Northhunter

I was there a couple weeks ago. Ice was very low (although they always drop it for the winter), but there was very little snow left in the bush. There is not much north of me up near the Onaping watershed, either. I can't imagine there being that much more in the Temagami watershed, which drains into Nip. I have spent springs/summers/falls on the lake my whole relatively short life. Personally, I think it will be another low year.. maybe not as bad as last, but still low. Mid May we can barely use our docks after a good thaw.. it's these years that the fishing is the best. That is not happening this year. We don't have any snow left. I also live/work on a separate river system that will flood from up north, even if we are dry down here. It's running normal now, and not rising.

Look out for Buffalo. They are hot going in (8-1-1) at a low seed. Miller is playing good. Teams like that are dangerous, while Philly has higher expectations but have are not on any kind of streak going in. Not clicking like they should, no momentum. Goaltending is an issue. I don't care what your record is going in.. if you've played mediocre hockey the last month and haven't been able to pick up any steam, I'd be very afraid of the bottom seeded team you are up against.. they are in because they are doing NOW what you are not. How many times has Vancouver been a favorite? I'll believe it when I see it... they have all the pressure on their shoulders. I liked the words Detroit's coach had regarding them being at the top going in... Look the hell out if they draw Chicago.

Ticket prices are exorbitant in Toronto. There was a bit of a riff after last season in Montreal, with team members and media calling out certain members of their fan base. A lot of the booing and harassment was coming from the riff-raff in the "Molson Ex Zone" or whatever they call it (ie; the cheap seats). "Riff-raff" was not the term that was used lol.

Yes and no. Toronto fans are jaded. They are probably one of the reasons the leafs had been mis-managed for so long. They could finish last in the east for the next 5 years, and still sell out every game. When the executives know that money will roll in no matter what.. does that really help the team?

That's why they play the game Montreal never seems to bring their "A" game for Toronto. No matter how good/bad the leafs happen to be playing when they meet. Huet used to choke every time he saw a blue and white jersey. Maybe the pressure gets to them.. I dunno.

It was sad to see them lose the 3 goal lead and then go ahead again near the end, only to lose... but I'm happy that if they were gonna lose that they lost the way they did - maybe taught them a lesson. Halak is good but when he's seeing that many quality shots from outside the slot, some are bound to find their way. I agree with the reffing - Gill on Semin was a brutal call. Seemed like they were trying to give Bettman's prized U.S. market team an advantage near the end... but they wouldn't do that, would they?? Back to Montreal - interesting to see how the habs come out with the home crowd behind them!

Wow. You guys put too much faith in standings. Habs had a winning record against the caps this year but now they were lucky to get a win?? As good as Ovechkin is, he's never been a habs killer. Game starts in an hour. They can still sweep

4 to 6 guys x 1000 x an 11 week season. That's a little more than "4 guys in a hut", and it's just the commercial side. There are many, many more huts on the lake that are private. I did the bungalow thing this winter on Callander Bay (I have buddies from down south). It was a humbling experience. Huts everywhere. The operator told us you can tell when the walleye are "on" just by looking at the lake... the locals are pretty quiet until a bit of a bite starts and than word gets out and everyone hits up their hut. The guys who pay are always there.. but they are a little more vocal if the fishing isn't good the weekend they come up. The MNR issues licenses to operators to limit the number of commercial huts. Last year the number was 980, or something similar. There are many, many more that are "local" or from guys who make the drive and do it freelance. It's a little harder to count those, as there is no limit and they dot the entire lake. The MNR is in a sad state of affairs, but you can thank our all knowing government for that one. They keep cutting the funding. Jocko... you live in the north. Are you "Bear Wise" yet? I dunno how much money gets injected into that little PR farce, too much.. but that's a different thread.

People don't seem to realize that the natives have always been there. They didn't just change their ways and decide to start netting. The lake didn't show signs of stress until the ice hut bungalow boom. It was a new cash cow (still is) and it seemed everyone and their brother started doing it. The lake can't support being the "go to" winter walleye destination for everyone in the GTA (1/10th the population of Canada) who's willing to put up a few hundred bucks and drive 4 hours north, and sustain the amount of fish removed by netting. The netting was always there. The winter commercial harvest was new and broke the camel's back, so to speak. Which side do you punish? So the bungalows bring more money to the local economy... so what. Put the new money before the health of the lake... sensible decision? Getting a fair picture of the non-native fishery is just that. We have a number for what the netting removes from the lake. Shouldn't we have the same for sport fishing in order to properly manage the lake? I'm sure there may be a guesstimate floating around.. but how accurate can it be. Enforcement of the regs is next to zero. I've fished the lake every year for the last 20+. I've been checked by a CO once. I've never been part of a creel survey. How do they know what my impact is.. or the thousands of others with the same experience as mine. The reduced limit and shortened season was to lessen the impact of the sudden increase in harvest. The slot was to protect the breeding population (80% of it, per the MNR's data). A common complaint is anglers whining about having to release slot fish "only for them to swim into a net". If the nets (which actually target larger, spawning sized adults ie; slot fish) are having such an impact, than why are the majority of 'eyes caught now in the slot? Shouldn't they all be dead in a rotting net or being sold at roadside? Maybe angling is taking more than we would like to think. Bring the winter harvest back to where it was 20 years ago, keeping everything else equal.. and we wouldn't be having this discussion. But it's pretty hard to do that and not piss a lot of people off.

