CrowMan

Very cool ! Excuse the pun... It seems to me that folks love their minnows in NW Ontario. Last September we stayed for 10 days at Temple Bay on Eagle Lake. They include 2 dozen minnows per person per day with your accommodation. We definitely used them....if you wanted to, it was easy to bring a couple of dozen Walleye to the boat before lunch. Shore lunch was never a problem. Most of the time, however, we were more interested in chasing larger toothy critters. One morning, my buddy and I decided to conduct an experiment. He fished with a plain jighead and live minnow, I used the same jighead but with a 3.3" Keitech soft plastic swimbait. I matched him Walleye for Walleye, and in fact the plastic landed more fish. I think because the live minnows were easier for the fish to "steal" and strip off the hook...even though we were using the through the mouth/gill then through the tail method of hooking them on the jig. After a while, we switched it up...just to make sure it wasn't the "operator" that was making the difference...same results. After that we donated our daily allotment of bait to some fellas from Wisconsin, although in hindsight considering the price of Keitech's (and how easily they get chewed up) it may not have been the most economical move.. Now this was September, and the fish were very active...in colder water when they're more sluggish, I definitely agree that live bait can make a difference.

https://northernontario.ctvnews.ca/overfishing-walleye-in-northern-ont-leads-to-5-5k-in-fines-1.6899422

I suspect the system is set up that way...just another way to dig into your wallet.

If you go to the website that is listed on the back of the Boater Card, it lists a link for lost or replacement cards that takes you here: https://ilostmycard.com/ Not sure if you tried that. In the last 20 years, I've been pulled over by the OPP on the water probably over a dozen times. Never once, did they ask me for any paperwork including the Boater Card. It's always been a "safety check"...enough life jackets on- board, working flashlight, sound-making device, etc..It's always in my wallet, but they never ask...which I find odd, because if you're pulled over on the road for whatever reason the first thing they ask for is license and registration. Perhaps, it has something to do with "probable cause"....they can only ask if they believe an offence has been committed. Just like at a RIDE spot-check, if they don't suspect you've been drinking, they just let you pass through with out asking for your license.

This discussion takes me back to the musings of my first year Philosophy & Ethics prof.. I think every living creature "experiences pain"...defined as some kind of physical reaction to a force or condition that does harm to the organism. It's a survival mechanism. But that's different than "feeling pain". As Descartes stated some 400 years ago..."Cogito, Ergo Sum"...I think, therefore I am. Only humans are sentient beings that can "suffer from pain"...and although I often think otherwise, it also excludes my beloved dog.

In Germany and Switzerland "catch & release" fishing has been banned for some time now. You can still catch a fish and eat it, but C & R is considered "torturing an animal for your own personal amusement". Obviously Bass Tournaments aren't a thing there... "In Switzerland and Germany, catch and release fishing is considered inhumane and is now banned.[5] In Germany, the Animal Welfare Act states that "no-one may cause an animal pain, suffering or harm without good reason".[6] This leaves no legal basis for catch and release due to its argued inherent lack of "good reason", and thus personal fishing is solely allowed for immediate food consumption. Additionally, it is against the law to release fish back into the water if they are above minimum size requirements and aren't a protected species or in closed season."

I can imagine they were fine eating. Those Quebec Reds are definitely on my bucket list. My son, an Environmental Engineer, worked at the Mary River mine on Baffin Island for a few years. He would come home twice a month and always brought back fresh and smoked wild Arctic Char...damn, one of the tastiest fish that swims. I've also bought Arctic Char from my local grocery store or fish monger, but apparently it's farm raised...just not the same at all.

Of those three, Parry Sound (G Bay) would be my first choice, especially this time of year.

Nice ! I'm curious...did you notice a difference in taste between the Quebec Red Trout (which are basically land-locked Arctic Char) and Speckled Trout ?

Yes...a lot folks use lithiums for off- grid camping/RV's. The solar panels would be fairly substantial though. However, a generator will certainly work.

You won't regret spending a few more $ if your main motor quits and you need to limp back to port with the TM. Speaking from experience.

Smallmouth in the river below Sauble Falls. Upstream even better Bass and some small Pike, especially in the feeder lakes (which also have LM) to the north. If you have a canoe or kayak, a float trip down the Rankin R. (trib of Sauble R.) can be very rewarding. Musky in the middle section of the Saugeen is your closest best bet (again a float trip will get you to the best spots). SMB throughout, and some big Cats in the lower river.

