Official Lake Sundance Calgary Perch fishing bonking club

[wildwildwest]

Wow, unbelievable! That is quite an achievement!
How’s the trout doing there? Growing a lot bigger?

Originally Posted by Sundancefisher

4 years back I dropped a fish camera down while ice fishing...spun it around and counted about 1000 perch.



Fast forward to his past winter and tried it again. Counted 8 perch.



Now this weekend we tried to catch perch and couldn’t find a perch to save my bacon.



Went from catching hundreds a day to...I haven’t been able to catch a perch in two months! In twenty hours fishing shallow and deep.



Thinking about what variables have changed we have stopped netting perch. Still encouraging fishing for them.



Still using Reward for aquatic plant control and copper sulphate for algae control.



In 2016 I stock the lake with brook trout and brown trout.



Could them predaceous trout been that successful in controlling perch?



It is a real mystery at the moment.



I can only hope we have beaten them down.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Sundancefisher]

Looks like the lake just opened. The holes that sometimes form in late December / early January happened again this year. I have my theories.

Now just need a light weight big tent until I can safety pull my sled tent. Or see the weather warm back up. I can have guests join me like in past years however for health reasons I will need to fish in a tent with a heater this winter unless it warms up.

Looks like there will be lots of trout biting also. Rainbows to 22 inch. Brooks and browns to 16 inch.

Looks like we have a high percentage of perch in the 8 inch range however lower catch rates. Perch catch rates impacted by reduced population and higher food availability. Just need to fish smarter. Lighter lines. Smaller hooks. The right bait. Eyeballs, maggots, mealworms. In that order.

Should be a very interesting ice fishing season.

Right lines everyone.

[kbobbeck]

congratulations on winning back your lake from the perch
your hard work and persistence is admirable

[Sundancefisher]

Originally Posted by kbobbeck

congratulations on winning back your lake from the perch
your hard work and persistence is admirable

Scared to say winning. Makes me sound crazy like Sheen. I like to be deemed crazy under my own merit and problems.

Still things are positive. It could turn the other direction again but I hope to see more brooks and browns stocked in the future and with bigger perch more out looking to eat a ton.

[DiabeticKripple]

glad to hear you have those perch under control.

i remember coming out in 2015? and i couldnt believe the amount of perch we pulled out of the nets. buckets and buckets full.

[Sundancefisher]

Originally Posted by DiabeticKripple

glad to hear you have those perch under control.

i remember coming out in 2015? and i couldnt believe the amount of perch we pulled out of the nets. buckets and buckets full.

The days of filling buckets with 5 inch perch is gone for a while and hopefully for ever. Now filling half a bucket with 9 infers would be a nice treat.

I’m going to try and pull my tent out maybe tomorrow and look for them perch.

[SNAPFisher]

Originally Posted by Sundancefisher

The days of filling buckets with 5 inch perch is gone for a while and hopefully for ever. Now filling half a bucket with 9 infers would be a nice treat.

I’m going to try and pull my tent out maybe tomorrow and look for them perch.

Good luck!

[vcmm]

Originally Posted by Sundancefisher

How about you come out..catch a hundred...take a few hundred more...take them home and pickle then pop out to get hundreds more ...we eat some...and repeat?

Heck my wife and I would love to catch them. She would be the best fisher person of us two. My health slows me down.

[Sundancefisher]

Originally Posted by vcmm

Heck my wife and I would love to catch them. She would be the best fisher person of us two. My health slows me down.

Happily take folks out. Problem is we would need a tent until I feel better or the weather warms

[rena0040]

Was out today, got 2 nice rainbow and 8 perch 7-9 inches. I need a more sensitive rod and quicker reflexes for those perch. Missed a ton of bites.
Was in 22 ft of water. I found it odd the rainbows were cruising around 1-6 ft under the ice.

I will gladly take out anyone who wants to teach me how to catch perch. Only 3 rules: no smoking, no drinking and kill every perch you catch. We can have a pint at OJs afterwards. I have a 6 man tent and heater.

[Sundancefisher]

Originally Posted by rena0040

Was out today, got 2 nice rainbow and 8 perch 7-9 inches. I need a more sensitive rod and quicker reflexes for those perch. Missed a ton of bites.
Was in 22 ft of water. I found it odd the rainbows were cruising around 1-6 ft under the ice.

I will gladly take out anyone who wants to teach me how to catch perch. Only 3 rules: no smoking, no drinking and kill every perch you catch. We can have a pint at OJs afterwards. I have a 6 man tent and heater.

Ok. Will see you out there tomorrow!

[rena0040]

Unfortunately kids have me running to arenas all weekend, next time I can get out is Wednesday morning.

[Sundancefisher]

Originally Posted by rena0040

Unfortunately kids have me running to arenas all weekend, next time I can get out is Wednesday morning.

That should work also. Gives me a chance to grab my gear and work the kinks out.

[Scottmisfits]

Sundance, now that I have time, and you are feeling better, I would love to take you up on your previous offer to me and my son. I do have a tent but it’s small, just no heater yet.

[Sundancefisher]

Originally Posted by Scottmisfits

Sundance, now that I have time, and you are feeling better, I would love to take you up on your previous offer to me and my son. I do have a tent but it’s small, just no heater yet.

Pretty cold this week without a heater. Let’s figure getting out when it gets warmer.

Was out today and the perch are fewer. On camera we saw 1-5 today versus hundreds in the past.

Perch were 7-9 inch and fat enough to make some nice fillets. Great to see them larger.

