Charleston Lakers...

[RJ]

Birdee, Ariel and I spent a day on the lake a little while back......disappointing day really.....the decline of the lake trout fishery appears to no longer be a rumour.......

I did a bit of digging and found out some encouraging information about what's gone on.....our days report and info is the latest blog entry....

http://rjnbirdeesoutdooradventures.blog ... akers.html

RJ

[moonshine]

the information sounds right in theory, lets just hope that the bait fish are still there and can rebound as well. there are other lakes that i am watching that are at the same stage. i hope that this approach is based purely on science and isn't a calculated gamble.
thanks for the report

[pikeman]

Hey RJ, I totally agree. I spent a few days there in June and it was the worst year ever. We usally catch our daily limit no problem. But this year we only caught one 3 pounder and 2 really small ones this after at least 50 hours on the lake.

We did speak to one of the locals and he indicated that it was because a declined in the bait fish. I am having a hard time beleiving that because don't you think if they had less food available they would be more tempted in bitting.

Well we have been going there for the last 15 years and we are seriously thinking of changing locations next year.


Pikeman

[RJ]

The numbers appear to be there still....we did catch 7 lakers in 4 hours fishing......but almost all stockers.....

Interestingly as well......there was us and 2 other boats trolling for lakers...that's it. Which is very uncommon for Charleston.

RJ

[catfishHunter]

Interesting....would stocking forage fish help? (I guess that would be smaller stockers) I mean if the forage fish are depleting I am sure that would trickle up the food chain rather quickly or the fish adapt and include something else in their diet.

Also a friend told me at his lake they were stocking rainbows and they stocked the lake while the fishing season is going on, instead of after the season (season ends Sept 17th or so in PQ)....do you guys know if this is normal?

[Dirtus]

just got back from vacation there for 2 weeks, went trout fishin 1 day, the wife got a nice fish long and skinny though.......the largies were on fire.
heres a pic of the trout, it looks like the fish weve been catching on loborough the last few years.

andy

[almontefisher]

just got back from vacation there for 2 weeks, went trout fishin 1 day, the wife got a nice fish long and skinny though.......the largies were on fire.
heres a pic of the trout, it looks like the fish weve been catching on loborough the last few years.

andy

That looks like the rock face I fell into the water at one year when I was a lot younger. My father pulled the boat up for me to take a pee and in I went. Did you catch it right there???

[RJ]

I've looked at that picture 5 times....and still haven't seen a fish...

[ganman]

Here is what one of the countries leading fisheries biologists who is studying the effects of climate change told me.

Lake trout at this latitude regardless of water temperature spawn at roughly the same time each season, around the full moon in late October. For eons lake trout eggs incubated over winter and hatched in spring just as water temperatures and lake productivity were on the upswing.

In very recent years the water temperatures are so warm in late October and thru the fall that the incubation period is much quicker. The fry are hatching out before freeze up when water temperatures are still declining. The fry now have to go thru winter and many starve to death.

Having said that this spring the week of opening day I fished for lakers on Charleston in the same spots and much the same as I'd fish for August smallies on Charleston. I found shallow offshore reefs teeming with smaller 1-3 lb. native lakers. They looked healthy although they seemed to me to be on the skinny side and were very aggressive.

I remember when the problem on Charleston was too much baitfish and Charleston lakers were fat and oily and would puke up shad.

[Dirtus]

good 1 RJ, keep lookin its there.........................lol

[Dirtus]

a-fisher, yes we came across a school of lakers there in 65-90 fow, next day they were gone.........lots of bait up through the narrows, i think they were following the schools of bait....


andy

[Daner]

No lake has a lack of bait fish. They produce in quantities. You must look harder to find the schools. Or, maybe they are shallower than you think!
By the way, I cannot see the fish either!!!

a-fisher, yes we came across a school of lakers there in 65-90 fow, next day they were gone.........lots of bait up through the narrows, i think they were following the schools of bait....

[RJ]

No lake has a lack of bait fish.

Sure about that Daner?...I guess the MNR should have looked shallower when the forage base collapsed in Loughborough......

[Daner]

Hi RJ, Then I guess that lake died! Why? How can a lake die of small fry?
Small fry just reproduces and reproduces. I have been in some lakes, most lakes that are teaming with small fry!!!
I don't know the answer, but as long as I have been fishing, for lakers you really have to find at this time of the year, where the bait fish are grouping.
Every lake is different and some are very hard to fish for lakers. But remember, look at the photos above, they are there. At least, the photos prove it! I still cannot see the fish however!!!

[dead_weight]

Hi guys ... I know that in a book I have about algonquin park they talk about 2 fish that are exactly the same age but caught in 2 different lakes ... one was forced to live on tiny aquatic animals and the other one had lived on baitfish lie perch and cisco ... the difference between them is staggering ... the one that just ate tiny aquatic animals is about 1/5th the size of the other. I'm not saying this is the case in Charleston lake but if it is then that would explain the difference in size all of a sudden ...