Jackfish Lake Poachers

[weeman]

  http://www.stonyplainreporter.com/2013/12/06/jackfish-lake-a-problem-area-for-fish-poachers-says-fish-and-wildlife-officer   

[walleyes]

It's good they caught him but I can't help but think there is more to this story than is being told here. A thousand bucks for one under sized fish is not common place, something else took place.

[busterhymen]

Good stuff im glad they are finally catching these morons , I think that when people are charged with poaching offenses they should be forced to retake there hunters ed outdoor ed training. That would be awesome if that was the case , just because you come from some other country you should know what the case is here . After all when you buy your license your handed a regulations . As for the 1500 dollar fine that's the going rate in parkland county as far as Ive heard there have been stiffer fines and yes per a fish . I remember a guy getting some very stuff fines for poaching out of the north Saskatchewan . Finally they have judges on the same side as the good guys who are willing to make these huge fines stick . Sucks to be a poacher .

[Chris K]

I have fished Jackfish a ton over the years.  It is nothing like it was even compared to 5 years ago.  We used to catch a lot of 5-8 pound fish but don't anymore.  We should be catching a lot of them.  I truly believe with 100% conviction that there are cabin owners there that have no regard for the regs and have been killing tons of walleyes.  That is the only logical explanation for where the numbers of the big fish went. I know what I'm doing and where to find bigger fish.  For the most part, they no longer exist there in any significant numbers like they used to in a lake that has a 0 liit.

Chris K 

[deerman]

No doubt there are cabin owners who think it is ok to eat an illegally killed fish now and then.  And no doubt there are visiting anglers who are killing fish as well.  However a lot of people do not realize the impact of catch and release fishing can have.  There is always a % of released fish that will die from stress and injury.  There are conditions that increase that %.  And the total number of anglers and angling hours increases the numbers.

I have never seen a study of  mortality of released fish while anglers are ice-fishing but I suspect it must be higher that open water fishing.

There is a good article in the recent Outdoor Edge magazine on reducing C&R mortality.

[walleyes]

No doubt there are cabin owners who think it is ok to eat an illegally killed fish now and then.  And no doubt there are visiting anglers who are killing fish as well.  However a lot of people do not realize the impact of catch and release fishing can have.  There is always a % of released fish that will die from stress and injury.  There are conditions that increase that %.  And the total number of anglers and angling hours increases the numbers.

I have never seen a study of  mortality of released fish while anglers are ice-fishing but I suspect it must be higher that open water fishing.

There is a good article in the recent Outdoor Edge magazine on reducing C&R mortality.

Mortally wounded is just that,, a fish will die from it, no fish will live after having most of its gills ripped out, or even damaged significantly but a walleye hooked in the lip or just inside the mouth if released in do time will not die. I don't need some survey done to know this, I have spent enough time on the water and released enough my my day to know this. It's just common sense. A lake like this would not be wiped out from C&R fishing,, I'll call BS on that any day, lack of feed from over feeding of the larger fish or just to much activity on the lake maybe but from C&R not a chance..

[JIMMY 808]

Been to a few C and R rivers fish can sure take a shit kicking and keep going.  The bow is one of the top ten fly fishing rivers in the world yet to see anyone take a fish home for the smoker.  I guided a few times for a friend he new the river well and had fish marked down in spots with names, on a slow day he cought those same fish over and over...  No study needed

[deerman]

I have read about a few C/R studies.  As I recall the fish were angled and then tagged and released into a holding pen.  The pen was checked for fish that had died over a period of time.  There were some that were obviously injured and died fairly soon (as "walleyes" pointed out their gills were bleeding)  but there were also delayed mortality fish who appeared not injured but died some hours later.

In one walleye study the procedure was done for fish caught on a hot day that were brought up from some depth.  And then it was repeated on a much cooler day.

Higher mortality on a hot day.

A "Study" usually looks for things that the average angler does not get a chance to see first hand.  If you think there is "no need for studies" you must want to live in the stone age.

[JIMMY 808]

http://albertasportsman.com/alberta-sport-fishing/my-fisheries-management-test-netting-walleye-video/msg29351/#msg29351


A link to Brandon's vid of test netting...  I haven't re watched them
But I do remember them being fairly secretive to what they are up to.

[AxeMan]

"A "Study" usually looks for things that the average angler does not get a chance to see first hand.  If you think there is "no need for studies" you must want to live in the stone age"

I have witnessed some of these "studies" first hand.  You are right, Deerman.  An average angler does not get a chance to put 200 feet of gill nets across Hanmore lake over a period of two weeks.  The many box fulls of fish were measured and weighed and then given to the Caslan reserve residents.  Over the two week period the numbers kept becoming less and less in the nets.  Some fancy extrapolation from a couple of biology grad students and they had the data for their thesis papers.....lol.  Many of these studies simply cater to whims of aspiring PhD candidates, and have little to do with any serious conservation efforts.  I work in the field of research and can guarantee you this is an all too common practice.

Some of us guys who have been around these lakes for most of our lives have a bit of insight on what is going on with the fish stocks.  Very rarely will ASRD ever canvass angler catch rates in their studies.  Funding studies to the university is their much preferred method.

I would like to suggest that if you trust all studies are valid and in the best interest of the angling public, then you may have the blinders on as well.  Certain studies have their place, but they can often be very misguided.  Many old timers and people close to the resource often have as much or more insight than a university grad student study will provide.

[deerman]

I believe I brought up "Catch and release mortality"  and studies related to that.

A couple guys said "No studies needed" or something like that.

Of course I do not think that all "studies" done are totally valid and in the best interest of the angling public.  I do not think I have ever said that.

Fish & Wildlife does meet with and talk with hunters and angler about various management decisions.  And gathers information through surveys.

Some of the "guys who have fished and been around lakes all their lives" have some valuable information and some have a lot of misinformation.

[Paul]

Fish & Wildlife does meet with and talk with hunters and angler about various management decisions.  And gathers information through surveys.

Where? And when? The last time I was asked anything was on Lesser Slave 23 years ago when they did their big angler survey. I wrote a letter to the minister 4 or 5 years ago about my concern for perch in Lesser Slave with all the hardline walleye management he he replied and told me "he heard" the perch fishing was great there. lol. ummm OK.

[walleyes]

I guess when they go through your cooler, rummage through your boat, open all your live wells and interigate you on the water and in your camp they are doing surveys ?? Hmmm here I just thought they were being greasy slobs,, my mistake..

[QIsley]

It's good they caught him but I can't help but think there is more to this story than is being told here. A thousand bucks for one under sized fish is not common place, something else took place.

$1,000/fish is the starting point in Stony Plain Court, Wabamun, Jackfish, Lac St. Anne, North Saskatchewan River.... and is being used in other jurisdictions. Licence suspensions and higher fines have been handed out in addition to the fine. Most cases don't make the news but these did.

http://www.southpeacenews.com/newsdesk/volume51/131106/spotnews1.html

http://westerncanadiangamewarden.com/F2013Cuffs.html

http://www.solgps.alberta.ca/newsroom/Pages/Pairofdip-netterscatchheftyfine.aspx

[AxeMan]

Read about that Vandersteene Lake case before.  That one was pretty intense.

[walleyes]

Stupid whitemen,, when are they going to learn,, only Indians are aloud to eat fish in Alberta..

[Tuc]

Thanx for the info QIsley and welcome to the site. Glad you came to join us, have always looked forward to your input!

[weeman]

Pay back is a bitch....