Brandon, when you are trolling with a downrigger how do you control the depth? Do you stay so far off bottom, do you need to constantly pull your line in and out accordingly? Thx!

Great vids by the way!

Cool pics Brandon..

You are right Cold Lake is an awesome lake trout fishery unfortunately it is being managed all wrong by SRD,, imagine that. The lake is loaded with smaller fish one has a hard time to catch anything but lake trout in the lake, but try and catch anything of any size. By size I mean 15# plus. When I first started fishing Cold Lake about 10 years ago 15 was not uncommon a person could expect at least one a day and a few over the summer. There was consistently fish in the 20 plus being caught through out the summer. The last couple years has been a different story. I keep a pretty close ear to the ground about the lake I am in the local shops a lot and am in the loop on what is happening out there pretty darn good, talking with the other local boys on the ramps and in the tackle shops and this summer has been a very poor year for quality fish. I do not know of a 30# fish coming out this summer and this is a first in many years. There was a hog pulled out last winter but I do not know of one this summer. This concerned a lot of us. SRD will wake up to late again after the fishery has collapsed and then just do as they usually do and shut it down. The ice fishing that takes place out there is saddening it really is, I won't even be a part of it I refuse to it's just crazy. The mortality rate of ice fishing is crazy do to the way people treat their catch. You should go out there on a weekend and see the blood on the ice around people's holes from them handling fish in -20 degree weather to get a measurement than have to throw them back after they have been exposed to the elements,, it's just crazy.

We want this as a trophy fishery not a meat fishery,, wake up SRD before it's to late,, but what are the chances of that.

Very sorry for the hi jack Brandon but it just upsets me what is happening out there.

Again awesome pics and video thx for sharing it with us.

Yeah I think you are right Walleyes... it would be great if they changed the regulations.  The big spawning fish are being wiped out at an alarming rate.  Really has changed the fishery in a few years.  There are a lot of little fish and all sizes up to the 75 cm mark.  Hopefully if those fish under get a year or two of spawning in the fishery won't collapse.  I've always wondered how those fishery biologists do their math.  It would be great if you could keep one under 50 cm or a certain slot they deemed reasonable, since they aren't caught as often anyways, good eater and keep the big ones in the lake to enjoy over and over. 

I do see the fish getting beat up as well.  The one I caught that was just under 75 cm had all her fins torn up, has spent a few times in a net probably or prolong measuring periods since she's close to 75cm.  Looks like shes surviving the abuse though.

I sure hope the fishery doesn't colapse... that lake is awesome!  When we started fishing there we were lucky to catch 1-3 fish a day, but they were usually big... then the population just took off and its been wide open since.  So much fun to fish.