Sylvan Lake Report: - 2021

[Zip-in-Z]

Originally Posted by italk2u

This has probably been asked many times, but do whites shy away when there's a camera watching them.?

I would agree with the comments others have noted, Whites are very cautious and will avoid your tent/shack if you have a camera in shallow water as well if you drill too many holes around your spot, they won't come in to your location. I've found when I'm fishin deeper ie 20 plus fow the Whites aren't that concerned with my camera if it's 5-6 ft behind me.

Cheers

D.

[Zip-in-Z]

Dec 23 .... dragged my stuff out at 7:30 in my overloaded sled & was plowing soft snow it was exhausting & for an old guy I was hoping my old ticker wouldn't burst. Got set up and seen my first White just after 8:15, came in & swam by within 1-2 minutes a small Pike came screening in and murders my Wetaskiwin flutter spoon. A bit later another Pike is after my spoon but got rid of it then started seeing a few more Whites but none are coming in for a sniff.

I switched over to a Vibro and was pounding the rock rubble bottom in 6 fow & had a Candy Cane Yellow/Orange w/w tied above it. Just after 11:00 a monster White slowly appears, it was the largest White I've ever see, it was Gull lake maybe Pigeon size, it's back was dark black and thick, it was the length of both my 12" holes. Dropped Vibro on the rocks, the w/w disappeared, set the hook, my HD rod bent in 1/2 & this thing took off taking out line, got my second rod/line out of the hole and the battle was on. Unfortunately, it didn't come into the hole & got off under the ice, I was really hoping to get a pic & then release it ... but not to be.

After that I had another bigger Pike stare at Vibro & seen a couple more Whites, had lunch and it died right off, no more fish, now I was disheartened, packed up and departed for home.

Got a pair of old X-Country skies from Scott, picked up some lumber & hardware, planning on constructing a Smitty sled don't need to die the next time out.

Will be dreaming of the big one that got away tonight ....

Cheers

D.





Vibro .... works great as a fish call, they come in 1 size smaller, here fishie-fishie!







Smitty Sled Frame ... pic from Net. Mine will be a High-Boy got me a 2x12 for the runners.






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[pikeman06]

Sheez gettin pounded zip...can only yank so many hundreds of whites a day for x amount of days on a small lake like sylvan and boom sheez done. This time next year we'll be happy to catch one and be packing up by 11am. I was lucky enough to fish gull till she hit the breaking point it took 10 or 15 years and hundreds of thousands whitefish till we drilled our holes and there was nothing down there. The same crowd is working sylvan on a daily basis, just saying, not being rude I love your stories and info but your backyard pond will soon be devoid of whites or seemingly so.

[Wendigo]

Originally Posted by pikeman06

Sheez gettin pounded zip...can only yank so many hundreds of whites a day for x amount of days on a small lake like sylvan and boom sheez done. This time next year we'll be happy to catch one and be packing up by 11am. I was lucky enough to fish gull till she hit the breaking point it took 10 or 15 years and hundreds of thousands whitefish till we drilled our holes and there was nothing down there. The same crowd is working sylvan on a daily basis, just saying, not being rude I love your stories and info but your backyard pond will soon be devoid of whites or seemingly so.

Snipe is a prime example of a destroyed fisherie.
Show a person how to fish feed them for life , show the internet how to fish kiss your lake goodbye

[DiabeticKripple]

Looks like everybody is out today. Ice is a zoo.

Must be 60 groups of people at Palm Bay right now.

[Zip-in-Z]

Yup as DiabeticKripple just posted Sylvan is getting pounded & I'm sure Gull is too, perhaps due to covid & the warm weather more & more people are out enjoying the sport. Pleased some of you guys are enjoying the stories, guess I fished out Mb so decided to come to Ab, for a guy who can't eat fish due to allergies & my Mrs who likes it occasionally, it will be all my fault my backyard pond will cleaned out & you'll have to go home at 11 am ... LOL.

Off to work on Smitty .... Aka .... Zip-Sled.

D.

[SNAPFisher]

Originally Posted by Zip-in-Z

Yup as DiabeticKripple just posted Sylvan is getting pounded & I'm sure Gull is too, perhaps due to covid & the warm weather more & more people are out enjoying the sport. Pleased some of you guys are enjoying the stories, guess I fished out Mb so decided to come to Ab, for a guy who can't eat fish due to allergies & my Mrs who likes it occasionally, it will be all my fault my backyard pond will cleaned out & you'll have to go home at 11 am ... LOL.

