pooch

Two is not the total number of walleye harvested this past winter season on Lake Scugog. Two is the total number of walleye harvested and recorded by the creel survey team. The creel survey team doesn't record all catches, only a sample.

Garnet is on the right track, I think. And there is funding available to help support local clubs that want to undertake shoreline rehabilitation.

Glad to see a constructive discussion, means we care. If you can, please attend the meeting in Port Perry to voice your opinion and get answers to your questions. If you can't attend contact them directly. This is not a done deal and they (MNRF) do want to hear from the public. Personally I favour habitat restoration, above stocking. A walleye closure combined with improved spawning habitat and better management of the water levels will hopefully result in a recovery. Time will tell.

Important changes have been proposed for the walleye fishery on Lake Scugog. Please follow the links below for more information. Also the public meeting information has been determined: Date: Tuesday April 28, 2015 Time: 5:00 pm to 8:00 p.m. - Open House (short presentation at 7:00 p.m.) Location: Rotary Room - Scugog Memorial Public Library, 231 Water Street, Port Perry, ON Please feel free to share this information. If you would like more information, please contact: Email: [email protected] or phone: 705-755-2001 https://www.ontario.ca/travel-and-recreation/fisheries-management-zone-17-fmz-17 Fact sheet available here: http://apps.mnr.gov.on.ca/public/files/er/walleye-recreational-fishery-on-lake-scugog.pdf

Here is a little background on the bass regulation change for FMZ 17. I sit on the advisory council for FMZ 17. Below is my interpretation of data that was presented to council. Bass are climate change "winners". Over the last century temperatures have increased and these increases have translated into ice out dates on average 10 days earlier. Extra days of soft water means longer growing cycles for bass before winter sets in, and bass populations are thriving especially in FMZ 17. Also, research shows that when spawning season begins there is a bias towards large fish, meaning the largest fish in the population (the ones that need the most protection through regulations) spawn before the smaller fish. Any nest that is still occupied by the opener are most often small males guarding empty nests. Current regulations protect bass almost entirely throughout their spawning season in FMZ 17. Two of the main reasons we have fishing regulations are: 1. protect the resource and 2. to provide fishing opportunities. In short, the biologist that presented for the FMZ 17 council concluded that opening bass one week earlier would not negatively impact the spawning season of bass and it would provide increased fishing opportunities for anglers; a win, win situation so to speak. One side benefit of opening bass season one week earlier is that it may give the walleye another week "off", as many bass anglers often target walleye before the bass season opens. I hope that answers many of the questions that may arise.

I wrote this a couple months ago. Explains the legalitities for Ontario anglers. Cheers A Game Changer??? Every year the fishing world is inundated with new lures designed to help anglers catch bigger and more fish. Every shape, size and colour of lure is out there it seems and fishing trends come and go. I am not immune from the latest crazes, and I enjoy following the current trends. The latest and most interesting lure to hit the market is the Alabama Rig also known as an Umbrella Rig. An A-Rig as it is being called is a castable spreader designed to present multiple lures on a single cast. The rig pictured above (“The Alabama Rig” by Andy Poss) is able to present up to five lures to mimic a school of fleeing baitfish. The goal is to attract multiple strikes from aggressive feeding fish. This rig or rigs like it have been around for many years and are commonly used in striper fishing. It wasn't until a month ago when a well known bass tournament angler decimated his competition using an A-Rig that the bass fishing community started to wake up and discuss this lure. Paul Elias used one to beat his competition by an unheard of 17 pounds and led the Guntersville FLW Tour event from start to finish. By the time the last day rolled around all the top 10 anglers where using an A-Rig to catch bass. What makes this rig unique is it turns the fishing world upside down from a culture of stealth and invisibility to one of noisy and shockingly visible. This rig consists of nothing subtle, with thick metal arms, large swivels and clasps. The idea is an aggressive feeding fish will attack this lure and not inspect it closely, therefore no need for subtle thin diamter lines and fine hardware. It is also possible to catch multiple bass in one cast. Numerous online videos show anglers catching 2 or 3 fish at a time. This alone makes anglers like me wake up and pay attention. Interesting questions arise when this rig is discussed. One question is ethics; if this lure is so successful at catching bass maybe it should be banned and deemed unsportsmanlike? Time will tell if this step is necessary. Another question is whether this rig is even permitted by Ontario law? When it comes to regulations I thought it would be best ask my friend Tan Tallion at the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources for clarification. I sent him a picture and a few questions. Here are his answers: 1. Is this rig legal in Ontario? No, the Ontario Fishery Regulations subsection 31(1) states ‘No person shall angle with a line to which more than four hooks are attached’. A ‘hook’ is defined in the OFR as ‘means a single or multiple-pointed hook on a common shaft but does not include a snagger’. In the picture you provided the device appears to have five separate hooks attached to it, not on a common shaft. Therefore, this device is contrary to Ontario law. 2. If this rig is not legal, what modifications could be made to comply with Ontario regulations? Any modification that would reduce the number of hooks to four (4) would bring the device into compliance with Ontario law. 3. Rationale for current regulation? Bait and gear restrictions are typically implemented to achieve one or more objectives. The restrictions to four hooks are intended to facilitate effective catch and release and also to reduce the harvest of fish. Additional rationale for the provinces bait and gear restrictions are available in the Regulatory Guidelines for Bait and Gear Restrictions found here http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/stdprodconsume/groups/lr/@mnr/@letsfish/documents/document/stel02_178932.pdf I am positive I will not be alone on the Canadian tournament fishing circuit throwing these monstrosities around next year. Unfortunately with the tournament season over and the bass fishing season closing in a few weeks, we will have to wait a long six months to see if these rigs work up here north of the border. Tight lines, Andrew http://www.mykawartha.com/blog/post/1254469--a-game-changer

