Anyone Fishin The Flats On Tobin This Year?

[Husser]

I noticed Tobin was bad for that. Also heard a story about a guy who does circles (sled) around his fishing area when the fishing is slow. But ya, I agree. Thanks for your Tobin info this season EMT.

[MeadowPikeman]

was out there for the last three days was "squeezed" out of my spots by other fisherman twice enough to make a guy never want to a go back. luckily I caught my fish of a lifetime a 36 lb 8 ounce fish.(was weighed on a registered scale in P.A at the bus depot by the taxidermist this afternoon). have pictures will post.

[pcsminer]

was out there for the last three days was "squeezed" out of my spots by other fisherman twice enough to make a guy never want to a go back. luckily I caught my fish of a lifetime a 36 lb 8 ounce fish.(was weighed on a registered scale in P.A at the bus depot by the taxidermist this afternoon). have pictures will post.

Congrats MP thats a nice fish can't wait to see the pics. What was the length and girth? where abouts were you fishing, the flats are big and its easy to be secluded if you really want. Or did you catch the big girl first and then everyone moved in? And by the way that's the biggest fish i have heard of coming out in a while except for the "rumoured" 42 pounder. oh and did you stay ate the shore bird?

[Jack My Perch]

Just got home from the Flatts......Everyone was pretty spred out.  We plugged in alot of hours.....2 full days.  Managed to squeek out 2 fish....22.5 lbs and a 27 lbs.  Worth the wait for me anyways...but I wish it woulda been more steadier.  Can't wait for next year!

[azz7772]

was out there for the last three days was "squeezed" out of my spots by other fisherman twice enough to make a guy never want to a go back. luckily I caught my fish of a lifetime a 36 lb 8 ounce fish.(was weighed on a registered scale in P.A at the bus depot by the taxidermist this afternoon). have pictures will post.

nice fish but too bad you killed it........ a replica and pictures is just as good as the real deal if everyone at tobin kept thier one over it would not take long to ruin the lake. 

[MeadowPikeman]

I have never kept an overslot before at Tobin and probably never will again, I think its little judgemental to blame me for wrecking Tobin Lake, as I have released all other trophy fish i have ever caught there. I have never seen a replica so It's very hard to have faith that it will look the way you want it to. Vince West is a very reputable taxidermist and if I am paying premium price I want to know what kind of result I am getting. To me the cost already is substantial enough and I doubt a replica is cheaper. And for the record we kept 5 pike all winter between 5 of our regular group(tobin lake or otherwise), and yes we released quite a number of trophies. This was the only trophy the rest were what most would call an eater. 6 lbs and under. So before you start personally blaming someone for wrecking a lake maybe you should consider out of the dozens of times we have made trips to to tobin this being the 1st time me or anyone that I fish with has kept their "one over". Lets face it most guys are probably going to mount maybe one big pike as its not cheap so If everyone took one fish of a lifetime whatever that may be this isn't going to ruin a lake but if I took home my 1 overslot every time i caught one and ate it and other guys all did the same( I would imagine thee are those that do) of course thats going to be bad for the overall trophy fishing, I think before you attack someones decision to mount ONE trophy you should maybe think about the real problem with keeping overslot fish and that is if it is a repeated activity mainly done for meat. I would venture to say most overslot fish caught on tobin that are kept are not mounted but killed for meat. If I seem offended about this its because I am, It wasn't like I went out fishing for a big fish to kill, for me this will most likely be a once in a lifetime fish and pretty much knew this when I landed it, its not like was thinking Oh man If its over 105 cms I'm gunna clobber this thing when it comes out of the hole. Far from it I have always been stand offish when thinking about killing a trophy pike. I wanted to mount ONE but the ONE if you know what I mean not a 20 not a 25 not a 27 I wanted one that wouldn't regret mounting. If I mounted a twenty some pounder then caught a bigger one then I would possibly kill another one to mount. thats not what I wanted to go through. like I said this is the one I wanted, I guess if this makes me a poor sportsman you can continue to insult me for keeping my fish of a lifetime. azz7772 If you say caught a 45 pounder out of tobin could you say for sure you wouldn't consider keeping it?? For most if not all that would be a once in a lifetime thing, and for me catching a 35+lber was exactly that.

