petti Posted September 19, 2008 Share Posted September 19, 2008 i was wondering if the bulls in the highwood spawn in the highwood or do the go to the sheep maybe? and around when in the season do they spawn and when do they return? thx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxwell Posted September 20, 2008 Share Posted September 20, 2008 both streams ahve otehr creeks they spawn in.. wich are closed to fishing... they go to spawn in september and return on october but they drop down miles a day and are hard oo track all beat up skinny and not really fun too target unless ur ithin that bad.. in that case go check out k lakes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petti Posted September 20, 2008 Author Share Posted September 20, 2008 right on thanx max! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 420FLYFISHIN Posted September 20, 2008 Share Posted September 20, 2008 whats the deal with the population counts? I remember making posters in grade 7 science class in 93 about not fishing them. are their # ever going to come back and how far back have they been protected. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxwell Posted September 21, 2008 Share Posted September 21, 2008 there on the rise dude i would assume there a long slow growing fish and they wont pop up in huge numbers for decades too come but every year me and friends fishing em keep seeing more and more fish in the low teens and even smaller chasing our flies... there on the comeback forsure but having the oldman fish like the wig will be in 40 or more years i would assume. takes a while for the gene pool too replenish and rebuild... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 420FLYFISHIN Posted September 21, 2008 Share Posted September 21, 2008 i had no idea it was that decimated back them. So the proplem must have started back in the late 80s or so Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Sundancefisher Posted September 22, 2008 Share Posted September 22, 2008 i had no idea it was that decimated back them. So the proplem must have started back in the late 80s or so I was the first person to study and work on L. Kan bull trout prior to the population recovery. I worked the fish traps and studies their spawning behavior. Later on a really good buddy volunteered to take over after he retire. Sadly he passed away but I will always remember his smile when talking about helping the bull trout. Our problem with bull trout populations is due to historical poor management, dams and public perception. People always looked at bull trout as being like dog salmon. They were supposed to taste not as good as other trout and fought poorly. They do tend to fight worse then other trout but tasted okay IMHO. I have seen historic pictures in Alberta with huge numbers of massive bull trout displayed hanging on fences etc. People killed them in droves. The biggest problem for bull trout was they seem to be stupid and way to easy to catch. That made them particularly over susceptible to fishing and even poaching. Back when you could kill 10 a day it did not take long for the population to be threatened. Then came dams which blocked the migration of bull trout from large rivers. Also genetics show there are three distinct sub types of bull trout. Lake populations, large river populations and small stream populations. When one is wiped out it affects the others. I have radio tracked bull trout over large areas of western Alberta. It is amazing how far they travel and yet amazing how even when protected they were poached. Bull trout also inhabit low productively systems which slows their growth in the already cold water. Over all the great thing is that they are very well adapted to our Albertan waters. They can grow large and heavy and while not fighting the best still make for a nice picture. Cheers Sun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
agbff Posted September 22, 2008 Share Posted September 22, 2008 I keep on hearing the easy to catch thing.... I have had a hell of a time catching them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Sundancefisher Posted September 22, 2008 Share Posted September 22, 2008 I keep on hearing the easy to catch thing.... I have had a hell of a time catching them. Do you want to catch big ones or little ones? Where have you fished? Flies (dry or nymph) or spinners? If we know where you fish I could give you some advice on what worked for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
agbff Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 Ive been to the high wood a lot and only had a tug from a big guy... no small ones. The most luck ive had was on the sheep between Turner valley and Black diamond and they were small the biggest at 16" maybe. When i go fishing i usually work upstream with dry's and then on my way back down i jump between pools or what i think could be bull water with double bunnies, leeches, or medussa flesh flie which ive had the most luck on. I dont fish with a sinking line... Thinking that may some help? Controlling where the streamer is seems difficult in the deeper pools. I think all the bulls that ive caught have been dead drifting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Sundancefisher Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 Ive been to the high wood a lot and only had a tug from a big guy... no small ones. The most luck ive had was on the sheep between Turner valley and Black diamond and they were small the biggest at 16" maybe. When i go fishing i usually work upstream with dry's and then on my way back down i jump between pools or what i think could be bull water with double bunnies, leeches, or medussa flesh flie which ive had the most luck on. I dont fish with a sinking line... Thinking that may some help? Controlling where the streamer is seems difficult in the deeper pools. I think all the bulls that ive caught have been dead drifting. If you are looking for the big ones then you need to get to the bottom. Otherwise catching the smaller ones means doing what you appear to be doing. Sounds like you are catching them. In some small streams I have had 50-60 bulls in 5-6 hours. Biggest would be 14 inches. Caught one 19 incher where I did not expect it though. Tons of 6-10 inchers. Larger rivers usually means larger bulls. There are some larger bulls in the Oldman and Castle systems. They were poached quite effectively when I studied them in the mid 1990's. Not sure how they are fairing. Cheers Sun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
agbff Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 I think im gunna make a trip to oldman livingstone this weekend... see if i can find a few down there. Above or below the gap? What about bullies in the k lakes.... can they be fished from shore easily. Same big streamer patterns? sinking line? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Sundancefisher Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 I think im gunna make a trip to oldman livingstone this weekend... see if i can find a few down there. Above or below the gap? What about bullies in the k lakes.... can they be fished from shore easily. Same big streamer patterns? sinking line? A lot of people have success along the upper and lower dams. Also did well this time of year at Kent Creek but not for big ones. You need to be right on the bottom. In other words people use white walleye jigs right on the bottom and have success. Big bull trout do not fight much at all. More like roll in the line and dog a bit. I do not find they run much. They can be heavy though. Remember that Bull Trout have started their migration back in mid August and by now 80% of all large fish are spawning. Some may of come back down and could be found at Kent Creek but would be hit or miss. I would use large white or black leach patterns. They eat mostly suckers. Cheers Sun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
agbff Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 Any body seen any bulls lower down.... ? Ive seen a few smaller non-spawners but when do the bigger guys start to head back down to winter? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derf Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 A lot of people have success along the upper and lower dams. Also did well this time of year at Kent Creek but not for big ones. Sun Where the heck is Kent Creek? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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