East Pit Lake

[Lux604]

I was thinking about heading out to East Pit Lake to learn how to fish this coming weekend. (i am a newbie to this but i think it will be fun to try something new. Licence is in hand. I have a spin cast rod/reel with 6-15lbs line and some smaller spoons with gulp bait ready to go....

Has anyone been out yet this season that could give me some insight into shore fishing?

Can anyone give me pointers on where to go for cheap lures as well? I would like to build a tackle box for myself!

[millsboy79]

Cabelas in Calgary has a bunch of bins full of 4 dollar rapalas (80th anniversary sale or something) would think the cabelas in Edmonton would be doing the same.

[Lux604]

i will jump to the one in south edmonton tonight and take a look what is there.

[fishtank]

corn works great ... pretty slow when i was there sunday morning . lighter tackle and lines 4-8 lbs will do .

when the water are calm the action is better either early morning or late evening

[Sooner]

Is the fishing better on the lake vs shoreline? I ask as I have always wanted to fish this lake, now have two kayaks and can get out onto East Pit and some of the pot hole lakes with one on my kids/friends.

[carlson]

Go to the fishing hole and pick up a couple of slender spoons. They do good on east pit. Keep and eye on kijiji for fishing gear. Good deals comes up quite often on there

[Big Red 250]

Originally Posted by fishtank

corn works great ... pretty slow when i was there sunday morning . lighter tackle and lines 4-8 lbs will do .

when the water are calm the action is better either early morning or late evening

I was told corn is not good for fish bait as the fish can't digest it and it plugs up their butt hole and they die.

[Deep]

Big Red----no.....

[Lux604]

I just bought the marhmellows called corn.. I thought that is what you meant! I tried not to think too literally!

I am looking for a decent sized tackle box on there but the one I wanted just sold! I will go to the fishin hole tomorrow on my lunch break and see about the slender lures. I am going to try the Beaumont stocked pond tomorrow for fun! I have a few spoons from my dads kit he gave me 10 years ago!!


Do you guys use a wacker and or stringers?!

[johnny2]

Lux You are better off not keeping any Trout from around here, esp. at this time of year...Mud Pie...Trout taste best out of cold water...try to be very carefull with them & release them to get bigger.. my 2 cents...Johnny

[Deep]

2X that Johnny....like a cold water foothills lake.

[Lux604]

well, I wouldn't be keeping anything from beaumont.. I just wanted to get out tonight and give it a try.

If it's not within an hour of the city, my other half will not come with me, and being a smaller sized female, going alone isn't on the top of my list!

[Bog D]

Originally Posted by Jet

We can't digest it either (the outer skin), but it's not generally an issue, and some fish can grind it down too (e.g. carp)

You might be interested in this study where they fed it to trout with no adverse effects apart from reduced growth due to the lack of nutrition:

http://www.fish.state.pa.us/images/p.../corn_chum.htm

Thanks for this info Jet, I have also been told and believed it would kill trout, appears it is a myth.

[waterninja]

Originally Posted by Lux604

well, I wouldn't be keeping anything from beaumont.. I just wanted to get out tonight and give it a try.

If it's not within an hour of the city, my other half will not come with me, and being a smaller sized female, going alone isn't on the top of my list!

Other half won't go fishing with you if it's not within an hour of town? Dump the bum. (just kidding).
There are plenty of pothole lakes to try within an hour or so of Edm. East pit is a good shore fishing lake, but not the best for hauling a kayak into. Beaumont and hermitage are nice little spots to learn fishing, and ussually have other anglers and families around if your nervous about fishing alone. The NSR by hermitage is also a great spot for newbies.
As for what presentation to use for trout, simple hook and worm works great.

P.S. Trout caught in pothole lakes are great eating anytime of year. Good luck.

[smitty9]

Originally Posted by waterninja

P.S. Trout caught in pothole lakes are great eating anytime of year. Good luck.

Pretty subjective. There are more than a few lakes where I wouldn't eat the trout. Pretty muddy tasting; in my opinion of course.

I heard brining them in buttermilk (almost like preparing chicken for frying) reduces that taste. Is that true?

[Lux604]

Originally Posted by waterninja

Other half won't go fishing with you if it's not within an hour of town? Dump the bum. (just kidding).
There are plenty of pothole lakes to try within an hour or so of Edm. East pit is a good shore fishing lake, but not the best for hauling a kayak into. Beaumont and hermitage are nice little spots to learn fishing, and ussually have other anglers and families around if your nervous about fishing alone. The NSR by hermitage is also a great spot for newbies.
As for what presentation to use for trout, simple hook and worm works great.

P.S. Trout caught in pothole lakes are great eating anytime of year. Good luck.

well I am married so not a cheap option to "dump the bum" lol!

all I will be doing is shore fishing. Start with trout and then eventually try for pike on another lake.. really i think it will be amazing just to catch a fish for the first time and get out of the house/city!

just hoping this storm let's up so I can actually go tonight!

has anyone smoked trout?

[waterninja]

Originally Posted by smitty9

Pretty subjective. There are more than a few lakes where I wouldn't eat the trout. Pretty muddy tasting; in my opinion of course.

