jerdog

Here's a good site with waterlevel data on all the Great Lakes... http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/data/now/wlevels/dbd/

Army surplus? 5 man arctic tent

Here's the section of the report where the 16% came from: "The impact of mortality caused by catch-and-release practices is often underestimated by both anglers and fishery managers. From a review of 118 catch-and-release studies (Appendix 1), which, in total, involved over 120,000 fish, the average mortality associated with catch-and-release angling was 16.2%. Thus, while many anglers may assume that by practising catch-and-release they are having no impact on the fish population, a significant number of released fish may die."

Check here too: FMZ 14 detailed map so you know when you are in FMZ 14 vs FMZ 16

Bigugli has it bang on. The only no kill is no fishing. It's a big range but the average reported here (MNR C&R guidelines) suggests 16% of fish released die. If you catch and release 25 walleye you have the same impact as a guy that keeps a limit and quits.

I love my Otter for certain purposes such as when fishing with a friend or when I'm going to be set up with the heat on with very little moving around. It's a bit big for pulling unless the ice is snow-free or hard packed. They are really meant to be towed. Good heavy frame, deep tub, lots of space, rugged cover... I'd consider getting the bench seat over the swivel chairs if weight isn't an issue. When I'm fishing alone I usually only take one seat to keep the weight down to a minimum. I bought it with an eye to having lots of space on spots within a short walk. I want to get a smaller one-man for some run and gun fishing when I know I'm not going to take the time to set up a heater - just flip and fish.

Anyone have experience with the Android version? For $15 or so it seems like a pretty good deal. Is it a memory and/or data hog? There was a pretty good endorsement of the app in OOD sometime through the summer but an OFC endorsement would go a long way.

Lake Erie has the largest commercial gill net fishery in Ontario. My estimate is that approx. 6500km of gill net (183 walleye/km of net, 1.2 million walleye caught) was set in Erie in 2011. I'm not sure Lake Erie is the best example for your argument. Lake Erie Walleye Task Group Report

I thought they had to use triploid fish that didn't sexually mature but I can't find any information on this site: NOAA

cedar/maple planking them works good too for people that don't have a smoker. 20-30 min on the plank adds a nice smokey flavour. Keep a spray bottle handy for flare ups.

To Fisherman and Glen's point re: culling - let's call that a wash as it's legal for non-tournament anglers to cull also (certain species at least). It's the transport, weigh-in, post weigh-in holding, and release that is the 'unique' part of tournaments compared to rec fishing. The other 'unique' aspect is that fish being weighed in are typically the largest specimens in the population - higher average size at least than what is captured/retained by the average/below average angler.

I've been reading the walleye tournament story with great interest on this forum and another. I'm not trying to stir up that argument/discussion any further but am curious about the public tolerance regarding fish mortality, specifically at tournaments. Full disclosure: I'm not anti-tournament, quite the opposite, however I've never participated in one. I have zero problems with killing fish within the laws, I've certainly killed my fair share. This poll is not affiliated with any organization, agency or institution. I'm just genuinely interested in what the level of tolerance the general angling public has for mortality at organized events. I'm ok with catch and kill derbies too but for the sake of this question let's assume this is advertised as a 100% catch and release tournament. Fish mortality is a fact of fishing. Even the most responsible angler (tournament angler or otherwise) will loose the occasional fish due to a deep hook set or long fight, many won't even be aware that it happened. Anglers and tournament organizers, in my experience, try their best to minimize the mortality rate however some fish will die and certain conditions (like weather) may affect the mortality rate. For the sake of argument - consider an event that has 50 participants and can weigh in 5 fish for a maximum weigh in of 250 fish. At what point would you consider the catch and release tournament to be still within an acceptable mortality level? 5% = 12 10% = 25 15% = 37 25% = 62... Thanks for playing along. JB

There's some reports on other boards that post weigh-in mortality may have been an issue. No first hand knowledge from me, just what I've seen in other locations. Can anybody confirm, deny, comment?

More info available here: SaveELA

Which is to say - in order to operate a commercial vessel you need a different license and that license is deemed appropriate in place of a PCOC. If you have a MED A3, you don't need a PCOC.