KraTToR

How did this turn into a tournament thing??? lol

It seems that largies are ok because they spawn in warm shallow bays, not so much for the smallies, especially on the great lakes.  If you fish the opener at long point you'll notice that the SM population isn't what it used to be, quite possibly the hundreds of boats pulling them off their nest before the eggs have hatched or the fry haven't reached the freedom stage? 

The Ministry is seeking public input on proposed changes to the bass angling season in Fisheries Management Zone 20 (FMZ20)
including separate open season dates for Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass and options for early season bass angling.
Fisheries Management Concern
The Ministry is concerned about the future of the
Smallmouth Bass (SMB) bass fishery in FMZ20. Recent
science indicates the current open season date (3rd Saturday
in June) provides little protection to spawning fish which
could result in a long-term population decline and reduced
social and economic benefits. The current open season date
for Largemouth Bass (LMB) provides sufficient protection.
Fishing Seasons – Bass Management
Typically, bass angling season is closed during spawning time
to improve reproductive success. Bass are especially
vulnerable during spawning because they guard their nest
against predators and can be easily caught by anglers. Nest
predation by Round Gobies and other species following the
removal of the parent, even for short periods of time, has
been well documented.
Bass Spawning Time in Lake Ontario
In southern Ontario, the timing and duration of bass
spawning is closely related to water temperature and
generally occurs from mid-May to mid-July.
In Lake Ontario, LMB and SMB are typically found in different
habitats which warm up at different rates in the spring.
SMB that occupy deeper cold-water habitats in the main Lake
and in the St. Lawrence River have been observed spawning
much later than LMB in the warmer near shore areas.
Changes to the FMZ20 Bass Season in 2013
In 2013 the opening of bass season was made earlier by one
week to open on the 3
rd Saturday in June. At the time, it was
believed that the earlier date aligned well with LMB spawning
activity but there were concerns from stakeholders that SMB
may not be sufficiently protected. MNRF acknowledged the
potential risk to SMB and agreed to monitor the fishery and
make adjustments if necessary.
New Science - FMZ20 Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass spawning
Queens University researchers, led by Dr. Bruce Tufts
, conducted a three year study from 2014-2017 to evaluate the
amount of protection provided by the current closed season for bass angling. The study examined the timing of spawning
and development from egg to the swim-up fry stage (free swimming juvenile fish) for both LMB and SMB in the eastern basin
of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River. Reaching the swim –up fry stage (free swimming juvenile fish) is considered a
nest protection threshold. Once “swim-up” is attained the nest is considered to be successful.
The researchers conclude that there are important differences in the timing of spawning between the two species in Lake
Ontario and the Upper St. Lawrence River and that the current dates for the open season provide minimal protection to
Smallmouth Bass.

Largemouth Bass and Smallmouth Bass can be distinguished by
several anatomical features. They also prefer different habitats that
impact spawning duration and the rate of juvenile development.
Proposed Bass Fishing Season Change Fisheries Management Zone 20
Keys findings from the Queens University Study:
• By the 3rd Saturday in June (June 19 during the 3 year study) on
average:
• 58% of LMB nests had reached the swim-up developmental
stage when parental guarding is complete.
• 8% of SMB nests reached the swim-up development stage.
• The difference between the bass species largely reflects the
habitat preference for each species.
• Nest observations were modelled using average seasonal
temperature data to estimate the additional time required to
improve spawning success. The data from the study indicates
that on average 50% of SMB nests should reach swim-up stage
by July 1st (Figure 1)
Fisheries management perspective: achieving 50% nest success
(nests with swim-up fry) should be considered a safe long-term
management goal, while striving for 80% success is unrealistic and
doesn’t typically occur in nature.
Figure 1: By Bass season opening weekend (June 19 during 3-
year study) only 8% of Smallmouth Bass nests have swim-up
fry. An opening date of July 1st would offer protection for 50%
of Smallmouth Bass nests.
Management Options Considered:
The Ministry, with the support of the FMZ20 Fisheries Advisory Council, considered the new research and evaluated a range
of management options to improve protection of SMB including: 1) maintaining status quo - keeping bass opener the 3rd
weekend in June; 2) change the opening date to July 1st for both LMB and SMB; 3) dividing the Zone into smaller sub-zones
with a mid June opening date for warm areas (embayments) and July 1st for cold areas (open water areas) and 4) split the
open season date for LMB (mid June) and SMB (July 1). The Ministry and the FMZ20 Council also considered and developed
options for early season (pre-spawn) bass angling opportunities. Similar early season angling opportunities exist in several US
States and in North Western Ontario.
Proposed FMZ20 Regular Season For Bass
Different opening season dates for Largemouth Bass and
Smallmouth Bass:
• Largemouth Bass – 3rd Saturday in June to December
31
• Smallmouth Bass – open 1st Saturday in July to
December 31
Maintain the aggregate catch and possession limits - Sport
(6) and Conservation (2) for LMB and SMB combined.
Rationale: This option provides sufficient protection for
Smallmouth Bass, maintains and enhances angling and
social and economic opportunities and is not overly
complicated.
Proposed Early Season Angling Options
1. Early season angling for LMB and SMB (January 1 to
May ) with catch and release (no harvest). 10
2. (January season SMB Early for LMB and 1 to May 10)
Conservation with reduced daily catch limit - Sport (2)
(1) (catch and - exception: no early season harvest
release only) in small waterbodies in FMZ20 such as:
Lake Consecon, East and West Roblin Lake, Fish Lake,
Lake, Lake on the Mountain Wellers Bay, Pleasant Bay,
Hamilton Harbour
3. Maintain status quo – no early season
In both early season options (1 & 2) the season is closed between
May 10 and the proposed opening date. (No bass angling would
be allowed when the majority of bass are staging and spawning.)
Provide Feedback
The public is encouraged to provided feedback on the proposal changes to the regular season and the early season angling
options. Please indicate by March 31, 2020 whether you support the proposed regular season and which early season
option you prefer.
Send your comments to Lake Ontario Management Unit
41 Fish Hatchery Lane, RR#4
Picton, ON K0K 2T0
email: [email protected]