It seems the MNR does "come down on someone based on a pic". Don't get me wrong, the example in the link is apples and oranges compared to the photo that was posted here...but it looks like the CO's do troll the fishing forums on-line.. https://www.orilliamatters.com/local-news/social-media-photos-of-lake-sturgeon-net-fines-for-local-anglers-1639609

If you're looking for the closest good Chinook fishing to Ottawa, then it's the west side of Prince Edward County. A number of years ago, I would regularly fish out of Wellington in July. Classic spots like Scotch Bonnet would consistently produce the biggest Salmon during the first half of the "Great Salmon Hunt" derby. These were mostly US fish that would disappear by early August. Lately, the local Angler's Club pen raises Chinooks to maintain a summer long fishery. Scott Walcott from "Bay of Quinte Charters" still takes his boat over to Wellington for the month of July. He also owns West Lake Willows Resort, if you're looking for a place to stay. He runs a 35ft Kingfisher. There's also a few other guys that run charters out of Wellington and Brighton that time of year.

As far as I know, only one person can have possession of the fish. Someone will need to claim it, and they'll get the summons/fine.

Given the extent of their actions in falsifying documents...beyond the Fish & Game Act violations, they should've also been criminally charged with Fraud under the Criminal Code. That would have provided for a far more reaching punishment, than basically what is the equivalent of a speeding ticket or similar under the Highway Traffic Act. Although they received fines and suspensions, they get off with no criminal record.

We went out for an ATV ride to some new waters and ended up with some dinner..

Yes, the city's changed since I was kid growing up in High Park in the 60's & 70's, but it's still the same town in a lot of ways. 3 million people, but it remains a city of neighborhoods. The horse stables at Sunnybrook (Leslie just north of Eglinton) are still there...my daughter used to ride there when she lived in Leaside. A little bit of the countryside in the middle of a metropolis.

Vito is one of the best on the lake. Runs a beautiful 38ft Tiara. https://lordofthekings.ca/

I agree Lew....but the photo should never have been posted on the internet in the first place. Some of the responses and reactions to the photo of an OOS fish were entirely predictable. As Smitty55 noted, these kind of photos usually result in instant deletion and even suspension of the OP on most fishing related forums/sites. I don't have a problem with taking a quick photo in this instance...but put it in the family album, and explain to the young lad why you can't post it where 3 billion people may see it....and it becomes a teaching moment around the respect for regulations and ethics. As a father of 2, and a grandfather of 4, that's what I would've done.

The second Saturday in May is always a great weekend in Southern Ontario. Pike and Walleye also open in most zones...but the powers that be really need to move Mother's Day to another weekend...lol

Agree. The problem is how do you define "quick photo". It becomes a grey area...5 seconds out of the water can become 5 minutes. Allowing people to take photos of fish that legally should be immediately released becomes a slippery slope..."the sun's behind me, let me get a better grip, make sure my buddy is in the photo too, make sure the lure is showing"...and the next thing you know it's a dead fish. The reg's as they stand now are simple and straightforward...if the fish is not eligible for retention, then no photos at all. Period. I understand that there are changes coming to the reg's to allow photos during the C&R seasons. Like the new Bass season on FMZ20...you can legally target Bass, but you just can't keep them. Though that won't apply to OOS fish. As for the photo in this thread...yes, if it was my grandson I would take a photo so he can always remember the moment...but I wouldn't post it on a public forum. As the last sentence below notes..."self-incriminatinion, especially if the image appears on social media ".

Congrats on the fish. I have a grandson that age and he would have the same ear to ear smile ! Just a friendly heads up...you may want to share that photo with just friends and family. Posting a photo of an out of season fish on a public forum is probably not a good idea. https://oodmag.com/qa-can-take-picture-caught-fish-closed-season/

I have a Lakewood box (fool and his money), but there aren't a lot of choices in pre-made Musky boxes. I've seen the downspout solution before, my only suggestion is to cut some slots in each "tube" with a jigsaw, so the hooks don't tangle. With my (foolish again) thought that the more baits I have, the better my chances are at hooking a Muskie, I now have two baits in some of the individual tubes...at least the slots keep them apart to some extent.

Stoney has always been my favourite for Walleye in the Kawarthas. Lots of structure and some good current areas. And if they're not biting, the scenery's nice...