I heard brining them in buttermilk (almost like preparing chicken for frying) reduces that taste. Is that true?

I'll agree that taste is a very subjective thing, but I wonder if this whole business of "pothole" lake fish taste is pure urban legend. We used to say that Deer from B.C. tasted like pine needles, because they didn't feed off big grain fields like they do here in AB.
I would be willing to bet that if you had 2 plates of fish cooked the same way in front of you, and one was from a pothole lake and one was from a deep water lake, you would not be able to tell the difference. I have never eaten a trout (or any other fish), that tasted muddy. Personally, I think it has more to do with attitude or mindset, rather then the actual taste.
But once again, that's just my personal opinion. Soak your fish in milk or goat buttermilk if you think it will remove "muddy" taste.

[schmedlap]

Originally Posted by waterninja

I'll agree that taste is a very subjective thing, but I wonder if this whole business of "pothole" lake fish taste is pure urban legend. We used to say that Deer from B.C. tasted like pine needles, because they didn't feed off big grain fields like they do here in AB.
I would be willing to bet that if you had 2 plates of fish cooked the same way in front of you, and one was from a pothole lake and one was from a deep water lake, you would not be able to tell the difference. I have never eaten a trout (or any other fish), that tasted muddy. Personally, I think it has more to do with attitude or mindset, rather then the actual taste.
But once again, that's just my personal opinion. Soak your fish in milk or goat buttermilk if you think it will remove "muddy" taste.

With most fish it is very highly dependent on diet. When my kids were little and I was teaching them to fish, we often went to stocked trout lakes, in civilized or other areas. Despite my admonitions that they would not be anything like the trout we ate out of cold mountain streams or lakes (they had also has those), it was only fair to try a few, and they did, on a couple of occasions. Dreadful by comparison, "muddy" tasting no matter how they were cooked - virtually inedible unless one was starving? Warm water, bug-eating trout/char are not comparable in any way to cold water minnow/shrimp eating trout/char.

Now, a friend smoked a few of those same stocked ponders, and they were OK. But I have even compared Pike from a warmer water, bug-eating, environment to those from colder water, fish-eating environments. Yes, there is a huge difference. And Pike, being the "omnivores" they are, would seem less susceptible to such factors (?) - the bug-eating warmer water ones were just not worth eating, really.

[CMichaud]

Originally Posted by waterninja

I'll agree that taste is a very subjective thing, but I wonder if this whole business of "pothole" lake fish taste is pure urban legend. We used to say that Deer from B.C. tasted like pine needles, because they didn't feed off big grain fields like they do here in AB.
I would be willing to bet that if you had 2 plates of fish cooked the same way in front of you, and one was from a pothole lake and one was from a deep water lake, you would not be able to tell the difference. I have never eaten a trout (or any other fish), that tasted muddy. Personally, I think it has more to do with attitude or mindset, rather then the actual taste.
But once again, that's just my personal opinion. Soak your fish in milk or goat buttermilk if you think it will remove "muddy" taste.

I agree. Fed my old lady trout from several ponds caught throughout the year - she says they all taste the same.

Reminds me of the great Scotch debates. I have drank a **** load of scotch over the years. At the end of the day, they all taste pretty much the same...

[Deep]

All you need to do is feel its firmness, the colder water fish are nice and firm- compared to the pot hole 70 degree water. Taste is very different also. I have smoked the trout and the flavor is improved but not as good as a colder water fish. CMichaud stick to single malt- esp 14 yr old Isle of Arran, then my friend you will appreciate a great scotch.

[waterninja]

Originally Posted by schmedlap

With most fish it is very highly dependent on diet. When my kids were little and I was teaching them to fish, we often went to stocked trout lakes, in civilized or other areas. Despite my admonitions that they would not be anything like the trout we ate out of cold mountain streams or lakes (they had also has those), it was only fair to try a few, and they did, on a couple of occasions. Dreadful by comparison, "muddy" tasting no matter how they were cooked - virtually inedible unless one was starving? Warm water, bug-eating trout/char are not comparable in any way to cold water minnow/shrimp eating trout/char.

Now, a friend smoked a few of those same stocked ponders, and they were OK. But I have even compared Pike from a warmer water, bug-eating, environment to those from colder water, fish-eating environments. Yes, there is a huge difference. And Pike, being the "omnivores" they are, would seem less susceptible to such factors (?) - the bug-eating warmer water ones were just not worth eating, really.

And I will agree to disagree. Would really like to see some sort of proof that the diet between ponds/lakes really makes a difference, and I mean a difference that can be quantified/ qualified.
I will admit that the chickens and hogs that we have on a strict, steady diet of corn and blueberries really do have a unique flavour all there own, but thats not the same as wild fish in a lake.

[Lux604]

I appreciate this conversation! went to Beaumont and got skunked but I met a few older gentlemen who helped me out and gave me some pointers!

This is a hobby I can get into for sure!

[smitty9]

I can absolutely tell the difference between a rainbow / brook trout out of a certain lake in Jasper versus the either species caught close to Edmonton, I can tell you that.