Garry's got it, follow his instructions and you'll get them out. If you have stubby fingers a corkscrew makes a great knot picker.

Big congratulation goes out to Bob Izumi for his win this weekend in the EverStart Northern Division at the 1000 Islands on the U.S. side of the border. Bob Izumi has fished and won numerous Canadian tournaments over the years, but a win down south has eluded him. For his win Bob Izumi will take home a new Ranger boat, motor and trailer package plus over $27,000 in cash. Lets hope this is the start of a string of victories for Bob Izumi this season. Congrats again! Also congratulations goes out to John McGoey (Omemee) and Cory Johnston (Peterborough) who finished 2nd and 3rd respectively. Normally Canadians do well in these events that border Canada, but I can’t remember them ever doing this good. Sure shows we can Canucks can compete, and not just through the ice. Tight lines, Andrew

thanks!

Oh What a Weekend This last weekend I was in Belleville for the eastern stop of the CSFL Bassmania tour. The Bay of Quinte is one of the best fisheries in Canada, and this weekend it lived up to its reputation. Day 1 In practice I had located lots of smallmouth bass (including a few big ones) on Lake Ontario, a 60 mile run from the boat launch in Trenton. The weather cooperated and Doug Strong (my fishing partner) and I made the long run out to Lake Ontario relatively unscathed. The day was going great with lots of big fish in the boat. I knew we had a good limit of bass, but I was not confident it was enough for the win; and it wasn’t. The Johnston brothers of Peterborough came in with a record setting catch of 27.3 pounds to take the win. We ended up in forth place (of 75 boats) with 23.55 pounds, my heaviest ever limit of fish. Day 2 The winds were still cooperating on Saturday so we made the long trip out to Lake Ontario; this time with mixed feelings. The only fish we didn’t catch the day before were the smaller ones, so we would have to get lucky this day to bring in a big limit. This day also went exactly as we had predicted. We caught over 40 smallmouth bass (half on the jerkbait which was an absolute blast), but none over 4 lbs. On day two we weighed in 17.25 pounds good enough for 20th place (out of 63 boats). A good day and we were happy we with decent points to help us qualify for the year-end classic. Day 3 On day 3 Lake Ontario was out of bounds so we would have to find some largemouth bass in the Bay. Doug and I had pre-fished the Bay of Quinte (excluding Lake Ontario) just one day and it was a tough practice catching only small fish and only able to fish certain sheltered bays due to high winds. We had little hope for this day and again needed to get lucky to pull off a good finish. In the end it was another day of catching lots of fish, but this time none were over 3 pounds, so we ended as expected near the bottom of the pack in 44th place (out of 56 boats). Even with a poor showing on the final day it was a great weekend for us. It is pretty tough to complain when you weigh-in your personal best limit, competed for top place and catch over a hundred bass. Congratulations to day one and day three winners Cory and Chris Johnston and congrats to day two winners Jim Dodd and Chris Giles. Another impressive performance by the Johnston brothers. Tight lines, Andrew

