Curious About Kanaskis Area

[DonAndersen]

Folks,

After the jerks paved the highway I swore I never would go back however after near 50 years tempers cool.

So, am curious about the area. Anything up there that is worth attention factoring in 70 year old knee joints requiring replacement.

The upper lake or wedge pond worth my time?

 

Regards,

 

Don

[ÜberFly]

Email sent

[Sparkplug]

Though not really an answer to your question, Don, a follow-on question might be how good UKL and LKL (and Barrier L as well, I suppose) would be if hydro operations there were managed differently (i.e., on more of a run-of-river basis) to maintain more consistent lake levels. Much has changed in the electric industry/market in Alberta in the last couple of decades, such that these units now are virtually inconsequential to the market and/or power system stability in S Alberta - today, from an electrical output standpoint, they pretty much serve only to line TransAlta's pocket, to the detriment of the fishery.

 

Yes, there are still flood control benefits, but I think there still is a substantial opportunity here to further stabilize lake levels (and thereby improve the fishery) by further restriction of the hydro unit operating fluctuations. Today, TransAlta can virtually do as they please.

 

Stabilization of lake levels and enhancement of the fisheries in the lakes is likely far more in the public interest than seeing TransAlta's pockets lined.

[DonAndersen]

So what about Wedge Pond and upper K. lake?

 

Don

[ericlin0122]

Don,

I fished upper k lake couple times since the ice came off. Fishing was great during first couple weeks after ice off, fish seem to hold nearby where water enter the lake. I caught more bull trout than cuttie this year in upper k. As for now... fishing will be tough as water is much higher and fish are more spread out. I prefer fish smaller hike in lake this time of year, there are many to choose from within kananaskis to banff.

Late fall is good fishing on upper k lake, but you will need a boat/motor to go around the lake to find fish.

Wedge pond is tough to fish without a boat, seems like these graylings are much smarter compares to the ones in bear pond. I dont know what's the size in wedge pond this year (got skunked last time fishing from the shore), but I think they are generally bigger than bear pond. I have caught grayling from wedge pond ~18" couple years ago before it got winterkilled.

[monger]

Wedge pond fish 14-16" this year. Perhaps odd larger one.

Your pontoon and chironomids are recommended.

[northfork]

I can agree with your points, but also do not forget these lakes only exist because of TransAlta. There may come a day where the dams are removed.

[danhunt]

The upper lake existed before the dam. I wouldn't shed a lot of tears if the dam were removed tomorrow and the Kananaskis river turned back in to a quality cuttie fishery. But that's just me...

[monger]

There are some great Cutts around in the big lakes this year because a number of years ago catchable sized Cutts were stocked. When the government stocks tiny fish, their mortality rate is huge in Upper and Lower Kan. I have heard the plan is to go back to stocking tiny fish...it is a waste of money.

 

Lower Kan got 14.9k of 21cm Cutts in 2013 and 20K of 18cm in 2009...some survived. It is a way better plan than stocking 6cm fish in a Bull trout reservoir

 

Upper Kan got bigger Cutts in 2011, 2013

[northfork]

The upper lake existed before the dam. I wouldn't shed a lot of tears if the dam were removed tomorrow and the Kananaskis river turned back in to a quality cuttie fishery. But that's just me...

I've heard the stories..

 

There are some great Cutts around in the big lakes this year because a number of years ago catchable sized Cutts were stocked. When the government stocks tiny fish, their mortatlity rate is huge in Upper and Lower Kan. I have heard the plan is to go back to stocking tiny fish...it is a waste of money.

 

This was back 2007-2008, but still to this day the biggest cutt I have ever seen was dead floating along the shore in Lower K in springtime. I won't even write how big it was for fear of people not believing it. Wish we had camera phones back in those days. I remember when the upper lake produced very large rainbows too. There's still some good trout in both lakes. Fishing partner caught a 28" rainbow out of Lower last spring.

[Sparkplug]

I've heard the stories..

 

 

This was back 2007-2008, but still to this day the biggest cutt I have ever seen was dead floating along the shore in Lower K in springtime. I won't even write how big it was for fear of people not believing it. Wish we had camera phones back in those days. I remember when the upper lake produced very large rainbows too. There's still some good trout in both lakes. Fishing partner caught a 28" rainbow out of Lower last spring.

 

A number of years back I watched a kid pull a rainbow from the lower lake, which his dad then weighed on a hand scale - pulled it down to 12 lbs.

 

The dams don't have to come out. Nor do the turbines - simply changing their operating license to have them operate as more run-of-river could significantly stabilize lake levels and better establish and maintain littoral zones. I'm not a fisheries biologist, but I can't help but wonder what the potential of these lakes could be if the water levels were more stable.

 

We have other dams/reservoirs in the province that are operated in this more stable level mode (e.g., Glenmore Reservoir), so it certainly can be done.

[muha]

Glenmore is anything but stable, biggest fluctuations occur in spring and fall. Opening the dam during stampede to avoid people jumping fences says enough and then come fall they keep it at a trickle.

[Dangus]

It's months ahead of "normal" max capacity and it's nearly there yet they're still only letting a piss trickle out of the dam.

Would be nice if glenmore was a "real" angling opportunity.

[muha]

With stricter regulations and better water management Glenmore would easily surpass any known trophy trout lake in Alberta. Fish are there and food is plentiful, some pike an bird predation but nothing major compared to a limit of 5 trout per person.