[fishin buddy]

here,here to that MDPM.Anyones that read this forum knows you dont abuse our resources just by what you put on the forum.It seems you cant keep everyone happy . tks for sharing with us the fish of a life time you caught so we could all see it.Look forward to seeing it after its mounted.

[pcsminer]

We got your back MP!! I too mounted my big fish (28.25lbs) cause to me it was a fish of a lifetime. If i caught something now to mount it would have to be a monster like you say 45lbs or bigger even! Will I see it?? Probably not seeings it took me 26 years to catch a 28 pounder. Would I get a replica next time....maybe but it's not the same they just can't reproduce the uniqueness of the real thing. I had trouble with guys on another forum telling me I was basically immoral and how I was single handedly ruining fishing so I removed all my posts from there because Quite frankly I don't need the B.S.  MP I wish you the greatest luck on Tobin in the future and don't worry about what some "fisherman" say I believe you know whats right for you. And remember if they disagree I remember you saying you are 6'6" 260lbs I think you could change their mind if you met them in a back alley.
                                                                               

[MeadowPikeman]

thanks pcsminer, what i really am looking forward to is next winter, hopefully two more 4 or 5 day trips to tobin. After catching this one a 40 would be a sight to see, a 45 would be absolutely nuts, i might soil myself. Just a thought but It might be cool to try to get a few board members out for a trip in december or the end of march next season would be a great to meet up out on the flats.

[azz7772]

I have never kept an overslot before at Tobin and probably never will again, I think its little judgemental to blame me for wrecking Tobin Lake, as I have released all other trophy fish i have ever caught there. I have never seen a replica so It's very hard to have faith that it will look the way you want it to. Vince West is a very reputable taxidermist and if I am paying premium price I want to know what kind of result I am getting. To me the cost already is substantial enough and I doubt a replica is cheaper. And for the record we kept 5 pike all winter between 5 of our regular group(tobin lake or otherwise), and yes we released quite a number of trophies. This was the only trophy the rest were what most would call an eater. 6 lbs and under. So before you start personally blaming someone for wrecking a lake maybe you should consider out of the dozens of times we have made trips to to tobin this being the 1st time me or anyone that I fish with has kept their "one over". Lets face it most guys are probably going to mount maybe one big pike as its not cheap so If everyone took one fish of a lifetime whatever that may be this isn't going to ruin a lake but if I took home my 1 overslot every time i caught one and ate it and other guys all did the same( I would imagine thee are those that do) of course thats going to be bad for the overall trophy fishing, I think before you attack someones decision to mount ONE trophy you should maybe think about the real problem with keeping overslot fish and that is if it is a repeated activity mainly done for meat. I would venture to say most overslot fish caught on tobin that are kept are not mounted but killed for meat. If I seem offended about this its because I am, It wasn't like I went out fishing for a big fish to kill, for me this will most likely be a once in a lifetime fish and pretty much knew this when I landed it, its not like was thinking Oh man If its over 105 cms I'm gunna clobber this thing when it comes out of the hole. Far from it I have always been stand offish when thinking about killing a trophy pike. I wanted to mount ONE but the ONE if you know what I mean not a 20 not a 25 not a 27 I wanted one that wouldn't regret mounting. If I mounted a twenty some pounder then caught a bigger one then I would possibly kill another one to mount. thats not what I wanted to go through. like I said this is the one I wanted, I guess if this makes me a poor sportsman you can continue to insult me for keeping my fish of a lifetime. azz7772 If you say caught a 45 pounder out of tobin could you say for sure you wouldn't consider keeping it?? For most if not all that would be a once in a lifetime thing, and for me catching a 35+lber was exactly that.

all i can say is how old are you ? how many more years of fishing you got in you? next year you might get a 40pounder you going to keep that one as well? or how about the year after that? you do not know that that is the fish of your life time, that is the excuse you are trying to sell us on but i am not buying if you are not so sure about replicas you should do your homework before you go trophy hunting.   also i have never kept any of my trophies except on film they are all back in the lakes getting bigger for next year when i go.  I am not just blaming you exclusively but if everyone has an attitude like you thats what will wreck the trophy fishing.oh ya and i am not jealous i am disappointed in people that use the excuse it is my once in a lifetime fish! Well buddy you got it you might as well sell your fishing stuff because you will never get a better one 

