Cold lake
Is there ANY keepers in cold lake? I have caught 100 and none have been keepers. What am I doing wrong??
We have been using anchovies with a head harness. Is it that the little ones like these and the big ones like something else? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk |
Sounds about right. The lake is getting pretty picked over.
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I think its been netted. (Natives)
Reason is : last winter / summer ,90 % of the Lakers were just shy of being legal This year there should have been lots of legal Lakers. Most are like 4 inches short this year. |
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Have you taken a legal fish from Cold Lake?
The fish in there are terrible to eat. Even smoked - terrible! I myself have taken a few fish over the 75cm mark, and won't ever take one again. I think it must be the Ciscoes that they eat. Others may argue with me, but if you take one, I'd suspect it may be your last?? With that said, enjoy the catching as that really is the best part of the Lake Trout fishing in Cold. |
Go target the pike or walleye or go to another lake if you want to keep fish.
Way better eating and easier to catch a keeper too. There are keeper lake trout but it is probably a 1 in 50 ratio although that can change drastically depending on where you fish. |
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Once a Laker gets to a legal size they are kept. A real tight slot limit would likely work on Cold Lake. |
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I don't comment to distract others from a fishery. I think the fishing there is great. I just wont ever take another fish from there. If you want to consume a fish from there - that's your prerogative and within the limits established. I'm just saying to others that if you cant find legal sized fish, not to worry as you're not missing anything. Enjoy the catching is my message. |
I agree, the keeper lake trout from Cold Lake are terrible. I have kept one and only one. It was terrible.
The fact that only larger fish can be kept is ruining the fishery. |
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The only change I would support is making it C&R or perhaps a slot from 70-75. Lowering the size from 75 down to 70 probably wouldn't hurt too much but without a slot it would just mean smaller fish on average. With a 70-75 cm slot it would be a bit easier to catch a keeper and there would be a lot more 15-20+ lb fish too. |
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Well if you want to eat a slab of char...not trout....char best prep the so called keepers by trimming off the belly fat, I call it the wallmart sag, filet them, lots of seasoning, onions etc and cook on the BBQ on a piece of lovely cedar, add lemon juice, herds, garlic,...thats very good table fare right there... Or chuck the char on the smoker exactly as described above less the cedar plank....you can wipe the drool off your chin now:) |
still keepers at cold you just need to fish for them you either fish for quantity or quality you cant fish both at the same time. landed 27 today then went and landed a few keepers kept one if you know what to do they are fine in the smoker.
mack |
We've smoked a few bigger ones from Cold Lake as well...Not to bad. The nickname "greaser" has it's merit tho.The larger the laker the greasier imho. Catch a big one, take a pic, and set it free. If you have a chubby for eating a laker,spend a couple bucks on a 2 day Sask licence...go next door to Pierce and sample a few 3-4 pounders...they are nice to bake, fry,whatever. Just my two cents.
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cut out the belly fat slit the skin hang to smoke no more grease.
mack |
Cold Lake
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I'm not from Cold Lake, but I love to fish it. Been going 2-6 times per year since 2013. I myself have never reeled in a keeper and I've caught HUNDREDS! I have caught several 70-74cm mind you and other people on my boat have caught the odd keeper. I'd say we catch about one keeper size fish per year on average and we catch one keeper for every 300 lakers caught. I have had several 50-100+ fish days without a single keeper. I haven't noticed any change since 2013. You'd think all those just under legal would eventually turn into keepers, but not from what I've seen. I'm not even sure what the management strategy is. Seems to me there are TONS of lakers in that lake. Would also seem to me the lake could handle some smaller better eaters being retained. If there is concern about sustainability, maybe do a draw system just like the walleye. Just thinking out loud. I don't think that is the problem though. Sometimes my sonar has so many darn fish on the screen that it gives me a false depth reading! Thinks the school of fish is bottom! Not even making that up. Most of the time my sonar is lit up like a Christmas tree. I wonder if there are more lakers than bait fish. I know I read a lot on this forum about how fat the lakers there are, but I'm pretty sure that most people are mistaking this with the air in their bellies. The one keeper we got this year was 75.1cm and it was super skinny. It was all head. Looked like how the walleye used to look in Calling Lake. I'm attaching a couple pics to go along with my story. Anyway, this is just my two cents. One mans lowly experience. And for the record, still one of my absolute favourite lakes to fish in Alberta! But I throw enough money into the resource it would just be nice to occasionally throw one into the smoker! :lol:
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mack |
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