In the world of Alberta fishing there’s few things better then seeing that sleek silvery glint, as the rainbow trout you just hooked onto soars graciously in into the air, trying to rid itself of your offerings while hopefully preventing a trip to your frying pan for supper.
My friend Curtis J with a solid TIger Trout
Alberta is home to over well over 60 stocked water bodies throughout the province. These provide angling and kayak angling opportunities for trout in places where there may not be a lot of other options for fishing. The stocked species in most ponds are Rainbow Trout. Few ponds and lakes are also stocked with Brook Trout, Brown trout and the elusive Tiger Trout.
a beauty Rainbow trout caught by yours truly
“Its easy” they said, Not so much. It can be challenging most days. It would be easier to go to the grocery store if I wanted to bring home a nice trout for dinner. But, if we must have that discussion, we need to re-evaluate what are any of us doing. Having a kayak lets me access paces where shore anglers cannot, most stocked ponds have a gas motor ban on the water bodies as well. I’ve had days where I haven’t caught a single fish, days where I catch a limit of five in two hours, and days where it takes eight hours to grind out one undersized fish.
My First ever Tiger Trout!!
There are three methods utilized by the majority of anglers during open water trout season. (Most stocked ponds can be fished year-round if conditions are right.) First off, is the classic bait below a bobber or “indicator” if your persistent on giving things fancy names. Its relaxing, and peaceful waiting for the bouncing bobber to let you know its time to set the hook and hopefully reel in your catch. Second would be fly fishing, the artistic, graceful motion of presenting a fly that’s imitating what it would naturally eat. There is tonnes of resources available online and otherwise for fly fishing, so I wont be going to in depth with it here. Which brings us to our last and my preferred method of fishing, which is using casting and trolling lures and jigs.
A Decent Rainbow
Small crankbaits and spoons can do very well with trout. Imitating minnows and other swimming things a trout may find delicious. I tend to use more spoons then crankbaits or spinners lately, with my go to being a few of the different coloured Thomas Buoyant Spoons and Len Thompson spoons in sizes six, seven, and eight. Cast and retrieved, or trolling spoons and crankbaits can and are very successful for many on the water. Don’t forget to let your spoons sink briefly before the retrieve, they allow them to get deeper and stay at the fishes depth longer. Give them a try you won’t be disappointed.
A Thomas Buoyant Spoon
A Len Thompson spoon in the Holy Mackerel Pattern
The trout ponds can be lots of fun and are the perfect place for a quick evening paddle and fish. They are also great spots to get young or young at heart folks on the water, as they tend to be smaller and more secluded which allows for an easier paddle.
Get out there and get troutin’.
Please check the following links for more trout stocking info and locations.
https://www.ab-conservation.com/programs/fish/aca-stocked-lakes/
https://mywildalberta.ca/fishing/fish-stocking/stocking-maps.aspx
Cheers
Andrew. W. Aquabatics Asst. Manager, Aquabatics Kayak Fishing Team.