Weather to go fishing or not… Many anglers believe storms impact fishing, and I can not disagree. What we anglers can not agree upon is exactly how they are impacted. Some days the fishing is great so in retrospect you can apply that weather pattern and claim it positively impacted the fish, but then try and duplicate that success on a similar weather day and you will often find yourself scratching your head in frustration. The truth is fish are impacted by weather PLUS a myriad of other influences from weed cover, water temperatures, current, wind and wave action, bait movements etc. So instead of dwelling on the weather good or bad, just go fishing and find out for yourself. The day after numerous storms rolled through our county, I was able to get out fishing for a few hours with a couple friends. With no power at the cottage we had to “MacGyver” an electric winch to launch the boat, but we were fishing without much delay. The plan was to cycle through my “milk-run” of known musky spots and see if we could coax a musky to bite. We had to wait a couple hours and not until spot number five, before the over sized Beckman landing net got some action. After a couple high-flying leaps, we quickly landed a spunky low 30” fish and promptly released it to go and grow. We fished another few hours, but never had another hit, nor did we see any follows on this slow day. No complaints from the crowd; we were all just happy to be on the water for what turned out to be a pleasant day weather wise. Tight lines, Andrew Reds' Fishin' Blog Pattern: The lone musky was caught casting a jerkbait in six feet of water on the outside edge of a weed line adjacent to a main lake point. All day we focused our efforts on outside weed lines and mid lake rock shoals. What worked? Lure – 6” bull frog coloured Bomber Herky Jerky jerkbait Depths – 6 to 12 feet Rods - All Star 7’6” Heavy Action Reels - Shimano Calcutta 401 TE Line - 80 lb Power Pro braided fishing line Leader - 130 lb Seaguar Fluorocarbon Weather Conditions: Overcast Winds were 10-15 km/h from the sorth Surface water temperatures 22° Celsius (72° F) Air temperatures reached a high of 25° Celsius ( 77° F)

Thanks for the support! I think helping someone land their first is better than catching one my self, very fun. Online that picture looks like the reds and greens are off, but nevertheless it was still a good looking fish. Tight lines, Andrew

A memorable muskie opener I was lucky enough to fish with my cottage-neighbour (Dave) this muskie opener on Buckhorn Lake. He has fished the lake for a few years, and caught plenty of bass and walleye but no muskies yet. We hit the water early on Saturday to try and change that. At around 9am we had our first strike; about 12 feet from the boat a muskie took a swipe at Dave’s jerk-bait but somehow avoided the six barbed hooks. An hour later we had our first muskie on. Dave hooked this one about 25 feet from the boat and played it out perfectly, constant pressure and letting it run when it wanted to. After a solid fight we finally got it in the Beckman net. We took a couple quick pictures and then released it to fight another day. With the smell of success still in the boat (muskie slime has a strong distinct odour) we quickly got off the water as an approaching thunderstorm rolled in. Cheers, Andrew Blog Post June 4, 2011 Pattern: I was casting an 8” perch pattern jerk bait, but had no action. My neighbour was casting a 6” perch pattern jerkbait and had both hits. We tried outside weed lines and mid lake rock shoals but rock seemed to be key. Both the muskie came off rock in 12 to 15 feet of water. What worked? Lure - 6” perch pattern Rapala X-Rap Depths – 12 to 15 feet Rods - 6’ Heavy Action Reels – Ambassador Line - 50 lb Power Pro braided fishing line Leader – 12” Steel Leader Weather Conditions: Overcast Winds were 5-10 km/h from the north Surface water temperatures 18° Celsius (65° F) Air temperatures reached a high of 15° Celsius ( F°)

Nice work!

Thanks for the positive feedback. Looking forward to adding walleye to a few blog posts next week. Cheers, Andrew

From opening day to ice up, Jig and Pig hands down. Never leave the dock without one!

