufacturers financial gain.

This is how i look at it on this Topic. Do you go fish for Golden Trout forFood? Same Concept with Tiger Trout. Im no C&R buff, i put alot of Fish on the Table.but Variety and quality , and change matter!

[Luxor]

Originally Posted by tight line

This is how i look at it on this Topic. Do you go fish for Golden Trout forFood? Same Concept with Tiger Trout. Im no C&R buff, i put alot of Fish on the Table.but Variety and quality , and change matter!

I see your point.
At least it's a good fighter and that counts for something.
And it's in the trout family so that's good too.

[RavYak]

Originally Posted by Bhflyfisher

x2.

20" trout, is not a quality trout. That does not set the bench mark for a quality fishery. To say we even have quality stocked fisheries in the first place is pretty laughable (minus a couple reclaimed lakes). Honestly I'd like to see them dropped somewhere with a reasonable hike in. No bait. C&R.

Get it going, get a good idea on their habits, and go from there. Anywhere near the big 3 cities in Alberta (Edmonton, Calgary, Medicine Hat) is just going to get pounded if its one of the few lakes in Alberta that has tigers.

And sadly it is hard to find a 20 inch trout...

I don't mind them putting some close to the city in fact that would be great especially since the majority of people would then settle with going to that closer lake to catch one. I just hope they stock a couple overwinter lakes a few hours away too so some of these trout get a chance to grow.

[J D]

When it comes to programs like this there will be those excited about it and others who disagree with it.

The truth of the matter is it comes down to what an angler would like to see with the waters around them. You will never find an answer all agree with. There is an argument for or against any stocking program.

Like I stated I would rather see work done with native or at the min reproductive fish. Yes, rainbows are stocked sterile all over Canada and most are for a food fishery. Not a fan of this but the purpose is to provide a food fishery in most waters. This helps take pressure of other waters. As many are stating here they want tigers to be C&R trophy fisheries.

For a C&R in my opinion reproductive fish are a better option and species should be stocked in the waters they can thrive doing so. In many waters trout would not be a good option. Even in C&R waters restocking will need to be on going but not to the level of put and take lakes. You will have predators, poaching, and they will just expire with age(rainbow average life span id 4-8 years max).

If the tigers are going to be stocked C&R in past put & take lakes it will add pressure to the surrounding waters.

There is positives and negatives to this type of stocking.

Yes, you gain a new species to target which I agree is always fun. But this will come with an ongoing up keep cost. Depending on the waters they are stocked in and regs on tigers will depend on the effect this will have on each anglers fishing.

I personally have mixed feelings on the stocking of tigers. 1 hand it would be fun to target them on the other the ongoing cost and possible effects on the fishery in the waters they are stocked in.

As stated tigers are coming so lets hope it ends up as a positive addition. Only time will tell because there are many successful stories and failures when it comes to stocking a new species in attempts to create a new fishery

[smitty9]

Maybe one remote lake.

Tigers predate on perch, might as well use them as an overall perch mitigation strategy. Many of the stocked put and take lakes overrun with perch are close to populated areas.

In my opinion, its just as defeatist to say, "let's all hide them away in remote mountain and boreal lakes".

What was the stat someone quoted? They are 99.9% sterile? And if you keep them to pothole lakes in the parkland, escapement won't be an issue.

The success of Manitoba's FLIPPR program is based on having ACCESSIBLE quality lakes that the public can and should fish. If we're concerned about the tigers getting pounded - and let's face it, I agree, that is a pretty reasonable concern - then the way to combat that is 3-fold; (1) total C&R on all tigers for 5 years (at least), (2) education, (3) more enforcement.

Since AB is so bad at #2 and especially #3, I can understand the knee jerk reaction to restrict tiger stocking to hike in lakes. But that approach is not the best way to provide a basis for continual and growing public demand for more of these fisheries.

Put the tigers in lakes close to major urban areas, in lakes with suitable habitat, hope they'll thin the perch numbers, and just make the limit zero.

Definitely glad they're here!

Smitty

[pipco]

Having travelled to Manitoba to fish for tigers I'm totally thrilled that we are looking at stocking them in some AB lakes. If we can ever come close to Parklands Manitoba diversity and quality, it would be a feather in the cap of AB. SRD and a boon to anyone that enjoys fishing for trophy trout.

I hope they put regs' in place for C&R only or at the least minimal slot sizes.