Off to work on Smitty .... Aka .... Zip-Sled.

D.

Well Zip. You've given away the mighty secret that is Sylvan lake. It really wasn't on my radar until I read this post. See...

Just ignore the jealousy Zip and keep the updates coming. This is a good year for it.

Cheers.

[MaxxiD]

Originally Posted by Zip-in-Z

Yup as DiabeticKripple just posted Sylvan is getting pounded & I'm sure Gull is too, perhaps due to covid & the warm weather more & more people are out enjoying the sport. Pleased some of you guys are enjoying the stories, guess I fished out Mb so decided to come to Ab, for a guy who can't eat fish due to allergies & my Mrs who likes it occasionally, it will be all my fault my backyard pond will cleaned out & you'll have to go home at 11 am ... LOL.

Off to work on Smitty .... Aka .... Zip-Sled.

D.

Just as an alternative. There was no one at Chain this morning and I pulled my limit out in 45 mins. Didnt even have chance to finish my beer. Home by 11am was right, they're on the smoker right now

[happyfisher]

Was out at norgenwald.....fixed for 4 hours...marked 1 fish on sonar....didn't see a white....skunked.....thats normal for me tho.....

It was pretty busy....I think I gotta find a new spot

[bwackwabbit]

Try Russia....

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[happyfisher]

BWACK!!!!! your always helpful with your tips. I missed you too!!!

[tight line]

One of my larger whites ever hit a walleye jig.. harder than a Pike... you never know with the jumbos.. then ya sit there and dangle wire worms off their nose...lol

[Stryker2]

Was just wondering if anyone is driving on Sylvan yet? My buddy needs a knee replacement so can't walk on. Thanks

[vic1]

I was on the north side yesterday. Four trucks on the ice and at least 100 guys fishing. Fishing was very slow.

[Talking moose]

Originally Posted by Stryker2

Was just wondering if anyone is driving on Sylvan yet? My buddy needs a knee replacement so can't walk on. Thanks

There’s one ton diesels on the ice in some places.

[Zip-in-Z]

Dec 27th ..... for those who think only a few people know about Sylvan, taken at 3:00 pm, Sunday. We currently have 20 covid cases reported, hope it stays that way.

Norglenwold & main Townsite the rinks are open & people are fishin is that you out in the crowd ? I'm sure Half Moon Bay, RR23 South , Sunbreaker & Palm Bay North are just as crazy.

I'd stay away from crossing any ice ridges, there's reports of trucks dropping front tires/end on Sylvan & Gull ... be careful.

Enjoy a few pic's ...

D.















That's the Parking Lot on the ice in about 3 fow next to the ice rinks.
















Hope you enjoyed the pic's ..... stay safe.



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[35 whelen]

Wow that's so far from the experience I want ice fishing, is unbelievable I'd rather spend my one week a year in Northern Manitoba.

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[Ronji]

Far to many lakes are like that now. Way too many people. Absolute gong show.

Not my idea of a relaxing day.

I would post that the fish are not biting,

and stay away,

try somewhere else........

Just sayin'

[Glenn D]

Ya way too busy for my taste, will be hitting more remote lakes for sure. Maby some colder weather will keep some of the fair weather anglers off the ice.

[bessiedog]

So

That’s exactly how I remember Pigeon and Wabamun back in the day

There’s no netting going on in them lakes... so...

[pikeman06]

Those pictures are pretty much the opposite of what I look for when ice fishing. Sheez getting kicked in the guts.

[Hartly]

I was at Palm Bay today from 7:30 am to 2:00 pm. It was nuts. To the right of us some lady in a full size SUV was flying around the ice drifting at high speeds. Many of us thought she was going to break through the ice. It was absolute insanity . We distanced ourselves but low and behold it didn’t matter to many people who Decided to park right beside us and carry on in our space like we didn’t exist. To top off the day we got skunked. We didn’t see any fish at all. The traffic was non stop. If I were the fish in that lake I’d hide too from the circus above. It’s too bad. Sylvan lake doesn’t deserve that type of abuse.

