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Author Topic: Alouette 2017  (Read 40315 times)

wildmanyeah

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Alouette 2017
« on: April 12, 2017, 11:14:28 AM »

Arrived at the lake around noon. 3 people were taking there boats out of the water who spent the morning fishing. Did not seem like they had much success.  Our goal was to try out a dual rod holder that mounts to the scotty downrigger base that we plan to use while out in the ocean. Worked great is a nice clean setup!

Again the surface water temperature was cold. This time the water temperature was 5-7c and the thermocline ranged from 20-30 feet depending on location in the lake. Lots of debris past the narrows probably from the windstorm a few days early so we fished elsewhere. 

We fished from the narrows south on the west side of the lake for two hours, marked some fish on the sounder but had no luck. Tried frog flat fish, apex, dick nite, pink hoochie and others all with no success. fished from surface down to 50 feet.

picked up and motored to the hatchery, marked what look like kokanee schools from 100 to 150 deep. Put the rigger down to 130 feet deep and on the last past hit a stump and lost all the gear and saved the ball. Not sure why the sumps looked like school suspended above the bottom. Still "stumped" on that one! No luck so headed in

No signs of fish jumping or surfacing so the lake is still cold. Looks like the late will probably heat up a month late! just in time for the watersports to take over the lake. Was a hot clear day! saw a few falcons or eagles making a nest! saw some geese flying just over the lake! was great!

Hopping to get out on the salt this sunday!

« Last Edit: May 27, 2017, 12:54:20 PM by wildmanyeah »
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typhoon

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Re: Alouette Lake April 11, 2017
« Reply #1 on: April 12, 2017, 01:02:35 PM »

Thanks for the update.

Why do you think the thermocline was at 20-30 feet?
If the thermocline were at 30 feet there would be no fish below 30 feet due to low oxygen so why would you run your rigger at 50 to 130 feet?
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Damien

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Re: Alouette Lake April 11, 2017
« Reply #2 on: April 12, 2017, 01:29:20 PM »

My guess is giving it a shot after a tough days' fishing, you tend to go outside of the box.  They have had not been reading the thermocline accurately, and he said he thought he marked some schools down deep.

I'm finally going to have a Down Imaging sounder on that lake this year, looking forward to marking different areas and differentiate between the wood work down there and the schools of kokes.
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wildmanyeah

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Re: Alouette Lake April 11, 2017
« Reply #3 on: April 12, 2017, 01:46:59 PM »

Thanks for the update.

Why do you think the thermocline was at 20-30 feet?
If the thermocline were at 30 feet there would be no fish below 30 feet due to low oxygen so why would you run your rigger at 50 to 130 feet?

That's not necessarily true for a big lake like alouette lake. You can clearly see where the thermocline is on the sounder and no doubt it was between 20-30 feet. At far as low oxygen levels below the thermocline it depends on the lake or body of water. Alouette lake gets thoroughly mixed all year by gold creek and the dam. ITs rare for lakes not to get thoughly mixed and create a dead layer. http://www.lakeaccess.org/ecology/lakeecologyprim4.html

I wish i had a prob that could of checked the departure below the line to really tell if it was 4C or warmer.

Here is another report on a different fourm from march http://www.sportfishingbc.com/forum/index.php?threads/alouette-lake.63395/
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typhoon

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Re: Alouette Lake April 11, 2017
« Reply #4 on: April 12, 2017, 03:16:37 PM »

That's not necessarily true for a big lake like alouette lake. You can clearly see where the thermocline is on the sounder and no doubt it was between 20-30 feet. At far as low oxygen levels below the thermocline it depends on the lake or body of water. Alouette lake gets thoroughly mixed all year by gold creek and the dam. ITs rare for lakes not to get thoughly mixed and create a dead layer. http://www.lakeaccess.org/ecology/lakeecologyprim4.html

I wish i had a prob that could of checked the departure below the line to really tell if it was 4C or warmer.

