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Muir lake


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Anyone have good directions from Edmonton to muir lake? I've only fished the lake once before and I think that was almost 2 years ago. Also, how has the fishing been there lately and are you taking alot of them on the dry? Maybe I can bring my pickeral rig and powerbait....bahahahaha

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Muir is about 4 miles north on Campsite road and about 1/2 mile west.

You used to be able to get there directly off highway 16x at the third Spruce Grove turnoff, but that and the second one are closed for the new overpass construction.

You have to turn north at the first overpass entry to SG (coming from E)

then take the sevice road that runs west parallel to 16 x

and turns north at the new overpass.

 

On Thursday, Barry W, Mike D, Rick L and I were there.

We had a great day catching mostly decent sized bows.

You have to fish around the edges and openings in the weeds.

Expect to lose a fair number of flys to weeds and fish tangled in them.

Try any good mayfly emerger pattern.

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Grav -

 

Heres the best directions I can offer (and the easyest - Dave is right - the service road is a good way to go - but not the fastest as I can tell...)

 

Take 16 to campsite (which is currently under construction.) Take your next right (by a big barn with a overhead door sign...)

 

Head north till the stop sign, turn right.

 

Turn left at the next stop sign, which is campsite road - you'll be heading north to RR somthing.. see this google map for more detail.

 

http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=53.590671,-...,0.210697&hl=en

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Zoom in a couple levels on Scratch's google URL and you'll get the road names...

Township Rd 540 is what Muir is on.

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I think that you access the lake off of 540 anyway... heading out there Wednesday...which will be my first time there :)

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Dennis:

Rick tried one at the beginning and caught one of this year's stockies .

After that we were losing flies to the weeds too fast to risk the others.

So we ended up switching to the pattern he demoed a while back.

He had a whole bunch of them in a film cannister so it didn't matter if we lost a few.

Once we upped the tippet to minimum 3X we didn't lose as many

as we could often pull the weeds out or pull the fish out of the weeds.

It seemed like the big ones were on the shoreward and leeward side

of the happy salad beds with smaller ones in amongst the weeds.

Caught a lot by casting to rises, letting it sink a tad then slow strip.

I had one hit so hard it almost took the rod out of my hand.

Nothing keepable size, but most were close, with lots of fight.

I won't be out to Muir this Wednesday night. (drat)

We have our Kiwi visitor coming in Thursday and I have a lawn to mow.

Rick is fishing up by Grande Cache this week and in the Cache Creek area next,

so I expect he will try them there and let you know later.

Edited by dave robinson
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I'll be sure to say hi Scratch! Look forward to trying the lake out. Dragon Troller and I should be there around 4:00 I suspect.

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The type of boat had nothng to do with the happy salad problem.

Muir is starting to get a serious happy salad explosion

with large beds where the weeds break the surface.

Casting into them is like trying to cast into a forest.

And the smarter fish decide its a good place to go when hooked.

Gotta cast to the openings and keep that rod tip high.

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The weeds have been very good to me. All you need to do is make some adjustments, like bigger tippets and fighting more aggresively. I have caught some big fish in a foot of water and had some real good duke-outs.

 

The lightest tippet I go to is 4x and have often fished 3x when they are swirling in the heavy cabbage. It is pretty much full-contact fishing and a lot of fun. I think the trick is developing ways of setting the hook and fighting them that don't let fish get their heads and fins working together. Once you let them take you down, you could be down for the count.

 

This time of year, Muir is about casting to moving targets. There are a couple of places to troll, but I don't think that you will catch as many fish or have as much fun.

 

Regards,

 

Tim

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ANyone actually catching any larger fish in Muir? I still dont understand why everyone is so hyped on Muir... Please explain it to me? There are other lakes nearer to the city with bigger fish... I'm sorry if I dont get it...so please tell me what so special? Is it that it is a no bait fishery? Or, because it's pretty much a C&R fishery? Or is it just that NLFT help design it?

 

 

I dont mean to sound negative, and I like the idea of what has been done with the lake, but my god, it's not that hot of a fishery yet, unless all you like to catch is cookie cutter fish... ie. all look alikes. Give the lake another year or two, and then I could understand a bit of "WOW".... but oh my, little fish eat everything, sorry to burst your bubbles on how great the fishing is... but its a fact, Little fish need to eat, and anything that resembles food will be eaten.... But hey thats just my theory, Fish Muir lake all you want.... actually fish it all the time... That way when I go to the other lakes it will be quiet, uncongested (ie. not look like a bowl of fruit loops from the sky above) and I'll catch slightly larger fish, maybe not as many, but when it comes to fishing.... Catching one big one would be more memorable than catching all the small fish in Muir lake in a single day...

 

 

but hey, again, my theory...

 

 

P.S. Is that enough content?

