Joe McWilliams
Lakeside Leader

As expected, new regulations for walleye and pike fishing on Lesser Slave Lake and its associated rivers and streams are in effect, as of April 1.

Anglers (and others) were asked to state their preference, from among three proposed for walleye ‘slot’ limits. This happened via an online survey that closed on Feb. 7. Over 1,000 people from across Alberta took part.

“There was support for a slot limit,” says senior fisheries biologist Myles Brown. “People want to take fish home. But there was also a strong sentiment to protect large fish.”

What the regulators have settled on, based on the feedback, is a retention limit of one walleye from LSL, 45 – 50 cm in length, during a season running from May 15 – Oct. 31.

The new pike regs, as promised, are much stricter. Catch and release only. The reasons for going to this zero-possession situation were outlined in various forums beginning last summer (or even further back). Pike numbers are low in Lesser Slave, and management tactics used in the past few years haven’t been able to turn that around. The species is considered to be at ‘very high risk.’

The new regs apply to Lesser Slave Lake, all its tributaries, plus Lesser Slave River and its tributaries, right down to where it joins the Athabasca River.

Speaking of the Lesser Slave River, the change to the opening date for fishing between the lake and the weir is worth noting. It had customarily been treated as part of the lake – opening for angling a couple of weeks earlier than the rest of the river. Now the whole thing, from the lake down, opens June 1. Brown says having the different opening dates for two parts of the river was “problematic,” and it was thought a good idea to reduce confusion and be consistent.

So, anyone keen to get out fishing on May 15 can do it, but only in open areas of the lake. Biologist Kristy Wakeling says shallow water fishing is best in the spring.

Posters with the new regs will be put up at lake access areas. The regs booklet will be available wherever fishing licenses are sold and can also be downloaded from albertaregulations.ca.

All the streams in dark blue are affected by the new pike and walleye regulations for Lesser Slave Lake. (Images courtesy Alberta Env. & Parks)
Outlined in red is the section of Lesser Slave River that has a new opening date for angling, as of this year. It’s now June 1, the same as the rest of the river.