Here is another report on a different fourm from march http://www.sportfishingbc.com/forum/index.php?threads/alouette-lake.63395/
It is certainly not rare for lakes to create a dead layer. Almost every lake in the interior has a thermocline where fish stack up. It's why gang-trolling down the middle of the lake works.
The definition of a thermocline is stratification due to temperature difference. If Gold Creek is oxygenating the lower part of the lake then it would also prevent stratification.
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wildmanyeah

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Re: Alouette Lake April 11, 2017
« Reply #5 on: April 12, 2017, 04:05:10 PM »

It is certainly not rare for lakes to create a dead layer. Almost every lake in the interior has a thermocline where fish stack up. It's why gang-trolling down the middle of the lake works.
The definition of a thermocline is stratification due to temperature difference. If Gold Creek is oxygenating the lower part of the lake then it would also prevent stratification.

ill take some picture of the sounder next time you seem much my knowledgeable about the current conditions. Got any reports? 
« Last Edit: April 12, 2017, 04:35:00 PM by wildmanyeah »
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poper

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Re: Alouette Lake April 11, 2017
« Reply #6 on: April 19, 2017, 08:16:37 AM »

I've found Alouette lake to be no way near as good as it was 4 years ago or so, I have been fishing Stave lake instead and had great success, with bull trout up to 10lbs and catching cut throat and Kokanee as well, give it a try if you can, it's a bit of a boat ride to get out to the fishing grounds.
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wildmanyeah

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Re: Alouette Lake April 11, 2017
« Reply #7 on: April 19, 2017, 03:15:14 PM »

I've found Alouette lake to be no way near as good as it was 4 years ago or so, I have been fishing Stave lake instead and had great success, with bull trout up to 10lbs and catching cut throat and Kokanee as well, give it a try if you can, it's a bit of a boat ride to get out to the fishing grounds.

What part of the lake do u fish?
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flyrod

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Re: Alouette Lake April 11, 2017
« Reply #8 on: April 19, 2017, 06:27:45 PM »

Talked to a fellow fisherman who fished Alouette last week. He caught about an 8 lb laker, 4 kokanee and a rainbow about 2 lbs. Trolling willow leaf and worms primarily. The laker puked up a kokanee about 8 inches in length. He was surprised at hooking the laker on worms.
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poper

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Re: Alouette Lake April 11, 2017
« Reply #9 on: April 19, 2017, 09:04:36 PM »

I fish the west side of the stave lake, as soon as you get out of the channel, fish the the west side there's a few bays befor the pump house, and even the pump house can be good,Lyman plugs work great, lead line with 20ft of leader, don't be scared to use big plugs.
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poper

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Re: Alouette Lake April 11, 2017
« Reply #10 on: April 19, 2017, 09:14:05 PM »

Tryed to post a pic
« Last Edit: April 19, 2017, 09:16:13 PM by poper »
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Easywater

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Re: Alouette Lake April 11, 2017
« Reply #11 on: April 20, 2017, 01:24:17 PM »

Thought I read somewhere that there are a lot fewer kokanee in Alouette this year.

Something to do with an escape channel for Sockeye allowing the kokanee that would normally stay in the lake to leave.

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MetalAndFeathers

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Re: Alouette Lake April 11, 2017
« Reply #12 on: April 20, 2017, 01:55:36 PM »

Talked to a fellow fisherman who fished Alouette last week. He caught about an 8 lb laker, 4 kokanee and a rainbow about 2 lbs. Trolling willow leaf and worms primarily. The laker puked up a kokanee about 8 inches in length. He was surprised at hooking the laker on worms.
Lake trout or bull trout??? Any pictures?
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RalphH

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Re: Alouette Lake April 11, 2017
« Reply #13 on: April 20, 2017, 06:28:57 PM »

It is certainly not rare for lakes to create a dead layer. Almost every lake in the interior has a thermocline where fish stack up. It's why gang-trolling down the middle of the lake works.
The definition of a thermocline is stratification due to temperature difference. If Gold Creek is oxygenating the lower part of the lake then it would also prevent stratification.

from Wiki:
Quote
A thermocline (sometimes metalimnion in lakes) is a thin but distinct layer in a large body of fluid (e.g. water, such as an ocean or lake, or air, such as an atmosphere) in which temperature changes more rapidly with depth than it does in the layers above or below.

I've experienced thermoclines directly by diving into some of those interior lakes in summer. At about 6 feet under the water transitions suddenly from comfortable for swimming to quite chilly which is what trout prefer if swimmers do not.

Oxygen depleted zones in lakes are not necessarily associated with thermoclines and I don't think they are common in oligotrophic (low nutrient) lakes like Alouette.
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firstlight

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Re: Alouette Lake April 11, 2017
« Reply #14 on: April 23, 2017, 06:03:04 PM »

from Wiki:
I've experienced thermoclines directly by diving into some of those interior lakes in summer. At about 6 feet under the water transitions suddenly from comfortable for swimming to quite chilly which is what trout prefer if swimmers do not.

Oxygen depleted zones in lakes are not necessarily associated with thermoclines and I don't think they are common in oligotrophic (low nutrient) lakes like Alouette.

I remember back in the day while swimming at Buntzen.
Was a huge difference in temp from your feet to your shoulders if just treading water.
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