Game of Inches - Alberta Outdoorsmen Edition (2022)

[Twisted Canuck]

Originally Posted by AlbertanGP

I don't. Mandy might. But just shoot me a PM with your number.

The boy's in dental school in Saskatoon for the foreseeable future. I may want to shoot *at* him by the time the final tally comes in...

He's a good boy Dean! Always liked him just fine.

PM on the way.

[mooseknuckle]

Originally Posted by Frank_NK28

Did you apply for a SK Master Angler Certificate for your 24" Rainbow? SK has a Master Angler program. A Rainbow needs to be 22"(tail pinched ) to qualify. You can do it through the phone app. I found out about it too late to put through a few fish last year but managed to get one Brookie(18" minimum) registered. I could have had 6 Brookies in the past two winters had I known and the same in Rainbows. I have it on my phone now! If you are going to fish SK as often as you do you should have it too.

https://swf.sk.ca/master-angler-program/

Send me a message, I've got a new and improved bump board. Free of charge for you. Great post, great Fish!!

[Stinky Buffalo]

My oldest son caught/released this respectable burbot recently. Now he wishes he had brought a tape along!

[58thecat]

Originally Posted by Stinky Buffalo

My oldest son caught/released this respectable burbot recently. Now he wishes he had brought a tape along!

All I see is affordable poor man’s lobster.
Congrats to your son on a great catch.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[35 whelen]

Originally Posted by Stinky Buffalo

My oldest son caught/released this respectable burbot recently. Now he wishes he had brought a tape along!

There's a lot of ways to measure something without a tape your fishing rod for one

Sent from my SM-G930W8 using Tapatalk

[35 whelen]

Nice burbot

Sent from my SM-G930W8 using Tapatalk

[AlbertanGP]

Originally Posted by Stinky Buffalo

My oldest son caught/released this respectable burbot recently. Now he wishes he had brought a tape along!

Congrats to your son. They are starting to move around more now that the spawn is approaching, and we're seeing them frequently as bycatches walleye fishing. I thought I saw a couple of monster walleyes come through on the LiveScope last Friday. Finessed the smaller of the two to bite and wound up with a burbot around that size. Took some friends out the next day on my home lake and helped a fellow catch his first burbot ice fishing..also about the same size. The day was slow overall, but he was ecstatic with his burbot. My how times have changed.

[AlbertanGP]

I've been fishing within three or so hours of my cabin the past month or so, waiting for my bigger trips to start after Family Day weekend. To say the February Doldrums are a thing is an understatement...fishing has been tough. The odd nice fish comes along though...



I just realized after next weekend, I have no time left to fish for big pike until April. I'll have to figure something out for that, as there's close to a foot left on the table to upgrade my pike. I also won't have time to upgrade the whitefish, although that's not too big of a deal.

• Burbot - 32"
• Pike - 32"
• Lake Trout -
• Other Trout - 24" Rainbow (Caught in Sask.)
• Panfish - 14" Perch
• Walleye - 26.75"
• Whitefish - 21"

149.75" with no laker. I've been trying to get out to B.C. to fish Williston, but the weather has made it too unsafe. As of a couple of weeks ago, two sleds and a quad had gone through that I know of.

[tirebob]

That is a nice football right there!

[58thecat]

You can always make a run to bakers narrows for big momma lakers and pike to increase your total big time!

Or hang out here for few over 30….

I am now not sitting where the dinks are!

Big bait etc to discourage the wee ones.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[AlbertanGP]

Originally Posted by 58thecat

You can always make a run to bakers narrows for big momma lakers and pike to increase your total big time!

Or hang out here for few over 30….

I am now not sitting where the dinks are!

Big bait etc to discourage the wee ones.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'm up your way the first weekend in March. I'll give a call a few days before I come out to see if we can maybe meet up. I was invited by some friends so I don't want to stray too far. Could always go stink up a restaurant one day after fishing as well.

[AlbertanGP]

Well, I figured I'd update this thread to show what is possible in Alberta before March rolls around. The bite has been steadily declining the past six weeks or so, but should start picking up again soon. I'll have to make adjustments to my schedule to get out for pike sometime before ice out, but I think I did ok so far.

I've been out just once so far for lakers. I'm not unhappy with this 31.5" fish, but there are much bigger fish in the lakes I have plans to fish yet this season.





It's also go time for burbot, more so the further south you go. This isn't the biggest fish I've caught so far by weight (more to come on that fish later , but it was the longest at 36" (I have to crop the bump board measurement out of some video still...too busy fishing ).

• Burbot - 36"
• Pike - 32"
• Lake Trout - 31.5"
• Other Trout - 24" Rainbow (Caught in Sask,)
• Panfish - 14" Perch
• Walleye - 26.75"
• Whitefish - 21"

My total so far...with the best fishing of the year for most species still ahead of us in March...is 185.25". I started this thread because I was annoyed at everyone moaning how bad the fishing is in Alberta during Game of Inches. They are out there. Now where's that 42" pike?

[58thecat]

Wow, very well done, perseverance pays off!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Kokaneeranger]

Looks like a great hardwater season so far, bring on March Madness!!!

[AlbertanGP]

March ticks on. Went to Cold Lake a couple of weeks ago. Had a great time with friends (58thecat). But my biggest Laker was 30", so no updates from that trip. Last week I was away on business in Vancouver. I forgot to go out on Sunday, breaking my streak of ice fishing at least once a week every week since the start of last season.

Anyways, back in the saddle in northern Saskatchewan this past weekend. Fishing was actually really tough...really tough. It didn't help that I snapped off a big fish in the first fifteen minutes both mornings. Arggh! Anyways, I did to manage to catch a rather large female. Just like the last one we caught before Christmas, this one barely put up a fight. She's probably a senior citizen at this point. Only 26.75", but 17.5" girth. She was gasping, so I didn't want to stress her further weighing her...may be the 10lber I've been looking for. In the end she swam off fine on the LiveScope after a bit of nursing.



We overnighted in the truck to fish for a trophy tiger trout on the way back, but didn't have any luck there. That's probably it for my trout fishing for the hardwater season. On to pike and laker fishing.

• Burbot - 36"
• Pike -32"
• Lake Trout - 31.5"
• Other Trout - 26.75" Rainbow (Caught in Sask.)
• Panfish - 14" Perch
• Walleye - 26.75"
• Whitefish - 21"

[58thecat]

When you showed me that picture it was like holy crap factor right there!
Well done and well deserved god knows you spend a lot of time at it!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[AlbertanGP]

Originally Posted by 58thecat

When you showed me that picture it was like holy crap factor right there!
Well done and well deserved god knows you spend a lot of time at it!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

A guy we were fishing with caught a male the same length but lighter in weight. I'll send you a pic. That's a truly pretty fish.

I do fish more than a lot of people in the winter (definitely not you lol). But more importantly, I've only fished waters that hold big fish this year. I've never gone out without the chance to add some length to my total. Speaking of which, I'm at 188 inches now. I could break 200 this weekend as I'm on another extended trip for lakers and pike. Or I could get skunked. That's the way it works when you swing for the fences. You gotta really like fishing and not just catching fish like most people.