[McLeod]

Just a little more information .. and no this is not rumour mill stuff..I only post facts and I thought this info would excite some anglers...
Hasse lake will be considered but the more likely candidate around Edmonton is East Pit..Water quality is good in there... Nothing has been decided yet...
This is the first season for Tigers and they won't even be in the regs so people will be asked to release them but each to there own. As this is the first season its just getting the foot in the door. So they may be put in lakes that already have Rainbows that allow the use of bait.. Think long term folks..In time they will be put in places where there will be restrictive regs as part of a quality fishery. They will not be in lakes with outflows so no they are not going anywhere near cutthroat or bull trout.

[dbllung]

I am not aware of even 1 c&r only stocked trout lake. This may be a good opportunity to try that!!

I have tried eating trout in many of Alberta's waters and so far they have all tasted like a steamy cup o coot crap!! (I am used to eating trout from clean clear water).

I personally don't see trout here as a food fish. But they are great sport when left to grow.

Only my opinion , but I am all for c & r on tigers in a few lakes !

[Penner]

Originally Posted by Xbolt7mm

It was originally stocked with Gerards

Pointless stocking lakes in Alberta with the Gerard strain as Gerard's are primarily fish eaters not insect eaters when they get to size. No Kokanee or Whitefish present in our potholes last I heard of and Stickleback's and Perch won't cut it.

[Xbolt7mm]

Originally Posted by Penner

Pointless stocking lakes in Alberta with the Gerard strain as Gerard's are primarily fish eaters not insect eaters when they get to size. No Kokanee or Whitefish present in our potholes last I heard of and Stickleback's and Perch won't cut it.

Never ever heard of any gerards being stocked in pothole lakes in Alberta and never said that. The only lakes that I know of were a few new reservoirs until the fishery takes. Primarily the first four to five years of a new dam. A darn site different than a pothole.

[bessiedog]

Took a group of kids to the Allison hatchery.
They got ONE there and are studying him!!!

Very very cool looking critter. Lots of discussions happening apparently.

Very lucky to see that!

[greylynx]

So the "cat" is out of the bag.

East Pit. Oh boy.

As one gentleman I was talking to last week said: "That will be like throwing those fish through a gauntlet". I agree.

This Tiger trout introduction reminds me of the stocking of Smallmouth Bass around Smokey Lake during the Getty days.

[Northern Yaker]

Originally Posted by dbllung

I am not aware of even 1 c&r only stocked trout lake. !

Beaver near Caroline only one I can think of...

[dbllung]

Originally Posted by Northern Yaker

Beaver near Caroline only one I can think of...

That used to be a reduced limit kill fishery. Glad to see it is closed now!!

[morgan]

Dont worry about all of this,

Treat them like the already not native rainbows we stock, have fun, and look forward to catching one. its not something we need to blow up,
there was not as much press about stocking browns (which are also not native)
to lakes like mitchel,East dollar, or even muir,

Just go out and have fun! Stocked fisheries are great, and putting fish in previously barren mud holes around alberta is awesome!

More money to invest in walleye is not needed....

[schmedlap]

Originally Posted by dbllung

I am not aware of even 1 c&r only stocked trout lake. This may be a good opportunity to try that!!

I have tried eating trout in many of Alberta's waters and so far they have all tasted like a steamy cup o coot crap!! (I am used to eating trout from clean clear water).

I personally don't see trout here as a food fish. But they are great sport when left to grow.

Only my opinion , but I am all for c & r on tigers in a few lakes !

Unless you smoke them, most trout caught out of stocked lakes in AB are not good eating, in any sense. I remember my small boys eagerly wanting to try some stocked rainbows, just fried up in bacon fat like we would do with brook trout "down east", and them being very disappointed, as I predicted (?). Terrible. Like a mouthful of the mud at the bottom of the lake.
Having said that, Brookies from mountain lakes (ex., Muskiki) and streams, in really cold water, and Cutthroats (back in the day when we were too ignorant to let them all go, places like Wapiabi) from the same very cold waters, and where the food source is primarily minnows are fabulous eating. I don't know if it is the food source or the water temperature which is the bigger factor. I suspect it is both - pike caught in places where they are primarily insect eaters are not very good eating either (?).
I am all for it, but make it C&R. There is no call, at all, for anyone to have meals of tigers, whether or not they are at all tasty. At this cost it should be purely about the sport, and the only way you will get any quantity of large ones in any fishery these days is to prohibit keeping them, and enforce this (good luck on that but...?).
If in fact they prey on perch then I am all for stocking them in Hasse and other productive potholes which have been ruined by the bucket brigade (or maybe it was birds?).