[biggamehunter]

Went last weekend seen about 11 in palm in the morning, got 1, seen 3 nice pike... (you have to find weed beds) then hit norglen and seen a few In my old spot out of the way of the crowd and managed 2 more seeing about the same number of whites. All taken off a yellow wire worm, had one up on red , people are swearing by brownish orange colours too. Don’t think it matters . If u don’t see anything in 20 mins in those areas in dusk or dawn you aren’t in the right area cause I’ve noticed at the slowest times between 8-30-11 and 2-5 they still show up at least every 15 min. Sometimes uninterested but enough to keep a guy hoping. If you are getting refusals downsize wire worm. I’d say I was using size 12ish. All in 6-7 fow . 3 whites on the day . Thought for sure we’d limit out after the amount we were seeing . Obvs don’t take my advice Tho as I’m not limiting out and seeing 20+whites in the day.

[AlbertanGP]

Originally Posted by 35 whelen

Wow that's so far from the experience I want ice fishing, is unbelievable I'd rather spend my one week a year in Northern Manitoba.

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I couldn't agree more. I wouldn't sit in that crowd for a hundred fish day. That's part of the reason I don't fish my home lake. I can't stand it. I go out fishing to be in nature in solitude, not on a meat run.

Here's December 27th for the son and I. We hiked a little over an hour in the dark this morning into a remote mountain lake that hasn't been stocked since the 60's, but was surveyed by our local fisheries biologists in August. Never saw another soul or even heard a sled in the valley all day. It was pure bliss.





You guys down south are doing it wrong.

[Zip-in-Z]

It would be interesting to take a head count of how many people were at Sylvan today ice-fishin. Based on my pic's I'd guess between 900 & 1000 ppl, those poor fish!

Scott was out yesterday doing the C&R thing, he did really-really well with Whites, a few small Pike and said he convinced 1 big girl to commit that got off after it broke the tip of his rod off ... that sucked.

Planning on going out tomorrow sometime in late morning, going to a spot I GPS'd many-many years ago approx 1.2 km's from the Norglenwold circus in 22-23 fow not far from a deep weed bed. Will put old Marcum to the test to see if it finds me any Walleye, Perch or Burbs.

Cheers

D.

[Zip-in-Z]

This was just posted on a local Sylvan F/B Fishin Group ....

D.


Just so everyone is aware the heave between Palm Bay and Sunbreaker just had a truck go through. So stay away a heave is never a good idea but ya... just watched a half ton dodge get towed out.

[SNAPFisher]

Originally Posted by AlbertanGP

I couldn't agree more. I wouldn't sit in that crowd for a hundred fish day. That's part of the reason I don't fish my home lake. I can't stand it. I go out fishing to be in nature in solitude, not on a meat run.

Here's December 27th for the son and I. We hiked a little over an hour in the dark this morning into a remote mountain lake that hasn't been stocked since the 60's, but was surveyed by our local fisheries biologists in August. Never saw another soul or even heard a sled in the valley all day. It was pure bliss.





You guys down south are doing it wrong.

Holy crap man! Nothing but beauty there. You can't put a price on a day like that. Great post, great pics!

[SNAPFisher]

Originally Posted by Zip-in-Z

This was just posted on a local Sylvan F/B Fishin Group ....

D.


Just so everyone is aware the heave between Palm Bay and Sunbreaker just had a truck go through. So stay away a heave is never a good idea but ya... just watched a half ton dodge get towed out.

Yeesh!! That is why I only have the skidoo out yet. December ice....

[AlbertanGP]

Originally Posted by Zip-in-Z

This was just posted on a local Sylvan F/B Fishin Group ....

D.


Just so everyone is aware the heave between Palm Bay and Sunbreaker just had a truck go through. So stay away a heave is never a good idea but ya... just watched a half ton dodge get towed out.

Hopefully everyone is ok. Trucks can be replaced.

[TROLLER]

I was at Sylvan yesterday. Unreal it could be so busy

4hrs. no bites no action of any kind all around. Talked with several of the over 100 by my guess people fishn off 23 and not one had caught a thing. That could also have been the result of the full moon.

I wonder how much longer the lake can with stand the enormous pressure put on the whites in partucular..

Should be changed to C&R sooner than later.