Meadow lake park fishing

Grand Slam · #1 07-12-2017, 06:55 AM

Hi Gents.
Was wondering if anyone has any info on which lake to fish this time of the year?
Currently camped at Waterhen lake and it's super slow fishing. Water temps are on the warm side. Tried lots of different areas and tried all different ways of presentation. Talking to others and they say the same it's really slow fishing. Been here 5 days and caught only 5 walleye and a few real small pike. Tried 4-33 ft of water etc. Main fish we are after is walleye, but not picky just looking to catch some more fish. Kids are getting real discouraged.
Thinking of trying Flotten Lake or Greg Lake or maybe Mustus lake.
Any info would be awesome.
Thx.

Habfan · #2 07-12-2017, 08:14 AM

Gregg Lake, NE point where the reeds stick out of the water. Jigging in the evening or lindy rig all day long will get you some eyes. The area is getting fished harder every year, fishing is not what it used to be.

Stinky Buffalo · #3 07-12-2017, 08:22 AM

What are you using for lure/bait?

dodgeboy1979 · #4 07-12-2017, 09:25 AM

we were bottom bouncing there on friday and managed a few walleye, leaches were the bait of choice. 15-20 fow.

Stinky Buffalo · #5 07-12-2017, 09:41 AM

Maybe try a double-tailed chartreuse jig?

Bigwoodsman · #6 07-12-2017, 09:52 AM

Matheson and Mistohay, used to be good places to catch fish. I haven't been there in years, I'll need to change that!

BW

EZM · #7 07-12-2017, 10:43 AM

Waterhen - the best places we have found have been ...

Wild Bill's point, troll the drops

A couple rocky shorelines in the little hen - one adjacent to the island just as you get in to the south there and the far shoreline if you go through and all the way across then head north from the rock pile where the sea gulls hang out (about a km north from there)

Grand Slam · #8 07-12-2017, 05:34 PM

Thanks for the info boys.
Had a better day today caught 7-8 eyes and my oldest boy caught a 13lb jack. We also caught numerous small jacks. I also managed to catch a real nice perch, which really surprised me with the bigger rattle rap that I had on at that time.
It was a small area in the little hen where we got all the action. We have bottom bounced, jigged and trolled a lot of areas including wild bills point, caught a few fish mostly small jacks.
Fished the narrows and where the river comes in. All have been slow. I'm hopping today is the turning point. First 6 days were tough fishing. A new lake is always challenging.

AK47 · #9 07-12-2017, 05:41 PM

To be honest the best fishing I had there was in 3d Mustus and Rusty lakes. Good size walleye, pike and odd perch as well.

topgun · #10 07-15-2017, 03:25 PM

Flotten is dead. Spent 5 days there approx. 15 boats and 2 small jacks caught. Watch for nets not always marked that well I found.

Grand Slam · #11 07-18-2017, 01:41 AM

Loaded the boat and went to Flotten and two guys came up to us and said I hope your not fishing here... I said we are planning to and he said your waisting your time and fuel! So we turned around went back to Waterhen. A friend of mine went to Grieg Lake the same day and fished for 4 hrs and never got a bite.

hillbillyreefer · #12 07-18-2017, 06:12 AM

Dad and my nephews fished Keeley for 5 days, last week. "Dismal" is the report I got.

58thecat · #13 07-19-2017, 05:57 AM

Great area to fish, close lakes, don't like the action in one pull out and try another.

SamSteele · #14 07-19-2017, 06:52 AM

I grew up in Meadow Lake and it was a fabulous place to go for fishing and camping. Word has been getting out, and given it's proximity to the Edmonton area, it has been getting a lot more pressure. They reduced fishing limits a few years ago in an attempt to preserve it but it seems as though it is still getting hit hard.

My family still has a cabin in the area and I go there regularly. We still do quite well fishing there (probably better than I did as a youth due to more knowledge and better equipment) but it is very common for me to get quizzed by people that I know kill everything they catch on where to go and what specifically to use. One of my neighbours actually drove around the lake with a picture I sent him of a nice pike looking for where the shoreline matched the picture. When you have people that are trying to fill their freezer you end up with a decline in the fishing and Meadow Lake PP seems to have taken a huge hit due to that.

SS

58thecat · #15 07-20-2017, 01:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SamSteele

I grew up in Meadow Lake and it was a fabulous place to go for fishing and camping. Word has been getting out, and given it's proximity to the Edmonton area, it has been getting a lot more pressure. They reduced fishing limits a few years ago in an attempt to preserve it but it seems as though it is still getting hit hard.

My family still has a cabin in the area and I go there regularly. We still do quite well fishing there (probably better than I did as a youth due to more knowledge and better equipment) but it is very common for me to get quizzed by people that I know kill everything they catch on where to go and what specifically to use. One of my neighbours actually drove around the lake with a picture I sent him of a nice pike looking for where the shoreline matched the picture. When you have people that are trying to fill their freezer you end up with a decline in the fishing and Meadow Lake PP seems to have taken a huge hit due to that.

SS

Well now that the oil has dried up you are seeing a lot less people out so that is one good thing.

Grand Slam · #16 07-20-2017, 07:27 AM

What I seen in 9 days was it's getting fished really hard. Every day I would say about 40 boats fishing and lots of people keeping way to many small fish. I'm not sure about Waterhen, but I know other lakes like Keely get netted also.
Some people were keeping 13-16 inch jacks and lots of them. I know it's better keeping the smaller fish as apposed to bigger fish, but it was horrible seeing the amount of small fish being kept, Mostly pike. They need to lower the keep limit on pike and walleye I feel. Nobody needs to keep 5 pike and 3 walleye.
If they don't start changing a few things soon it will be like southern AB where we can't keep anything. AB should have never kept the limit at 3 pike for as long as they did. How can it go from 3 to 0?? Not managed very well in my opinion.
I do enjoy eating the odd fish, but I have never taken the limit home myself, 1 maybe 2 fish if I had my dad and boys with me. I just hope in the future that my boys and their families will have some decent fishing. I know that our angler numbers are rising and other things are affecting our water systems, so I hope that our fisheries can hold in there.

bay17jay · #17 07-21-2017, 09:15 AM

I'm from Edmonton, but we've been going to Meadow Lake for over 15 years. We spend a lot of time out there every year, going back and forth for weeks at a time. Lately we have definitely noticed that the fishing has slowed down. Not really sure what the reason is, but talking to the locals, they seem to have a couple of theories as to why it's slowed down so much, haha.

The best recommendation that I have, if you just want to catch a lot of fish and have fun with the kids, is Second and Third Mustus. Whenever we get down on our luck fishing the bigger / deeper lakes, it's always fun to go to Mustus and hammer out a couple of dozen pike per hour. You probably won't catch anything huge, but for the enjoyment of it, you can never beat it. Good luck!