Tips for Oldman Reservoir

[HoytCRX32]

I took my boat out there once for trout but was not able to get anything to bite...any tips on how to fish this place? Troll? Jig?

[goose]

troll flys or lyman plugs at different depths. Trust me the rainbows are there!
Goose

[Bemoredog]

Old Man has limited depth data. There is an old bathymetry chart in an Alberta Gov doc from 2001 but the resolution and size of the map render it useless. There is some public data available at insight genesis: http://insightgenesis.laketrax.com/s...embed/internal

What is shown tells me this is a fairly deep reservoir by Alberta standards. I would try to fish along the ridges/slopes as fish should be coming into these areas to find more plentiful food. If you have a good sonar or downscan system you can find the original river pathway and fish along that. These areas are often productive in reservoirs since fish use them to travel.

Areas where there are inlets/outlets should be more productive as well as areas close to rocks/bridges/concrete structures.

If I were to fish Old Man I'd definitely take sonar with me so I could locate areas of fish activity and the typical depth of fish, find interesting structure and know the water temp.

And just to toss some of my beliefs at you, if you catch a Cutthroat, consider releasing it back. These fish are native to Alberta and are at risk of disappearing from the province completely.

[HoytCRX32]

Originally Posted by Bemoredog

Old Man has limited depth data. There is an old bathymetry chart in an Alberta Gov doc from 2001 but the resolution and size of the map render it useless. There is some public data available at insight genesis: http://insightgenesis.laketrax.com/s...embed/internal

What is shown tells me this is a fairly deep reservoir by Alberta standards. I would try to fish along the ridges/slopes as fish should be coming into these areas to find more plentiful food. If you have a good sonar or downscan system you can find the original river pathway and fish along that. These areas are often productive in reservoirs since fish use them to travel.

Areas where there are inlets/outlets should be more productive as well as areas close to rocks/bridges/concrete structures.

If I were to fish Old Man I'd definitely take sonar with me so I could locate areas of fish activity and the typical depth of fish, find interesting structure and know the water temp.

And just to toss some of my beliefs at you, if you catch a Cutthroat, consider releasing it back. These fish are native to Alberta and are at risk of disappearing from the province completely.

Yep...only keep rainbows if I want a trout feed...no need to keep cutties

[Bemoredog]

I've found that Rainbows love to eat other Rainbows. Rapala countdowns or Ultra Light Minnows and Shads in Rainbow patterns have worked pretty well for me trolled behind the boat.

The disadvantage with these lures is their maximum depth is limited. The countdown can technically go down to the bottom but that's when cast and reeled back. You can add drop shots to your line to bring these lures deeper but I'm not sure how that will impair the action.

I imagine trolling and letting your line out 100 feet or more will give you greater depth, but probably not much since these aren't crankbaits.

You could try to use a bottom bouncer with these lures, or a soft bait night crawler or leach. Similarly you could use a carolina rig set up instead of the bottom bouncer.

It's a lot of water to cover in there. Knowing the depth of the fish would help greatly. But variable depth trolling--low, mid, below surface--is another good tactic. I'm a fan of the Rapalas simply because their action often induces strikes even if they aren't at exactly the right level.

I'll probably be checking out Old Man the weekend after next and I'll let you know how it goes.

[Newellknik]

Local info told me the launches weren't in the water
A couple of weeks ago . Do not go off the end .
Large rainbows in there , use small spinners ......

[AdAMxr]

I was told you can't fish it from shore. Any truth to that?

[Tom Pullings]

I've done pretty well with small spinners and spoons. Stick to the inlet areas and look for rock structure.

[roper1]

Reviving this old thread! Anyone been out there this year? Launches ok & water levels? Hoping to try it next week or two. TIA

[Sofaking_fishy]

What boat launch is better and is there one end of lake better fishing than the other?