jstelfox Posted May 21, 2009 Share Posted May 21, 2009 As many of you may be aware, we restored the outlet berm on Allen Bill Pond last November and will resume stocking it, with the first stocking occurrnig in mid June. Before the outlet berm was restored, bull trout and other native fish (e.g., cutthroat and mountain whitefish) were able to enter the pond from the Elbow River and many were killed by anglers who continued to fish in Allen Bill "Eddy" as if it were still a stocked fishery and harvest fish, regardless of species or size. Now that the outlet berm has been restored, some of these fish will be trapped in the pond. To prevent native fish from being killed when the pond reopens to angling on June 16, we plan to remove as many of them as possible before the pond is stocked and return them to the Elbow River. The primary focus will be on removing bull trout, because there are only about 100 adult bull trout left in the Elbow River below Elbow Falls. To remove native bull trout, we will use several divers in dry suits to locate the larger bulls and direct shore anglers where to cast to these fish. The snorkelers may also try angling for these fish with short rods, if they aren't readily caught by the shore anglers. This project is being conducted this Saturday, May 23, between 0900 and 1800 hours. At the start of the day, the emphasis will be on catching fish with artificial lures only (e.g., flies, spinners, spoons, jigs). However, as the day progresses, and if there are still many native fish to catch, we will resort to using bait with tight lines. Although this will increase the risk of hooking mortality, it will be of less consequence than the 100% hooking mortality rate that these fish would otherwise experience in the next few months, when the pond reopens to angling and the use of bait is permitted. If you would like to assist us with catching and relocating native fish from Allen Bill Pond, please give me a call or send me an e-mail. I anticipate that we can safely accommodate up to 40 anglers without endangering the safety of the snorkelers. At present, it appears that there is room for another 20 anglers and at least two more snorkelers with dry suits. Jim Stelfox Senior Fisheries Biologist, Southern Rockies Area Fish and Wildlife Division, Alberta Sustainable Resource Development Box 1420, Room 228, 2nd floor, Provincial Building Cochrane, Alberta, Canada T4C 1B4 Tel 403/851-2205, Fax 403/932-2158 Jim.Stelfox@gov.ab.ca Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Sundancefisher Posted May 21, 2009 Share Posted May 21, 2009 Like always Jim you and your fellow excellent biologists are on the fore front of helping to restore our fisheries opportunites. I know you have been a strong proponent of repairing and bringing Allen Bill back into the put and take fold. I commend you but unfortunatly I have other..."fisheries" and "family" related duties to perform. You government biologist are great, hard working, compassionate individuals that bend over backwards to help the general public realize a great recreational opportunity. You all deserve more money, more help, more research projects in which to ply your trade! I hope you all have a great time and wish I was there. Past projects on grayling etc. were always loads of fun... Sincerely. Sun P.S. It would superbly awesome if you stocked larger rainbows in Allen Bill and made it catch and release for all but the last month of the season (with a 1 per day per person limit). I believe a fishery that allows kids and adults a chance to more readily catch fish and bigger fish at that will add way more value and provide years of happy memories rather than bonking a 12 incher to take home and let freezer burn. Just a thought but give it a chance for a few years. I bet you $20 that within a couple years a catch and release fishery near Calgary improving peoples chances of catching a big fish will go over big and also help teach people the value of catch and release with a chance of a limited kill in the fall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishinhogdaddy Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 Nicely put... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishfreak Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 Nice to see that we'll be relocating those bulls from Allen Bill pond. Let's hope a lot of the bull trout make it back to the river. I'm away this weekend otherwise I'd be all over this one. You guys are doing a great job, Jim! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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