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Geez....lets keep the fighting to a minimum. We're all grown men, lets act like it. My philosophy is that everyone is entitled to their own opinion and every opinion should be respected. My favorite line is "Enemies can be enemies...but even enemies can show respect"

Oh, and ABH maybe you could PM me with some good lakes to try near Edmonton so I have some options. I don't care if I keep any or not, mostly I just go for the fun of it. Thanks

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Well I think its a combination of things that gives it the hyp. Yes there are lake in the area that produce bigger fish but Muirs average fish sizes are bigger than most lakes in the area. also because your on a board that supports the lake very heavily and the lake is prodominatily a fly fishing & catch release lake. I also believe that pound for pound the fish in Muir are some of the hard fight fish in the area. Then there to one who wants to be the first one to catch that 20 incher. The catch rate could also be a little better than most lakes in the area.

 

Of course this is my 2cents.

 

As Dave said bigger fish elsewhere.

 

Tight Lines Always

Dennis S. :fishing::fish_jump:

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ABH

Don't like Muir?

Go troll somewhere else!

Nice attitude.... I ask why you like the lake so much and thatw what I get... nice :laugh:
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I used to fish at Spring all the time but now that it is perched I don't go there that often any more, it is just too hard on my memories to catch little perch where I used to catch big trout. Star Lake is ok but I only like to fish it at certain times. Other than that I don't like catching stockers so I stay away from most put and take lakes.

 

I know that people say Muir is busy, but I haven't seen the crowds and you would rarely see me fishing Muir between 10 am and 6 pm during most of June, July and August; especially on weekends. I like to go during prime combinations of light and water temperature and fish for rising trout in the shallows. I am not that worried about body count or catching hawgs, I am more happy catching good trout (15"+) by target casting than any other way of fishing.

 

In fact, it would be safe to say that I would rather catch one - 16" trout on a cast wher the fish shows itself while taking an insect than six - 20" fish by trolling or similar fish using indicators. Maybe this is because I have caught a bunch of big fish by trolling or maybe I have found a lake that has great opportunities and just prefer to fish that way. Please remember I am only speaking for myself - I am not telling anyone what to do. But for me, fly fishing is defined by spotting a target and delivering a fly that looks like food in a timely manner. Sure I do like prospecting when nothing is rising but I throw over my prospecting kit as soon as I have live targets.

 

Just think of a situation where you see a fish do a beautiful dorsal-tail rise about 50' away from you and every second it takes to get a fly to them your chances of hooking it drop by 25%. Pick up your line, aim, measure the distance and deliver - all before it swims too far away to see your fly. Then you see Mr. Trout roll again and this time he is taking your offering as an easy snack, wait for him to turn down with it, set the hook and hold on. Comparing target fishing with trolling or indicator fishing is like comparing apples and marbles. Yep they are both kinda round but that is about it.

 

I have had some target fishing at Star, and some amazing fishing at Spring but right now I know where I have a bunch of live targets that are way bigger than the standard stockie and I am looking forward to the next meeting.

 

Regards,

 

Tim

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I do go elsewhere and will continue to. At least until the fish get to a better size. But just in case you're wondering I prefer to strip, not troll. Trolling is like using a bait caster and pickerel rig. Just instead of a lawn chair you use a tube or pt boat.

 

 

Just hassling ya... smile... and have a good day.

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ANyone actually catching any larger fish in Muir? I still dont understand why everyone is so hyped on Muir... Please explain it to me? There are other lakes nearer to the city with bigger fish... I'm sorry if I dont get it...so please tell me what so special? Is it that it is a no bait fishery? Or, because it's pretty much a C&R fishery? Or is it just that NLFT help design it?

 

 

I dont mean to sound negative, and I like the idea of what has been done with the lake, but my god, it's not that hot of a fishery yet, unless all you like to catch is cookie cutter fish... ie. all look alikes. Give the lake another year or two, and then I could understand a bit of "WOW".... but oh my, little fish eat everything, sorry to burst your bubbles on how great the fishing is... but its a fact, Little fish need to eat, and anything that resembles food will be eaten.... But hey thats just my theory, Fish Muir lake all you want.... actually fish it all the time... That way when I go to the other lakes it will be quiet, uncongested (ie. not look like a bowl of fruit loops from the sky above) and I'll catch slightly larger fish, maybe not as many, but when it comes to fishing.... Catching one big one would be more memorable than catching all the small fish in Muir lake in a single day...

 

 

but hey, again, my theory...

 

 

P.S. Is that enough content?

Your right. Please don't fish Muir. Leave us to it.

 

I'll share my 17" and 19" from Sunday with those who are interested.

 

Go to Star and work all day for your 22" - I've done it too.

 

You say the things you do and expect NOT to ruffle the feathers of those who have worked to make the lake happen. It's 3 years old for ^#@$ sakes - and was stocked in May - almost 6 weeks ago.

 

If you are only catching 6" fish - you don't know what you're doing. Perhaps if you asked questions, listened and observed - you'd see that.

 

You'd also see that it's not always about catching a 6lb trout. It's about seeing your labour turning into something worth preserving.

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