Bay of Quinte - PM me if interested.

Heading to the wood lot today to see what I can find.  Stay tuned

yea I just looked, forecast is crap!

On 4/30/2020 at 1:19 AM, b_cdot said:

Anyone on the site know if there's anyone in SW ontario that does good work in this area? I've seen boats with rear decks that have bait boxes and storage built in. After looking around online I can't find who does this. I am looking for a rear casting deck for a ranger 621. Ranger does make one but its just an 18" fiberglass extension and it costs 1300$. Seems steep because I think it's really only 500$ US but after duty, exchange and getting it delivered to a dealership it gets marked up considerably. They won't deliver to your house, it needs to be ordered by a dealership. Thanks for any info. 

BTW, you can order direct from Ranger but I don't think there's any difference in pricing.

Check with the folks on Walleye Central, I've seem some pretty cool custom work on that site.

Thanks for all the input everyone

We'll we've had enough rain I figure, once the temps go up a bit things should start happening. 

Neat picture Smitty!

Pine plantations? There are a few around (went through some on the snowmobile).  Thanks, I'll keep a lookout.

misfish, patience bud,

BOQ yesterday, 51 deg inner bay, 48 deg out on the reach.

Fishing totally sucked, only heard of 4 'eyes being caught.  There were a fair amount of boats out as a lot of waterfront properties have their own launch.  OPP stopped us 2x, once in Hay Bay, 2nd time in the reach. 

3 hours ago, Gerritt said:

Not much of a help on 'shroom hunting, but thought I'd welcome you to Quinte West. I love it here! Where abouts in QW did you purchase?

G.

NNW of frankford.  My wood lot runs up one of the ridges in the area.

15 hours ago, Fisherman said:

Maybe another week now with the rain we had and temps warming up.  Leaves moved on the ground, could be turkeys foraging.  Over the last 1-12 years I learned don't expect to find them in the same place twice, no rhyme or reason.  One year, here, next year 2-300 feet away,  in woods, along roadsides,  under pines, poplars.   It can drive you nuts.  The trick is to find the first one without crushing the rest.  Then do a slow eyeball sweep.

Thank you!. Well I have pines and poplars..lol.  There's also a hydro easement going through the property so I'll check along the edges of that.

Could be turkeys, ive seen them around before.

Stay tuned

1 hour ago, captpierre said:

Lots of smiling, stuffed robins around here. 😎

I prefer not to stuff them before they go into the oven...

My dealer has a good supply and they are especially big this spring.  He did state that due to the pandemic, stocks are low and prices will climb. 

Gawd I hate bending over tho..

I recently purchased 30 acres in Quinte West with about 60% wood lot. When I walked the property last week I noticed an area where the leaves were disturbed so I was wondering if it was an animal or someone foraging.  Regardless, now that the warmer weather is upon us can someone help me with what areas to look in?

Also please before we start discussing it's poisonous cousin (false morel), I know the difference, just never spent serious time foraging.

TIA

On 4/24/2020 at 9:39 PM, Rattletrap2 said:

Art,

I have seen something similar to what you are describing about the quality of some brands of equipment in other industries. With welding machines, you can buy a Lincoln Electric 180 amp MIG machine at a big box store for about $300 less  than you can at a Local welding supply. However, they are not the same machine. If you look closely, the one from the welding supply has infinite adjustment of voltage and metal drive components. The Big box store version has switched or tapped voltage settings and plastic drive components. They look almost identical, but there is a big difference in quality.

I also know that a contractor has to stand behind what they sell, where with the DIY unit, you are on your own. Someone has to pay for expertise, knowledge, and service after the sale.

