First Trip to Sylvan Lake Was a Beauty

Beauty day at Sylvan Lake. Light wind and hungry lake whitefish made for an enjoyable 5 hours out on the lake. Many of the traditional boat launching places are now closed because of the low lake levels and reckless individuals who have damaged many of those areas. We still managed to find a place to launch! There was the challenge of getting away from shore so we could use our electric motor! Karen and I both have Muck boots that we used. Wearing waders would also be a great way to push your watercraft to deeper water!

Once on the water we motored to one of our tried and true fly fishing spots. We usually tie on chironomids (e.g. black and red ice cream cone size 12) or a blood worm type pattern. The water was hovering just below 50F. We set up in 8 feet of water and started to prospect. We keep our flies about one foot off of the bottom. Today was interesting. Our best depth was 10 feet of water and dangling our flies 9 feet down. Often this time of the year with todays water temperature, we fly fish in 7 feet of water. 

We saw a lot of whitefish in 5-6 feet of water when we motored back to our launch spot but they seemed spooky!

Sadly there has been verified evidence of Prussian Carp now in Sylvan Lake. If you catch one, take it home for supper (apparently they are good eating) or properly dispose of it! Prussian carp will destroy the biomass at Sylvan Lake or any lake for that matter quickly.

So many fishermen harvest fish at Sylvan. I would encourage all fishermen to limit the fish they retain. The catch rate is still decent but way down as compared to 10 years ago. Too many fish leave the lake. The walleye population is way down even though you can still harvest walleye. I would love to see a slot limit instituted on the lake. Pike of course is catch and release. Remember that possession of fish includes what you have at home. So many do not respect that.

I love the water quality at Sylvan Lake. We need to protect this fishery. I would encourage any guides to lead the way by example. It will benefit their business big time. The constant pressure, especially during the winter, has decimated the fish population. Unfortunately public pressure to retain fish has allowed the harvesting of fish at way too high a level.

Sadly our fishing regulations on Sylvan Lake are reactive and not proactive. When they are gone, rebuilding a fishery with a lot of public pressure will be a long and laborious process.

Enjoy the weekend. I hope you are able to get out on the water!