Marie lake closed next season

[fishingplumber28]

Looks like they are making Marie catch and release for pike and walleye next season.....cold lake is the last local lake that will be open for walleye. That's not tag......
Ethel and Marie have been closed for years and now all you catch are walleye few decent pike left what a mess.

[calgary-john]

This is great news

[Republic of Alberta]

Fished there this spring.    The fish were on and I was shocked to see not only how many waleye we caught but the fact we caught them everywhere on the lake we tried.    Probably got over 100 between the 3 of us and only 1 keeper size.  A couple years ago we had a killer day with about 100 each but under very special conditions.  Seems like overpopulation to me the fish were stunted and skinny.   It's nice to catch that many fish because the regulations were changes years ago but dam total catch and release on pike and now waleye?    Seems a bit weird. 

[walleyes]

Yup,, our government doing their idiot conservation prodical again nothing wrong with the walleye population in Marie,, had a great summer there last year. All sizes big, small all signs of a heathy pupulation.

Let me be the first to tell you, it will be on a tag system in two years. The idiot conservation tool of lazy people.

[walleyes]

Time to start crossing the border more regularly. One of the nice things about living in this neck of the woods.

[Republic of Alberta]

I can see what is going on.  Every thing is going to be tag for walleye pretty soon and there will be huge stocks of fish in the lakes to sell us for an ever increasing price per tag.  Pike and lakers are next then ling whitefish and perch.   

[walleyes]

I can see what is going on.  Every thing is going to be tag for walleye pretty soon and there will be huge stocks of fish in the lakes to sell us for an ever increasing price per tag.  Pike and lakers are next then ling whitefish and perch.   

YUP !!

[fishingplumber28]

You know it's funny I posted this thread......they say the difference between sask and Alberta regulations is because of the amount of lakes.... I don't agree with this yes they have more lakes..... In the north with no roads to these lakes. I lived in cold lake all of my life and have been fishing sine I was old enough to hold a rod, also we have a family cabin in sask at kimball lake.(close by cold lake) the fishing is actually better in the cold lake area. Alta has lots of fish BUT  you cannot take any for a meal because of the limits. On the other hand go fish sask and you can keep more than you really need but they are small......So my question is......how can we balance sport fishing, native fishing and still have a reasonable sport.

AND by the way bourque lake closer was a environmental cover up, the livers were BLACK as coal from the pike last year

Leave the pike and walleye balance out in a lake......... Catch limit one over populates the other and creates an in balance



Rant over

I want your opinion

[SNAPFisher]

I can see what is going on.  Every thing is going to be tag for walleye pretty soon and there will be huge stocks of fish in the lakes to sell us for an ever increasing price per tag.  Pike and lakers are next then ling whitefish and perch.   

I'm not going to dispute this at all.  Originally the tag system was the way to limit harvest.  If indeed the prices do go way up then it was meant for something else.   Right now my understanding is that it just covers the costs to administer it.  Not that the Govn't runs anything efficiently anyways.  I'm sure a private company could admin it for 1/4 the cost.  What would make a difference is to see them actually lower the costs...free would be best but you have to pay someone to do it.   

[Republic of Alberta]

There may not have been a evil plan with the tag system but it will turn in to one.   If you told my grandfather that we were going to have to pay to put in for a draw then if drawn pay for a tag to keep a fish he would have never believed it.   Tag a fish?  Nuts.  Where are we going to be in 50 years?    Tags for everything pay for every fish.   It sucks it's stupid.  However, the most important thing is that there is fish for my grand children....as long as the gov doesn't sell them all and manages it responsibly not like a cash cow. 

[Republic of Alberta]

You know it's funny I posted this thread......they say the difference between sask and Alberta regulations is because of the amount of lakes.... I don't agree with this yes they have more lakes..... In the north with no roads to these lakes. I lived in cold lake all of my life and have been fishing sine I was old enough to hold a rod, also we have a family cabin in sask at kimball lake.(close by cold lake) the fishing is actually better in the cold lake area. Alta has lots of fish BUT  you cannot take any for a meal because of the limits. On the other hand go fish sask and you can keep more than you really need but they are small......So my question is......how can we balance sport fishing, native fishing and still have a reasonable sport.

AND by the way bourque lake closer was a environmental cover up, the livers were BLACK as coal from the pike last year

Leave the pike and walleye balance out in a lake......... Catch limit one over populates the other and creates an in balance



Rant over

I want your opinion

Fishing in Alberta has never been this good in YEARS so what they had been doing is working.    I just think things have moved to much from conservation to protection.     

Tell me more about Bourque my family has had a lot on crane lake for 30 years.   