Same old song and dance every time this topic comes up. Natives, natives, natives.... it's getting old. They are not the only ones taking fish. It is getting hammered by angling as well, and it is a combination of the two that had stressed the walleye population. We had gone from almost zero winter commercial harvest to a 1000 hut/billion dollar annual boondoggle in 15 years. 1000 huts that are generally full on any given weekend, and everyone is after walleye - that has no effect? Just look at the attention the lake gets now every winter on various message boards like this one. All the reports and anticipation on behalf of guys from the GTA all hot for Jan 1st every year. This is all relatively new. By now most know what state the fishery may be in, it doesn't matter. Everyone still wants to tear into'em. A lot boast about the money they are bringing to North Bay on their one boys weekend a year, like they are owed something in return and to hell with the world if the fishing happens to suck the 3 days they are here. Before all of this the netting was still taking place.. and the lake supported a 6 fish, any size limit. It did so for years. I remember when everyone was all hot for stocking the lake, when stocking on top of a naturally sustainable population is about one of the worst management practices you can do. It's been going on for years, we still don't know what effect it has. How do the walleye reared outside the lake and then dumped in compete with the natural ones? How many make it? 0%... 90%? There are figures out there based on "conventional wisdom" but when it comes to Nipissing itself it's a crapshoot. No one knows. Despite the best of intentions by those involved, it could have very well been doing more harm than good all this time. The natives do stock as well. 2 million fry a year from their own hatchery, if my memory isn't off.. but it may be. It was a good article. Did anyone read it? "We're not getting a fair picture of the non-native fishery," - that's pretty accurate. I've been taking walleye from the lake every year of my life since the age of about 4. I've never been involved in a creel survey. Nobody asks me or my walleye eating neighbors what our take is. Some locals are in a position to take a lot of fish when the getting is good, as was touched on in a post above. Just because they don't use a net doesn't mean there is no effect. They also alluded to the low index netting yield being a "blip" or an off year. Anyone who has experience with with fisheries management knows these things happen. The smelt thing was just the science behind a theory. I also like how the MNR is somehow a bad guy in all of this. They were the ones who waved the red flag back in '99... not us. We probably would had raped the lake clean if it wasn't for the slot size, reduced limits, and shortened seasons. I'm not saying there aren't issues or questions marks when it comes to the management of the lake, but they are doing a hell of a lot more than the angling community, IMO, which has seemed to be hell bent on finger pointing the whole way through.

We fish up 144 in winter... my buddy's reception is hit and miss, but he's almost always able to touch base with his girl out on the lake (short leash lol). Sorry - don't know who he's with.

Then don't buy a welded boat from Tracker Legend's been doing the welded hull thing for a few years (longer??). They move a lot of boats - I've never heard of them having a hull crack. I know of one that apparently didn't run true (factory defect) - they gave the guy a new boat. My buddy worked at Duhamel & Dewar for a while. They used to keep a loaner boat or two on site (still do?) for when extended repairs/warranty work came in.

The hull on the Xcite has a lifetime warranty.

Fishnwire - did you read this? Qualifications:knowledge of and experience in natural resource and public safety-related legislation, enforcement, investigative techniques, rules of evidence, laying charges, testifying in court, preparing Crown briefs and applications for search warrants, and court procedures; knowledge of natural resource management principles in the areas of commercial/sport fisheries, game/non-game species of wildlife and forestry; communication and presentation skills; interpersonal skills in negotiating and participating in conflict resolution; organizational, analytical, planning, investigative and intelligence gathering skills; ability to work independently; computer skills; proficiency in operating and maintaining water craft, snowmobiles and ATV`s; ability to fly and work in small aircraft; ability to qualify and be appointed as a Conservation Officer; ability to complete use of force training and firearms certification; standard first aid certificate, pleasure craft operators card; Canadian firearms safety course certificate, Ontario hunting licence; valid driver`s licence to conduct field work. Does not look like an "entry level" position to me. Experience is the key word there - it is very likely that the guys who get these positions will have held similar positions either in other provinces or in the states. I've also heard of them recruiting from the OPP. As it was told to me by someone in the field, "Entry level" can be basically acting as a deputy learning the ropes in some far off place where the native language may not be english. Many people keep saying this is a "dream job" - no doubt there are people who will enjoy the work, but keep in mind you would be part of a limited work force that is needed at key times of the year for outdoorsmen. Most of these guys don't get to hunt or fish as much as you or I or nearly as much as they would like to. It is their job to watch everyone else do it. It's like being a ref in the NHL - you're there on the ice, but you never play the game.

The beaver quota is different for each line. It's based on population estimates and the size of the area trapped. They have "quota's" instead of limits to keep the population steady. Without a harvest the beaver population would rise and eventually crash, then start back up from the bottom. The quota is designed to keep the density just below the "crash" threshold, so you have a consistently healthy and high (but not too high) beaver population from year to year. If you have a trap line and don't meet your quota, you can eventually lose it. The trees they eat help with the population estimates. They can do aerial surveys looking for "active" beaver houses that have fresh food caches, and multiply that count with the average number of beavers per house for that region.