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  #1  
Old 04-29-2021, 07:20 PM
fishpro fishpro is offline
 
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Default Rocky / Caroline Lakes

Anyone have any reports on the lakes up there? Any signs of winterkill to be aware of?
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  #2  
Old 05-01-2021, 09:11 AM
Exploits Exploits is offline
 
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No winter kill, however the crowds are off the charts all week long now. Fishing pressure will need to be addressed sooner than later at just about all central AB lakes. Was at Beaver Wed past, upper and lower parking lots filled, even a camper set up. Not worth the gas money unless you like gabbing all day with people 10 feet from you on both sides. Not for me but some people seem to like it. And for added bonus the fishing was terrible. I see less people on my urban fishing trips these days lol. Anyways just giving you a heads up on the over crowding. Take care.
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  #3  
Old 06-01-2021, 10:17 PM
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Was at beaver may 28, 25 vehicles in the parking lot by noon, Saturday same thing but add half a dozen cackling hens on kayaks 😆
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Old 06-02-2021, 05:45 AM
tallieho tallieho is offline
 
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They need more of this[Beaver] type/style of fish regulation.It allows the fish to grow,get some usefulness out the the fish.A 10" fish released last week,from the truck.Makes absolutely NO sense.Allowing people,with lic.,to take 5 fish.No wonder the hatcheries ,cannot produce. Struble lk,no one was even there ,yet Beaver had 14 vechiles there by 9;30. Contact your area biologist,MLA to ask for reg changes...
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Old 06-02-2021, 07:20 AM
Mr Flyguy Mr Flyguy is offline
 
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Originally Posted by thrude1 View Post
Was at beaver may 28, 25 vehicles in the parking lot by noon, Saturday same thing but add half a dozen cackling hens on kayaks 😆
They're all over the place. The same here in the Stony Plain area...yaka, yaka, yaka.
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Old 06-02-2021, 09:31 AM
Snazyevey Snazyevey is offline
 
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Originally Posted by tallieho View Post
They need more of this[Beaver] type/style of fish regulation.It allows the fish to grow,get some usefulness out the the fish.A 10" fish released last week,from the truck.Makes absolutely NO sense.Allowing people,with lic.,to take 5 fish.No wonder the hatcheries ,cannot produce. Struble lk,no one was even there ,yet Beaver had 14 vechiles there by 9;30. Contact your area biologist,MLA to ask for reg changes...

Struble is a funny place. Beautiful spot, super clear lake and doesn't see nearly the fishing pressure (in the summer) of others in the area. The fishing can be on fire if you catch it right. Lots of little guys, yes, but you can get surprised with a few big ones that fight real well.
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  #7  
Old 06-02-2021, 08:38 PM
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Sundancefisher Sundancefisher is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tallieho View Post
They need more of this[Beaver] type/style of fish regulation.It allows the fish to grow,get some usefulness out the the fish.A 10" fish released last week,from the truck.Makes absolutely NO sense.Allowing people,with lic.,to take 5 fish.No wonder the hatcheries ,cannot produce. Struble lk,no one was even there ,yet Beaver had 14 vechiles there by 9;30. Contact your area biologist,MLA to ask for reg changes...
Agreed to the limit.

Any lake within 2-3 hours of a major centre can not sustain a 5 fish limit and provide satisfactory or better fishing opportunities.
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Old 06-02-2021, 09:57 PM
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I was Tiger hunting at Beaver May 4/5th. 8 or ten vehicles & 1/2 dozen loons! only 2 cars at Birch, no one at Burntstick. I like seeing the cackling hens in their kayaks! Great to see everyone enjoying themselves.
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  #9  
Old 06-03-2021, 12:55 PM
Don Andersen Don Andersen is offline
 
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Beaver bad 25 boats on Monday and just two kayakers.
Parking lot had 18 vehicles in it @9:30.
Only one guy caught any number of fish and it wasn’t me.

Don
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  #10  
Old 06-03-2021, 02:19 PM
JDK71 JDK71 is offline
 
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fished off my dock on burnt stick very slow small perch seen one pike go under the dock and that was it was there all day Sunday
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  #11  
Old 06-04-2021, 08:22 PM
Fishtracker Fishtracker is offline
 
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Time they start stocking some real trout lakes instead of these dink ponds! We have huge trout lakes that have been neglected for years!