[MeadowPikeman]

I would like to know how many guys have caught 2 35 lb + pike while ice fishing out of the 10 000 members on this board, my biggest up till this point was maybe 25(no official weight as it was released) so i don't count on another 30+ in my lifetime.  What you are getting at with age really doesn't make any sense. If a 20 year old caught a 50lb pike does it mean he'll probably catch another bigger because hes got 50+ years to do it?? wow that makes worlds of sense. If i caught a 40 would i keep it? if you even read my first post you would know the answer is no, maybe actually read my post completely before mouthing off about what trophy killer I am. And due to mortality are you 100% without a doubt sure you have never ever killed a trophy???  By the way how many replica's have you had done??If you haven't had one done how are so sure you be so happy with it?? If its about releasing trophies why would i sell my gear??? like i said i have never kept a trophy till this point so why i be unhappy to catch and release more even if they are not my biggest??? never bothered me before. When you catch two 37 pounders next year you can tell me I'm full of crap OK.

[azz7772]

25 eh i thought you had the attitude of a kid     

[azz7772]

What's up your azz buddy?

not much it just burns me when someone has to take something awsome from nature and hang it on their wall so they can brag to all their buddies that they killed it when they could have a photo album full of trophies to show off and be proud that they released them to be caught another day.

[MeadowPikeman]

yeah i have that album too sorry to burst your bubble. and for FYI I am proud of the trophies I have released. are you going to tell a couple thousand guys on this site that hunt deer they have no right to "take something"?!?! wow the moral police are out in full force today.

[pcsminer]

Everyone is entitled to there opinion....azz7772 stated his....now if he would kindly drop the subject everyone would be happy.

[azz7772]

yes i made my statement and concider it dropped but next year when you all catch the big one think about the fishermen the years before that let it go so you could enjoy it 

[MeadowPikeman]

I promise if you see me with a 40 next year on here it will be swimming still, besides 2 mounts is a little much for the wife 2 handle, i'd probably wait a few years and then maybe look into a replica for it.

[pcsminer]

of a 25lbs walleye

[MeadowPikeman]

gunna mount a burbot next anyway keeley lake here i come!!!!!1

[Kyle_]

hey azz, now we all know how you got your nickname on here.  If I was gonna mount a fish, I would kill it due to the fact that I want that fish in my room..not someone else's fish done by a replica.  Also due to the fact that those HUGE fish arent the main spawners in the lake, I dont think meadowpikeman is doing any harm to the lake.

[azz7772]

hey azz, now we all know how you got your nickname on here.  If I was gonna mount a fish, I would kill it due to the fact that I want that fish in my room..not someone else's fish done by a replica.  Also due to the fact that those HUGE fish arent the main spawners in the lake, I dont think meadowpikeman is doing any harm to the lake.

boy am i glad you are in alberta with all the stocked one pound trout lakes 

[Kyle_]

haha good one there ass, check out my picture post i made yesterday..dont look one pound to me 

[azz7772]

haha good one there ass, check out my picture post i made yesterday..dont look one pound to me 

right on they look good, i will give you that.............. and you are cool for releasing them 

[emt]

I never read all of this fighting about getting a fish mounted but I will give my 2 cents-monster fish, no doubt about it-my dad released a 32.1 lb pike this year in febuary. I would have to agree with azz in the sense that I would have taken some measurements, a bunch of pics, and got a replica made. From what I have heard, replica's are as good as the real thing and they last way longer because they don't dry out after time.  That pike could have been a legitimate lake record next year. I would have definitely let it go. But on the other hand, I don't think you are a meat hunter trying to catch big fish so you can turn them into fish cakes and keeping an oversized fish everytime you go. I live near tobin and it makes me sick seeing guys keeping 23,24,25's and when you ask them what they are going to do with it, they say "I don't know, eat it?"  I guess some people are clueless and don't really care about maintaining a fishery and letting other people enjoy it. I took people out this year and it was rewarding to see the look on their face when they caught the biggest of their life. Every fish we caught went back except one-we argued, he kept it, and I will never take him out again. It makes me sick keeping big bruisers-if you want to keep a fish, keep a 3 lber!!!
so, congrats on a huge fish-it is definitely a fish of a lifetime and I hope the taxidermist does it justice.