Exactly!  This happens all the time.  You have a retail outlet that sells enough volume to force the manufacturer get a special unit, at a discount.  The conversation goes "how can you build a similar version of your bestseller for less? most buyers going for the big box store version are weekend warriors so they don't need all the features and they'll never wear it out anyways"

I remember reading a detailed report on what Walmart does for a business class.  Its amazing what they'll go through to save pennies.

On 4/23/2020 at 7:49 PM, aplumma said:

The base unit that we use is my cost $800.00 it  has programmable electronics, Brass gears, turbidity filters,  and actually measures the water so it only cleans itself when X amount of water is consumed.  I purchase nothing from big box stores because of the lack of support and the product make up is usually of a lesser quality. A mistake a lot of people make is that what the big box stores sell may have the same name tag on it but the plumbing industry has a pretty strong hold on making sure that the upgraded models are only sold through our warehouses. On average down here the plumbers are charging $125.00 to $175.00 an hour to offset the cost of doing business here which for me is $82.00 and hour. I do live in one of the more expensive places in the US which is good to do business in but tough to plan to retire in. 

Here is one of the units I install

https://www.water-right.com/sanitizer-plus/sanitizer-plus/

Art

The water in KW is about 25 grains of hardess so I've been using a water softener since I moved there.  These are the guys I've always dealt with and as you can see, you can get a decent model for $1600 plus installation.

Watersmartsystems

Coydog

The exact reason I got a dash cam for my vehicle.  Ends the argument in a hurry

23 hours ago, David Chong said:

The only Navionics chip that you access this feature with are the Platinum+ & Hotmaps Platinum cards! So if you have either of those then YES!

THanks David, this is awesome!

For clarity, this is only available  on the mobile app, Plat+, and Hotmaps Plat.  NOT the standard Navionics + which I think most of us use. !?!?

On 4/21/2020 at 10:01 PM, NSFishingHalifax said:

Hi All,

Just moved to Grand Bend on Lake Huron. Live close to the beach and have been thinking of getting a kayak for beach access fishing/launching. I enjoy walleye fishing and am wondering if anyone knows if there are walleye in the area? Navionics makes it seem pretty likely but just wanted to check to see if there are any Grand Bend guys on here!

TIA

James

You may find a few closer to shore on the south side of Kettle Point Reef this time of year as it looks like viable spawning grounds (not sure of the regs on Huron) but typically in the great lakes, Walleye are pelagic which means they school, suspend (above the thermocline) and hunt for baitfish.  During the summer months this means that they are out deep, typically in 60 FOW and up (90ft in august).  Therefore, not really YAK fishing as as we experience prevailing westerly winds, you could find yourself in deep trouble if the wind picks up.

If you want some real near-shore excitement, Salmon and trout are typically in 35 FOW or less this time of year and I bet kettle point has some great pike and bass fishing.

I have access to a private ramp and from what I understand, these waters hold big craps... Its just finding them. Mine you, as all year classes seem to stick together, if I can find 1, I'll have enough for dinner

12 minutes ago, AKRISONER said:

Well just speaking from my personal experience from two days ago on g bay, the craps aren’t anywhere near shallow yet. They are continuing to stage up out in front of their shallow spawning areas. Water is damn cold and aint getting any warmer with these -12???? Overnight temperatures and fresh snow on the ground every morning. Was 41 degrees on the graph on Sunday. so cold the fish were getting stunned when I brought em in. The small ones took a moment to revive even when lip hooked. May as well put the ice back on lol. Quinte May warm up a bit earlier than g bay, but I wouldn’t expect any craps to be even close to up shallow yet.

i like the idea of the wooly bugger under the float. I was getting them this past weekend on a small buckshot in firetiger tipped with a minnow head. But I was fishing a float in 30 fow letting the waves do the jiggin and me focusing on just keeping my line managed in the damn 40kmh+ winds we’ve been having every single day.

Yea, lots of wind here yesterday and -2 this morning.  That damn March warm spell we seem to get every year now fooled me again!  Anyways, Friday and Saturday look great to at least get the boat wet and check some water temps..

7 hours ago, porkpie said:

I was just wondering why you’d go all the way to BOQ when there was better crappie much closer, that’s all.  I thought you where from SW ont, but it all makes sense now!  Have fun.

Yes, unfortunately much of the business I do takes me away from home.  BOQ is not my favourite fishing spot  but I do ok there in May.  I figured that there should be a few slabs out there for the taking in some of those back bays where the water is warming up.  I really wanted to get out on Percy's Reach as the Pike season is open there all year but the launch is closed

Buggernutz.

Yep, that's in the Massassauga Provincial Park.

3 hours ago, misfish said:

If you didn't show yer sexy boaty, well,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Please send pic of boat and motor??? 

2 hours ago, mikeh said:

slip float with a wooly bugger jig/fly, I have used one with a white body and a pink head, during the spawn find them in 2-3 feet of water in small back bays that have some weed growth. I have fished them in the Kawarthas using these methods. Also fish around cattails or  bullrush with your slip float . good luck out there and stay safe

HI Mike, long time eh?  Thanks for the tips.