Everything is there already we just need to help it along.

 

Lower elbow also has great potential but has no chance with current management. Kananaskis river is another great place which is under mercy of power demand. Some of the most beautiful brown trout swim there but very few and far apart.

[Sparkplug]

With stricter regulations and better water management Glenmore would easily surpass any known trophy trout lake in Alberta. Fish are there and food is plentiful, some pike an bird predation but nothing major compared to a limit of 5 trout per person.

Everything is there already we just need to help it along.

 

Lower elbow also has great potential but has no chance with current management. Kananaskis river is another great place which is under mercy of power demand. Some of the most beautiful brown trout swim there but very few and far apart.

 

It's not so much "power demand", as it is TransAlta's use of the K-system hydro plants. The K-system hydro plants total less than 50 MW of generation capacity; Alberta daily demand peaks at around 10,000 MW. The K-system hydro plants are inconsequential to meeting demand in the province. Their primary benefit these days is to TransAlta, who dispatch them in response to the (hourly) price of electricity in the province, essentially at their discretion (and to their economic benefit). As consequences, the lake levels and river flows fluctuate wildly.

 

Glenmore, at least, is not subject to this hourly fluctuation, but rather is managed on a more seasonal basis. It is not drawn down over the winter nearly to the same extent as the K-system reservoirs. The challenge with Glenmore is all the residential development downstream, and flood protection of that.

 

There is no valid technical reason why the K-system hydro units could not be operated in a more stable mode, closer to true run-of-river (subject to some flood protection/water storage seasonal considerations). A case would have to be made to AEP that changes to the hydro operating licenses to stabilize lake levels/river flow rates was in the public interest.

[jpinkster]

There are some great Cutts around in the big lakes this year because a number of years ago catchable sized Cutts were stocked. When the government stocks tiny fish, their mortality rate is huge in Upper and Lower Kan. I have heard the plan is to go back to stocking tiny fish...it is a waste of money.

 

Lower Kan got 14.9k of 21cm Cutts in 2013 and 20K of 18cm in 2009...some survived. It is a way better plan than stocking 6cm fish in a Bull trout reservoir

 

Upper Kan got bigger Cutts in 2011, 2013

I had a long talk with some former AB Gov fish biologists. It sounds like some of the big problems are stocking cutties that are too small and bulls that are too big. The main food source in Upper K is some kind of scud that typically sits in 20+ feet of water. That's just too far down for smaller stocked fish to do well in. The bulls have a pretty easy time picking off those little guys that are starving to death in the shallower water. I was out there a couple of years ago after they stocked it with the wee cutties. Didn't catch a single cutty but got into plenty of chubby bulls that were clearly enjoying the recent stockees.

[monger]

When the reservoirs were made they were stocked with Mysis shrimp. These shrimp live in deep water during the day and migrate up in the dark and feed on zooplankton (thus competing with the trout). This is a problem the Kokanee face in Kootenay lake as well (and subsequently the big rainbows). The water sucked out of the Upper lake into the Lower lake is rich in Mysis. The young Bulls and other trout take advantage of this feeding trough.

Hopefully the new biologist, and perhaps a better budget, will consider stocking bigger Cutts again. It is a treat to catch trophy class Cutts

[Jayhad]

They need to open retention for the bulls in the K lake, the vast majority of those fish are stunted around 26-28."

A one fish tag system would be good for a few years.

 

Mind you I'm not a bio just my uneducated views from fishing there.

[monger]

I'm not sure if would matter Jay. I don't think there were many monster Bulls back when you could kill them....maybe they never got old enough before they entered the freezer? The population today is pretty stable due to a limitation in spawning habitat. With numbers not climbing out of sight, it would seem that growth rates are consistent. In my experience the 24-26" females seem a bit more plump than the past. Perhaps it is more a problem of a less productive reservoir than anything. Many of the stomach samples I saw from Bull trout showed mostly Mysis shrimp rather than fish parts. Perhaps in lakes with huge bulls there are a greater variety of food items to snack on.

Biggest I heard of was 18lb in the about the mid-90's

[bcubed]

Really it's fairly high gradient, low productivity oligotrophic lake, not sure how big can really get in there..the biggest bull trout in BC that most guys see spend a lot of time snacking on Kokanee

 

lets stock it with kokanee! They love Mysis...oh wait

[BrianR]

I can remember when it was stocked with rainbows.Thety grew not large,but then there were 10 fish a day limits etc.I would like to let you guys no.That when ,your fortunate to catch a rainbow.Alot of them would be purely wild.So if you can release them.If enough show up in creel card notes,the govt,might consider saving them...Just a thought...Considering they could very well be15+ yrs.old..

[ÜberFly]

Creel cards! Ha! Those haven't been around for years! Just empty metal boxes with pencils these days!!

[BrianR]

Wishful thinking..Showing my age...

[monger]

There is a small, reproducing herd of rainbows. Still seeing some youngsters along with the big fish. They are very limited by available spawning habitat. They have been successfully spawning for 30 years. If only there was more gravel available...

[BrianR]

Gheez;I can still remember packing in pea gravel in 5gal. pails up the hill into Bear Pond.Along with crusher screen mesh,to improve natural stocking .For the grayling..That was then i guess....