[Master Angler]

yes i made my statement and concider it dropped but next year when you all catch the big one think about the fishermen the years before that let it go so you could enjoy it 

Well from the trophy pike pics that MP has posted on here, its possible that he may have even caught that fish before too, having released all his other trophy pike over the years.  To see a guy keep one trophy like that, considering how many other big fish he has caught and released is totally acceptable as far as I am concerned.  I too would have done the same thing, and I too have caught and released my share of trophy northerns but have my standards set high for a keeper as Meadowpikeman had, for me a 50 incher or something of that weight, and I would keep it if I could.

[MeadowPikeman]

thanks emt for being a little more reasonable. here is my thing with the whole replica deal. essentially its not identical to the fish as you can't measure every inch to get the exact shape of the fish. ie; most people take one girth measurement. taking 20 would be much more accurate as it would give you more of an indication of the actual dimensions of the fish. in addition to this from my understanding replicas are most often formed from a pre-existing mold from another fish then the artist does his best to adjust the dimensions to get as close as he can to the actual fish. (this what i recall anyway from an article i read).  Another issue with the replica thing is I have never seen a pike replica up close in person, i have examined several skin mounts closely enough to know that some look good and some don't. The taxidermist i have gone to is a pike specialist and has won many accolades for pike mounts, as well I was referred to him by friends who have had other mounts done by him and were very happy with the result. and i have seen these mounts in person. if i had friends that have had replica's done by a local(in saskatchewan at least) and were happy with the end result I for sure would have had to consider releasing the fish and getting a replica. I did look closely at a huge lake trout replica this summer in spokane as well as a replica of the world record walleye, they were ok looking but the colors were  little funny looking . I'm not saying this is a gauge of all replica's as these are the only two i have seen that i am aware of so its really all i have to go on.  Like I said in another post I'm not going to  kill another big pike anytime soon so say 5 years down the road i do catch a 40 (would be nice) there's probably a 98% chance it'll be going back to hopefully become a new sask record for someone else to catch. And if someone else caught it as 45lber and kept it to mount who am i to judge.

One thing I think they should definitely change on tobin is the one allowed overslot regulation. I think they should set it up as one over but not per day but per year . These trophy eater's are the real problem with the overslots, this only a guess from past observations but the trophies killed for meat would far outweigh the number that actually killed to mount. So I think its a little unfair to blame the guys who release the vast majority of the trophies they catch and keep one to mount. seeing as there are guys who keep every overslot they catch and would probably clean and eat the same fish I am getting mounted.

[farmboy]

I don't blame you one bit MP, got my support as well.  How many people get a chance at a fish like that??  Also, in reality how many more years did that fish have left?  The best spawners run from 10-25 lbs not to mention no one on this site knows how bad the fish was hooked.  I haven't kept a pike over 10 lbs in the last 14 years, except for one that was hooked too bad, but I will say if I caught a 36 lb pike I would keep it also.  I hate to see big fish kept as well and it is REALLY important to realease all bigger fish over around 6 lbs because we really do need to look out for the future. In saying that, if a guy keeps one 36 pound fish in his life and releases all the other trophy he catches, what harm has he done in the big picture??  I have spent a lot of days on the ice looking for my hawg and I know if I finally caught it how much I would appreciate it, haven't caught one over 25 but I'm not going to stop trying.  I would love to have a fish like that on my wall, not for bragging rights but for appreciation.  Anyways, just my two cents, take it or leave it but you have a real beauty there that you will enjoy for years to come.  Good for you.

[pcsminer]

On a side note how many of you guys that release all your trophy fish also release your trophy deer???

[emt]

I heard they are going to raise the oversize to 46 inches so that will be good-that should put the fish around the 25+ range-I see alot of fish being kept that are just over the 42 inches so that should stop some of that hopefully
As for deer, hunting and fishing are completely different-if they had a way to shoot a deer without killing it, take pics with it, and let it go, I would be all for that but unfortunately, once you pull the trigger, it is over. That is why you respect the animal by eating it and always remembering the experience you had.

EMT

[MeadowPikeman]

the slot is being raised to 115 cms as well the daily limit was being lowered to 4 pike per day. the walleye slot is being made to go both lower and  higher so that should make a pretty good dent in how many are kept. I believe the walleye limit is possibly going down to 3 and barbless was proposed as well.