Blog Entry – May 6, 2011 What a great couple days to go fishing! Thursday and Friday the weather forecast finally called for sunny days and warm temperatures. Not surprisingly renovations at the cottage came to a screeching halt. At this time of the year water temperature is one of the most important factors I consider before wetting a line for pike. Pike spawn in weedy shallow bays when temperatures reach 5° Celsius (41° F). Post spawn they will recover in these shallow depths for a week or two if forage is available. On special occasions several sunny days follow the pike spawn and water temperatures in these shallow back bays quickly warm into the range that sunfish begin their annual nesting phase. When that happens the shallow water bite can be outstanding for numbers and for big fish. On Thursday I had my fingers crossed that that the water temperatures had cooperated, but I was denied such pleasure when I saw the water temperature in what I call a limbo phase, hovering around 10° C (50° F). We started shallow and worked our way deep to try and connect with some active pike. It wasn’t until we hit the six to eight foot depths that we started to get into some action. My “go to” lure this time of year has always been a fire tiger coloured Rapala Husky Jerk, but Thursday morning my fishing partner for the day was out fishing me 2:1 with a Smithwick Rouge suspending jerk bait. The Rouge was getting down about five to six feet whereas my Husky Jerk was digging down three to four feet. It didn’t take long for me to switch lures and get back into the game. We caught a dozen pike on Thursday, the two biggest around the five pound mark. Friday was more of the same, but on a different lake (both lakes are on the eastern edge of the Kawartha’s). Again, shallow water less than four feet did not produce many bites, but six to eight feet did. Another dozen or so pike cooperated including this decent one around seven pounds. What a great way to end a week! Tight Lines, Andrew Red's Fishin' Blog What worked? • Purple/Silver or Black/Silver coloured Smithwick Rougue jerk bait • Depths 6-8 feet • Shimano Clarus 6’6” medium heavy, extra fast action rod • Shimano Chronach 6.2:1 gear ratio reel • 30lb Stren Super Braid main line with 8" 30lb fluorocarbon leaders Pattern for the day: Six to eight foot depths just outside of shallow south facing muddy/weedy back bays with temperatures that were warmer than the main lake. Weeds needed to be present or else no bites were registered. Weather Conditions: Thursday Sunny with stiff north winds gusting to 25 km/h Surface water temperatures 9° C (48° F) rising to 11° (51° F) Air temperatures 10° C (50° F) rising to 17° C (63° F) Friday Sunny with moderate south winds blowing about 10 to 15 km/h Surface water temperatures 9° C (48° F) rising to 11° (51° F) Air temperatures 11° C (52° F) rising to 15° C (59° F)

Slimy Success! Blog Entry - Apr 27, 2011 I got out last week for my first northern pike outing of the year. I like chasing these toothy critters early in the season partially because I get to use my summer bass gear but mostly because they are relatively easy to catch. Pick a great lake and a nice day and it’s a perfect way to kick off the open-water fishing season. When I got the boat on the water I was a bit concerned that the water temperatures were not warm enough to encourage the pike to be cruising the shallows gorging on spawning bait fish. I find the most consistent action around 55 to 59 degrees Fahrenheit; this day water temperatures were about 10 degree less than optimal. I decided to start on the deep side of shallow south facing spawning bays with weed growth nearby. The first hour or so produced a couple out-of-season smallmouth bass, but no pike so I kept moving. Spot number two was also absent of any hungry pike so I ventured back to my original spot since the water had warmed up a few degrees. The two lures I decided to use to locate active pike were occasionally a white spinner bait but mostly a jerkbait. I was not having much success on a moderate tempo jerk retrieve, so I decided to really pick up the pace to evoke a reaction strike out of any nearby pike. The first cast using this aggressive retrieve netted a nice healthy pike. An hour later and two more pike I was blown off the water by high winds and an approaching thunder storm. Encouraged by the late day success I have already made plans to go out again this week for a few more. Tight Lines, Andrew Red's Fishin' Blog What worked? - Fire tiger coloured Rapala Husky Jerk - Depths 3-6 feet - Shimano Clarus 6’6” medium heavy, extra fast action rod - Shimano Chronach 6.2:1 gear ratio reel - 30lb Stren Super Braid main line with 8" 30lb fluorocarbon leaders Pattern for the day: Muddy bottomed back bays with temperatures that were 2-3 degrees warmer than the main lake. Weed growth needed to be close; rock shoals and sandy flats produced no pike this day. Weather Conditions: - Cloudy with sunny breaks, approaching storm in the late afternoon - Moderate winds from the south east, gusting to 25 km/h - Surface water temperatures 46F rising to 50F - Air temperatures 10C rising to 15C