Case in point, more and more people are interested in quality vs. quantity as the folks are jammed in like sardines trying to fish in these sloughs.
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Old 06-04-2021, 08:33 PM
flyrodfisher flyrodfisher is offline
 
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Originally Posted by Fishtracker View Post
Time they start stocking some real trout lakes instead of these dink ponds! We have huge trout lakes that have been neglected for years!
Care to name a few?
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  #13  
Old 06-04-2021, 10:31 PM
Fishtracker Fishtracker is offline
 
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Originally Posted by flyrodfisher View Post
Care to name a few?
Here's a few: Ghost Lake, Glenmore Reservoir, Barrier Lake, Upper Kananaskis, Lower Kananaskis.
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Old 06-07-2021, 02:26 PM
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I heard rumor that they stocked Cow with Rainbows this year after the pike winterkill of last spring. Not sure if it is true or not.
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Old 06-07-2021, 02:42 PM
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Originally Posted by chinchaga07 View Post
I heard rumor that they stocked Cow with Rainbows this year after the pike winterkill of last spring. Not sure if it is true or not.
Stocking is public info.

https://open.alberta.ca/publications/fish-stocking-list

Can you see Cow? I’m curious also.
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Old 06-07-2021, 03:55 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sundancefisher View Post
Stocking is public info.

https://open.alberta.ca/publications/fish-stocking-list

Can you see Cow? I’m curious also.
Well look at that ...it is in print. Completely forgot to look at this. Rainbows stocked. I hope they are considering aeration for the future.
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Old 06-07-2021, 06:08 PM
smitty9 smitty9 is offline
 
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Originally Posted by chinchaga07 View Post
Well look at that ...it is in print. Completely forgot to look at this. Rainbows stocked. I hope they are considering aeration for the future.
Well well well! Look at that indeed... maybe we'll return to the 70's 80's heyday of 16 pounders. That's not the bios dumping a few dozen brood stock into the lake... looks like they are re-purposing the fishery back to trout. Over 110,000 trout!!!

Won't be long before the perch show up (or are they still there? Haven't fished Cow in 35 years)

Either way, province needs more trout fisheries. Especially QSF's. People seem to like them. So add some aeration and some QSF regs, ban bait and ice fishing, and you're good to go. Maybe the Moscow circus will leave Beaver lake...

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Old 06-07-2021, 06:53 PM
Don Andersen Don Andersen is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by smitty9 View Post
Well well well! Look at that indeed... maybe we'll return to the 70's 80's heyday of 16 pounders. That's not the bios dumping a few dozen brood stock into the lake... looks like they are re-purposing the fishery back to trout. Over 110,000 trout!!!

Won't be long before the perch show up (or are they still there? Haven't fished Cow in 35 years)

Either way, province needs more trout fisheries. Especially QSF's. People seem to like them. So add some aeration and some QSF regs, ban bait and ice fishing, and you're good to go. Maybe the Moscow circus will leave Beaver lake...


Now with Terrell Lake no longer stocked, is Cow Lake the new trout landfill?
Maybe thrown the excess fish into Gull, Pigeon or Sylvan where they would give the walleye fishermen a catch to remember.

Don
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  #19  
Old 06-07-2021, 08:06 PM
Fishtracker Fishtracker is offline
 
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So, from above post's, they are saying Cow lake recently winter killed so bad it killed the Pike? Now they dumped trout in it so they can winter kill next??

If that's the case, what a waste of 124,000 trout.
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  #20  
Old 06-07-2021, 09:33 PM
smitty9 smitty9 is offline
 
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Originally Posted by Fishtracker View Post
So, from above post's, they are saying Cow lake recently winter killed so bad it killed the Pike? Now they dumped trout in it so they can winter kill next??

If that's the case, what a waste of 124,000 trout.
To reiterate:

Solvable problem with money and aerators.

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  #21  
Old 06-09-2021, 12:10 PM
Fishtracker Fishtracker is offline
 
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To reiterate:

Solvable problem with money and aerators.

Most things are solvable if you throw enough money at it.

Going to say this again. We have several large & deep trout lakes (that do not winterkill!) in Alberta which the trout populations are suffering big time due to non-existent stocking programs for them. Extra funds not required, just dump some fish in them already, end of story! A named a few lakes which fit the criteria in a prior post.

Seems our shortsightedness continues on with more money thrown out the window to support feature winterkills & proposed aeration systems on the horizon.
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  #22  
Old 06-09-2021, 07:28 PM
fishpro fishpro is offline
 
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Originally Posted by Fishtracker View Post
Most things are solvable if you throw enough money at it.

Going to say this again. We have several large & deep trout lakes (that do not winterkill!) in Alberta which the trout populations are suffering big time due to non-existent stocking programs for them. Extra funds not required, just dump some fish in them already, end of story! A named a few lakes which fit the criteria in a prior post.

Seems our shortsightedness continues on with more money thrown out the window to support feature winterkills & proposed aeration systems on the horizon.
I think the main reason that the government doesn't stock those lakes is that in lakes with tributaries, and therefore natural reproduction, they want to keep the ecosystem natural. Instead, they stock lakes where there are no natural populations to interfere or compete with.
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  #23  
Old 06-09-2021, 10:37 PM
flyrodfisher flyrodfisher is offline
 
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Originally Posted by Fishtracker View Post
Here's a few: Ghost Lake, Glenmore Reservoir, Barrier Lake, Upper Kananaskis, Lower Kananaskis.
Perhaps you should email SRD and ask them why the lakes you mentioned are not being stocked.
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  #24  
Old 06-09-2021, 10:42 PM
Fishtracker Fishtracker is offline
 
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I think the main reason that the government doesn't stock those lakes is that in lakes with tributaries, and therefore natural reproduction, they want to keep the ecosystem natural. Instead, they stock lakes where there are no natural populations to interfere or compete with.
Most of the lakes with tribs were stocked at one time or another including the Bow river. For example, the only native rainbows in the province are Athabasca's.