[#1fisherman]

I have been saying it from the start, don't buy into this tag thing it will turn into a rich mans sport if you do. Nobody listened, and yes the day is coming where we will not only have to pay for tags we will be booking times at water bodies. It is in place in more crowded areas in the world and pressure here on sports fisheries will soon demand it. Fishing isn't golf and should not be treated like it is a sport only. Man has fished for food forever and to think of a day where only a select few can harvest a meal or even be on the water goes against our basic human rights.

[HARRYFISHBALLS]

 I totally agree this tagging idea is ridiculous,I remember an older fella from my area who would ride his bike 10 miles out to catch a fish to eat.He was very poor and needed fish to live,are we going to ask this gentleman to buy tags ? He was up there in age when he passed away so I'm thinking he has served in the army.The cost to be a sportsman can be outrageous,this is one reason I sold all my hunting stuff.One day I ran numbers through my head and I would spend hundreds of dollars on fuel and more on equip for a 150lb deer. I sold everything related to hunting.Alberta is probably the worst for anglers,0 limits all over,no barbs,over fishing,polution,hook size limits and size slots.We all have to buy a license that increases in cost every year ,where does it go? Many of the provincial parks don't supply wood anymore,boat launches are terrible and the general maintenance is non existent  at some.

[shackless]

I m not the most knowledgeable or informed fisherman out there, I am also not the most successful when it comes to the monsters... I do ok, I am not unhappy with my skill level or my catch level.
I agree that the AB. fisheries are not managed well by the government, but with all the statements I read these days about it , I don't believe that most of us are really looking at who has the most effect on the fisheries that we have..
The people who manage our fisheries who can have the most effect on the quality of our fragile waters is US. You and ME... joe fisherman.

If  on an individual basis, we do what we can in order to 1) lower the mortality rate of our catch and release fish  2) make that call to report a poacher, -AND MOST IMPORTANLY ,
3) if we don't kill everything we catch, we could make such a positive impact the fisheries we value.
Now, I realize that we don't seem to have a tool to co-ordinate all of that, but if we manage our own actions, and release those fish that we want to protect, then we have a better chance. IF each one of us would not try to limit every time we go out  (and before you all blast me saying you don't always keep  your limit.. or that you always release.. I am not pointing at anyone specific , just speaking my mind)

 I have no alternative suggestions to using 'tags' , BUT  in general. I believe that being "sheeped" into buying the idea of tags is a mistake.
I would gladly more money for my license, or scaled fees  or even a yearly WIN card fee * the same 5.00) to assist in the PROPER management of out fisheries.

I am sure it must be a challenge for the traditional and current mentality of  government  to effectively manage our provincial fisheries due to the sheer numbers of fishermen in this province and SOO much pressure on our limited number of lakes,
Surely there must be a model for managing a similar demographic and stats out on the planet somewhere that we could draw on to say.

I know it would be expensive to just stock the lakes to accommodate what the catch rate is, but what is the cost to not having a fishery at all.
just my thoughts and 2.5 cents

-Shackless

[cube3]

Fishing in Alberta has never been this good in YEARS so what they had been doing is working.

I respectfully disagree with you.

Your statement is true if your a walleye fisherman but if you like perch or pike and in allot of cases whitefish the fishery has never been so bad ever.

They have managed things solely for walleye and trout in this province a least up till now.

This has left large numbers of lakes with collapsed pike and perch populations. What I don't understand with thier experiment is when you see the same results again and again a scientist will make some changes and modifications instead here we see them blissfully wait until the other populations collapse before they act at all.

At least in the last few months we have seen them step in and protect the pike in a few lakes but their attempts are still to few and too late.

[cube3]

I'm not going to dispute this at all.  Originally the tag system was the way to limit harvest.  If indeed the prices do go way up then it was meant for something else.   Right now my understanding is that it just covers the costs to administer it.  Not that the Govn't runs anything efficiently anyways. I'm sure a private company could admin it for 1/4 the cost.  What would make a difference is to see them actually lower the costs...free would be best but you have to pay someone to do it.

Indeed just about all the money is going to the private company administrators. I believe the private computer company charges $8.40 out of the $11.00 for the tags. The rest goes to pay for the tags. I would guarantee the Gov't looses money on this big time.

[Republic of Alberta]

I respectfully disagree with you.

Your statement is true if your a walleye fisherman but if you like perch or pike and in allot of cases whitefish the fishery has never been so bad ever.

They have managed things solely for walleye and trout in this province a least up till now.

This has left large numbers of lakes with collapsed pike and perch populations. What I don't understand with thier experiment is when you see the same results again and again a scientist will make some changes and modifications instead here we see them blissfully wait until the other populations collapse before they act at all.

At least in the last few months we have seen them step in and protect the pike in a few lakes but their attempts are still to few and too late.

You are correct I am mostly a walleye fisherman!     Lol