Lake Walcott

[sturgeonhunter]

Fished Lake Walcott this afternoon. It's has 5"-6" of ice. I fished the north side by the park. No fish were caught, but it was sure nice to get out on the ice!
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[blacktop]

Went there myself. The new gates in the southside canal and the dam allow unprecedented excapement and the fishing above will suffer significantly. There were a few nice fish caught but the fishing was slow for sure.
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[drowning_flys]

We had a slowest year yet at walcott the new gates are going to make changes for sure, On the other hand a buddy of mine that fishes below had his best year. the fish use to pool up late in the year but now they just get pulled threw. It might make the fishery below the dam return to what it was 20 years ago
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[blacktop]

Actually the fishing was extremely good until July. Most days we were close to a limit with three or four five pounders. Some of those days we would not have a fish under 4 pounds especially early. You are exactlly right about the fish being pulled through. With the dam being finished this spring we will be able to fish below legally without trespassing and I have no problem with the fish being caught in the river. Most of the fish in the south side canal are wasted however. The gate to the canal only needs to be half as deep as it is and it is a terrible waste of fish. They planted all the fish in 2013 at Massacre rocks and we did not have the smaller fish for sure as past years. We caught huge numbers of three to five pounders this year with three in the eight pound range. I am very worried about this years. We caught a 2012 oct planter with a tag last nov. that weighed 3lb. 14oz. that was put in at 9". By May many of those fish were at or close to 5 pounds in eighteen months. The 2013 planters we caught below early this fall were pushing three pounds. I guess I will have to figure out how to post a picture of the multiple 7 or 8 pounders we caught this year
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[drowning_flys]

Don't get me wrong when i say we had a slow year I was meaning those days of boating 25 to 30 fish per day were gone a limit was never a problem even even big fish were there just not the numbers of previous years. I will be glad when there done up there with the construction, can we get on the south side legally this year ? Looking forward to your photos I like to use photo bucket it works really well. what would be fantastic if a lot of those fish that get washed threw continue to hang out below the dam I remember some fantastic days of drift fishing the first mile and some huge fish
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[blacktop]

I gotcha. You are right. After the great fall fishing and ice fishing last year I was surprised we would have any of the big boys left and gone were the huge days. The fall planting has been a huge success. I am a little worried about the sept planting of this year as they worry about juvenille losses into the canals. Word is the dam will not be lowered in the winter any longer and they will be able to make Oct 15 plantings at the boat ramp after the canals are shut off. We have only had the fall plantings for this being the third year. It is nice to live close to one ofthe best fisherys in the state.
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[blacktop]

Send me a pm and your cell phone and I wil send you some pictures of 2014 Walcott fish.
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[dtayboyz]

The fellas that work for the canal company had a whole pickup load if nice trout they got out of Milner when they turned the canals off. That hasn't happened for lotsa years. Maybe trout fishing in burley will pickup.
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[drowning_flys]

Thats good News about the water being higher maybe that will help with the plating Lol when it comes to phones mine as dumb as they get just makes calls thats it I have heard that the fishing at milner for trout has been getting better maybe those fish are making there way all the way down there, Maybe something good will come out of the new gates would be cool if some of the browns that use to be behind walcott would make a comeback. wonder how many sturgeon will be behind the dam now
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[dtayboyz]

Someone caught a six ftr last year and there where to dead four ftrs on the mud at murtaugh lake fall of 13
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[drowning_flys]

Hate to hear that too bad there isnt a way to keep them out of the canals I suppose it they had it take the water off the top it would eliminate some of it
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