Because there are fewer they are harder to catch. Saw them being more fickle and slower to bite. Likely due to fewer numbers and more natural food availability. Competition to the bait does help with a more furious bite.

Trout swimming around scare the perch off for a minute.

In the end we caught over 50 between three of us

[Scottmisfits]

Still a couple of weeks away for sure. I’m not brave enough for this cold either.....
Is the cold affecting the movement of the fish at all maybe?

[Sundancefisher]

Originally Posted by Scottmisfits

Still a couple of weeks away for sure. I’m not brave enough for this cold either.....
Is the cold affecting the movement of the fish at all maybe?

I haven’t noticed cold being a factor this time of year. Snow cover, light, time of day, barometric pressure change maybe.

[Sundancefisher]

Went out today for an hour to see how the body works pulling the sled. Brought my heater but no extra bottle. As luck would have it. The bottle ran out in a millisecond. However I toughed it out for an hour and the catch rate was 10 perch/hour. Perch were 7.5 to 9 inch.

Good spot. Now to get more propane.

[Sundancefisher]

Was it ever cold today out in a tent on the lake. Unbelievably cold.

Amazing watching perch on camera swim up to the hook and nibble the bait without grabbing the hook.

Me thinks we need to downsize our hooks here soon. Also thinking 4 lb test may be needed.

Perch are fewer and they are either smarter or just more picky what they will bite.

[AK47]

Originally Posted by rena0040

I will gladly take out anyone who wants to teach me how to catch perch. Only 3 rules: no smoking, no drinking and kill every perch you catch. We can have a pint at OJs afterwards. I have a 6 man tent and heater.

I will take your offer but needs to be one of the warmer Sundays as I do not fish in tent. As a former two time champion of Sundance perch fishing derby I think I can show you a few things about how to catch them

[Sundancefisher]

Originally Posted by AK47

I will take your offer but needs to be one of the warmer Sundays as I do not fish in tent. As a former two time champion of Sundance perch fishing derby I think I can show you a few things about how to catch them

I think your light line and tiny tungsten hooks with a maggot is what is needed right now. They are bigger and more fickle for sure.

[goku88]

I use to fish lake eden near Edmonton during the early 80s for of us in a dingy cheap fishing rod with worms drop line 8feet. in 2 hours catch 100 perch. I missed those days. had access to lake sundance 10 years ago for a client bill on 103 sunset way. awesome people the trout fishing was great. perch was plentiful but small. if any resident would like company on lake sundance please let me know. I am a sport fisherman. clean and polite

[Sundancefisher]

I’m thinking 10 perch/hour may be the winning number for our derby Feb 29. Well down from 50+ /hour in the past.

Caught 10 yesterday in an hour. Sizes were

1 - 6.5 in
7 - 7-8 inch
2 - 9 inch

All fatter. Getting way more meat off them compared to the skinny 5 inchers of yesteryear

[Sundancefisher]

Originally Posted by goku88

I use to fish lake eden near Edmonton during the early 80s for of us in a dingy cheap fishing rod with worms drop line 8feet. in 2 hours catch 100 perch. I missed those days. had access to lake sundance 10 years ago for a client bill on 103 sunset way. awesome people the trout fishing was great. perch was plentiful but small. if any resident would like company on lake sundance please let me know. I am a sport fisherman. clean and polite

Been lucky. Of all the folks I have had come out only one was sketchy. The rest were all clean and polite. Some brought snacks...and most importantly all took a pile of perch home to eat.

[goku88]

Originally Posted by Sundancefisher

Been lucky. Of all the folks I have had come out only one was sketchy. The rest were all clean and polite. Some brought snacks...and most importantly all took a pile of perch home to eat.

thats cool. i hate it when fisherman leaves garbage everywhere, especially when there is on at the parking lot. just wondering have you caught any browns there yet

[Sundancefisher]

Originally Posted by goku88

thats cool. i hate it when fisherman leaves garbage everywhere, especially when there is on at the parking lot. just wondering have you caught any browns there yet

I stocked the browns in 2016. They were 5-7 inchers. This fall the biggest I caught was 16 inch. Average is probably around 12 inch. Some seem to have very large heads and skinny bodies. Hoping they are growing their chompers faster to target small perch. Once they get going...over 20 year lifespan I am hoping someday we will have 10-20 pounders. They are catch and release.

Haven’t caught one ice fishing yet.

[Sundancefisher]

Finally back to warmer weather fishing! Saw rainbows chasing my perch jig down yesterday.

[Sundancefisher]

Higher catch rates today at times. Ended up with 40 perch from 1-4 with a few lulls in activity.

Buddy likely caught 100. His buddy 40.

Lots of people trying however need to finesse them in. Small hooks, bait and slow presentation.

[goku88]

Originally Posted by Sundancefisher

Higher catch rates today at times. Ended up with 40 perch from 1-4 with a few lulls in activity.

Buddy likely caught 100. His buddy 40.

Lots of people trying however need to finesse them in. Small hooks, bait and slow presentation.

one of the kids from lake midnapore wanted to learn to fish today so we caught 5 rainbows and 45 perch unfortunately all between 4 to 6 inches they are happy. are your fish any bigger. try to up load pictures. fail

[Sundancefisher]

Originally Posted by goku88

one of the kids from lake midnapore wanted to learn to fish today so we caught 5 rainbows and 45 perch unfortunately all between 4 to 6 inches they are happy. are your fish any bigger. try to up load pictures. fail

All the ones I caught ranged from 7.5 inch to 9.5 inch.