Blog Entry – March 14th, 2011 Last Ice was Nice The winter fishing season is coming to a close for me, but before the ice becomes unsafe I managed to get out for another shot at some great trout and whitefish action on Lake Simcoe. I started the day at a spot I have had great luck on this year. I have landed over 20 lake trout and just as many whitefish in this one location, so it was an easy decision where to start most days. During the first hour I lost one whitefish and had a couple others sniffing around but it was really, really slow. Reluctantly I decided to pack up all my gear and change spots. Just as I was reeling up my last line, I noticed an arch on my sonar about five feet from bottom in 83 feet of water. I dropped down to the arch and was rewarded with a tug and a great fight to the hole to land my best lake trout of the season. I stubbornly stayed on this spot for the next three hours but couldn’t coax another bite. See my video report here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVczhkH6XBs This was my first year with a snowmobile and portable hut combination which allowed me to reach the trout and whitefish spots on Lake Simcoe. These spots I have been going to are about eight to nine miles from the launch in Beaverton; the walk would be brutal. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I am actually going to miss winter and ice fishing for once. No doubt that feeling will be quickly forgotten as soon as I can get my boat on the water for some early season pike fishing :-) Tight lines, Andrew What worked? - “Ty Rig” a 1/8 oz split shot about six inches up from a lively shiner and a #12 treble hook - Norland Mimic Minnow - Found the most active fish at 83.6 feet of water Conditions: - 8” of solid ice with 10” of slushy ice - High of -2 Celsius and sunny - South winds 5 to 10 km/h

Also known as Cisco, correct?

Got out with a buddy in his hut a couple weeks ago. Had a great day in 69 ft of water. I think the days total was 4 lakers and 6 or 7 whitefish. http://www.youtube.com/user/TheVirtualAngler?feature=mhum Lakers came on a #12 treble with a 1/8oz split shot up 6" from a lively shiner. Most of the whitefish came on spreader tip-up rig. Hope the ice holds up for some fishing next week. Cheers, Andrew

Thought a few of you would be interested in this. ( Source: http://www.ahradio.ca ) This weekend is the premiere of Angler & Hunter Radio and is available for listening on several Ontario stations or online via the radio station website (for a list of stations, click here). Host Tom Otto will be joined by Mike Reader, Executive Director of the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters, to discuss the Angler & Hunter Network. The network includes Ontario OUT OF DOORS magazine, Angler & Hunter Television and now the new Angler & Hunter Radio. In the Hunting Corner we will be joined by Ray Blades, Associate Editor of Ontario OUT OF DOORS magazine, to talk about the Shotshow in Las Vegas and what we can expect to see in 2011. With the month of March comes the annual Toronto Sportsmen’s Show and who better to tell you about the show than the president of the Canadian National Sportsman Shows Walter Oster. Walter will be talking about the upcoming show which will take place March 16-20, 2011 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. Alesha Caldwell, Outreach Program Coordinator for the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters, will be discussing the most recent Bridgenorth Winter Panfish Festival that took place in February as part of Ontario Family Fishing Weekend . Alesha will talk about the program and how communities can get involved and host an event for the upcoming Ontario Family Fishing Week in July. Tom will also let you, the listener, know how you can get involved with the show and maybe even be a guest host on an upcoming episode. Please visit the station listing page for air times and website links to hear the show. If you miss this week’s show be sure check back here on Monday for the full podcast. London & surrounding area Airs Saturdays 1 - 2pm Pembroke & surrounding area Airs Sundays 8 - 9am Peterborough & surrounding area Airs Saturdays 7 - 8am Kenora & surrounding area Airs Sundays 6 - 7am Owen Sound & surrounding area Airs Saturdays 11am - noon North Bay & surrounding area Airs Sundays 8 - 9am Chatham & surrounding area Airs Saturdays 6 - 7am Thunder Bay & surrounding area Airs Sundays 6 - 7am Belleville & surrounding area Airs Saturdays 11am - noon

Thanks for the responses! I was out on Monday on got some very cool unique footage. I'll post it next week.

I was out on Lake Simcoe again last week, and I have been having decent success. Wednesday I was in a friend's hut in 69 ft of water and Thursday I was in my portable in 83ft, mixed bag both days. Spreaders for the whities seemed to work well, and my small #12 treble with live shiner landed a few lakers too. Here's a video of the day's action: Hope you enjoy!

Just thought someone here may be interested in a job like this. About 20 years ago and 3 less children and I might have :-) ELK ISLAND LODGE, a fly-in lodge in Northern MB, is looking for exp'd servers/housekeepers & exp'd fishing guides. Please call Greg at 775-9070 As originally published in the Winnipeg Free Press (ad #9133327) http://www.workopolis.com/EN/job/11958200?&OMAlert=Y