Time for some replenishment of fish in these lakes!
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  #25  
Old 06-09-2021, 11:59 PM
fishpro fishpro is offline
 
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Originally Posted by Fishtracker View Post
Most of the lakes with tribs were stocked at one time or another including the Bow river. For example, the only native rainbows in the province are Athabasca's.

Time for some replenishment of fish in these lakes!
Yes they definitely were, but it seems that the mandate now is to allow populations that currently survive by natural reproduction to continue to do so, even if the current populations aren't native populations. Instead they stock lakes where the populations are more isolated and can't reproduce.
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  #26  
Old 06-10-2021, 03:18 PM
Fishtracker Fishtracker is offline
 
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Yes they definitely were, but it seems that the mandate now is to allow populations that currently survive by natural reproduction to continue to do so, even if the current populations aren't native populations. Instead they stock lakes where the populations are more isolated and can't reproduce.
Yes, possibly. But is this a smart decision for the long term benefit of our trout fisheries in Alberta?

Could be wrong, but IMO many are tired of the 6" trout in the ponds that keep getting fished out or die from winterkill.

Time to think bigger & more long term to revive some of our larger trout lakes!
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  #27  
Old 06-10-2021, 03:31 PM
smitty9 smitty9 is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Fishtracker View Post
Most things are solvable if you throw enough money at it.

Going to say this again. We have several large & deep trout lakes (that do not winterkill!) in Alberta which the trout populations are suffering big time due to non-existent stocking programs for them. Extra funds not required, just dump some fish in them already, end of story! A named a few lakes which fit the criteria in a prior post.

Seems our shortsightedness continues on with more money thrown out the window to support feature winterkills & proposed aeration systems on the horizon.
1. Not wasted money if the aerators work...right? No winterkills, or minimal.
2. Large and deep isn't the end all to be all. Ironic that you cited several artificial reservoirs as your best, prime examples. Firstly, some of those have actually been stocked. Secondly, some of of those large and (so called) deep reservoirs are subject to deep drawdowns, thus exposing the productive littoral shallow areas that provide the food and spawning area. When water levels are unstable, these reservoirs aren't the most ideal trout habitat.

Anyways, you and I aren't really seeing this fundamentally different. Trout fisheries can be small and shallow, and aeration can and does work. These larger waterbodies could work as well, but they have different issues that do need to be addressed.

Where you and I see this the same way is that these quality stocked fisheries are in high demand, anglers obviously like them, and the province should find ways to increase these opportunities.

Smitty
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  #28  
Old 06-10-2021, 06:42 PM
Bhflyfisher Bhflyfisher is offline
 
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Originally Posted by Fishtracker View Post
Yes, possibly. But is this a smart decision for the long term benefit of our trout fisheries in Alberta?

Could be wrong, but IMO many are tired of the 6" trout in the ponds that keep getting fished out or die from winterkill.

Time to think bigger & more long term to revive some of our larger trout lakes!
No, it's not "possibly". This isn't about the "fisheries" you feel entitled to, this is about the fish. They are low productivity and mostly barren and offer overwintering habitats for native/wild populations that go up the tribs.

With the state of native trout populations in Alberta, the last thing the mountain reservoirs need is stocked trout.
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Old 06-10-2021, 07:39 PM
SNAPFisher SNAPFisher is offline
 
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Originally Posted by Fishtracker View Post
Yes, possibly. But is this a smart decision for the long term benefit of our trout fisheries in Alberta?

Could be wrong, but IMO many are tired of the 6" trout in the ponds that keep getting fished out or die from winterkill.

Time to think bigger & more long term to revive some of our larger trout lakes!
Just fine up here in the Central and North "ponds". Stocking is going in a good direction here.
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Old 06-11-2021, 09:38 AM
Fishtracker Fishtracker is offline
 
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Originally Posted by Bhflyfisher View Post
No, it's not "possibly". This isn't about the "fisheries" you feel entitled to, this is about the fish. They are low productivity and mostly barren and offer overwintering habitats for native/wild populations that go up the tribs.

With the state of native trout populations in Alberta, the last thing the mountain reservoirs need is stocked trout.
Yes, I am entitled to an option about this, as are you. Thank you very much!

These (reservoirs) mentioned do not have many if any (native) trout. The fish remaining in them are (stocked) trout. The bow river system lakes-reservoirs mentioned are all man made. Much different then Northern Alberta.

The trout in the this system are in big trouble compared to Northern Alberta.
In case you haven't heard, this system was ripped apart from a major flood in 2013, an ongoing invasion of Prussian carp, and let's also throw in some Whirling disease. Oh and one more thing, this system has the highest concentration of fisherman in the province. So yeah, it is about the fish!
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