Walleye won't take the bait

[Spiel]

Walleye won't take the bait

There may be a lot of fish in the lake, but anglers are wondering why catching them is so difficult this winter

 

 

February 21, 2009

GORD YOUNG / THE NUGGET

 

 

 

Where are the walleye? That's the question many anglers and tourist operators have been asking themselves in the midst of a slow ice fishing season on Lake Nipissing.

 

That's why they call it fishing and not catching," said Fern Montreuil, noting the fish -- unfortunately -- aren't always biting.

 

Manager at Discount Bait Tackle and Variety on Trout Lake Road, Montreuil said even those anglers who were catching their limits early in the season are now having difficulty landing the unusually elusive walleye.

 

A lot of guys are having to work harder for them," he said, noting customers have been coming into the bait shop all winter asking where on the lake they can find the fish.

 

Jeff Chalkley, owner of Sandy Bay Cottages in Callander, agreed it hasn't been the best winter season.

 

Walleye has been down and we've moved the huts a few times," he said, adding plenty of perch are being caught.

 

Chalkley, who said he's seen the fishing success on Lake Nipissing improve year after year, suggested the sluggish season may be due to an abundance of baitfish that has left the walleye well fed.

 

But Chris Anderson, owner of Chez Michaud in Sturgeon Falls, said he blames the poor season on depleted stocks due to native gill netting -- an ongoing issue of contention among some non-native anglers and businesses around the lake.

 

There are too many nets," Anderson said, describing this winter's fishing as horrible.

 

He said some frustrated anglers have given up on trying to catch walleye.

 

And Anderson said others are also blaming the Nipissing First Nation commercial fishery for a poor season.

 

But Perry McLeod-Shabogesic, a Nipissing First Nation councillor, said criticism of native gill netting is getting to be tired and old.

 

That's a pretty weak argument," he said, suggesting a poor fishing season could be the result of any number of reasons.

 

McLeod-Shabogesic said the native fishery hasn't exceeded its quota, which is based on science and is set in order to maintain a healthy lake.

 

He said everyone who harvests fish from the lake has an impact on the fish population.

 

McLeod-Shabogesic said it's unfair to point the figure at a single user.

 

Billy Bob Richards, owner of Billy Bob's Bait and Tackle, said this winter has been one of the worst ice fishing seasons in memory. But he doesn't believe the poor fishing is an indication the lake or its walleye population is in trouble.

 

There's lots of fish in the lake," he said, noting walleye fishing has been poor this winter throughout the province. It's been better, that's for sure."

 

But Richards said the slow season hasn't had much negative effect on business, with anglers determined to keep trying.

 

Scott Kaufman, large lakes biologist with the Ministry of Natural Resources in North Bay, said he's hearing the same sorts of reports from anglers about poor fishing this winter.

 

But he said it would be difficult to substantiate the reports without data from a winter krill survey that's still underway.

 

Kaufman, however, said the latest assessment data has shown weaker year classes in 2006 and 2007, compared to 2005.

 

The 2005 fish are now entering the protected slot size, while the 2006s and 2007s are ready to be caught.

 

But Kaufman said larger spawning fish help gauge the health of the fishery. And he said assessment data has shown the number of those fish is on the rise.

 

He said the walleye fishery, however, has yet to make a full recovery and is still considered stressed. That's why sustainable harvest numbers have been conservatively set lower than they would under better conditions.

 

Kaufman said the total sustainable harvest level for the lake has been set at 60,000 kilograms annually. He said a 40,000 kg limit has been set for the Nipissing First Nation commercial fishery, with 20,000 kg going to nonnative fishing, based on average annual harvest for those users since 2004.

 

We work very closely with the Nipissing First Nation fisheries department," said Kaufman.

 

He said the ministry no longer tracks the number of ice shacks on the lake as a means of measuring angling pressure. But he said there appears to be fewer ice huts, based on observation and anecdotal evidence.

 

Some people have stopped putting huts out because of the inconvenience due to weather conditions," he said, referring to the hassle associated with jacking-up ice huts following mild weather.

 

Kaufman said the ministry does track the number of commercial ice hut operations on the lake and their impact on the fishery. He said the ministry issued 250 more licences this year after studies indicated the lake could handle additional operations.

 

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There may be few anglers catching walleye on Lake Nipissing this winter, but Redbridge resident Ken Peters landed himself a mighty pike Friday not far off the shores on North Bay's waterfront.

 

Peters, who owns Silver Doctor Taxidermy Studio, pulled the fish in after 20 minutes on six-pound test line, using a rattling perch-pattern lure hooked with a small piece of Arctic char.

 

Peters plans to eat and mount the 40-inch monster fish, which weighed 18 to 20 pounds.

[bluesky1713]

2/3 of the Pickerel in Nipissing are being taken commercially (via Native gill nets) and that's assuming that First Nations are not taking more than their quotas. Nipissing should not be fished commercially! So sad.

 

Also, why is a "stressed" fishery issuing 250 more licenses to ice hut operators? This is a disgraceful money-grab that further compromises a crashing fishery. Do they not realize the millions of dollars brought in annually to the area by tourist revenues from the U.S. and Southern Ontario will disappear when the fishery dies? What a counter-productive, backwards-thinking move.

Edited February 23, 2009 by bluesky1713

[kickingfrog]

My walleye fishing on Nipissing (ice and soft) has been getting better over the last 15 years or so, although I haven't fished it this winter. Only time will tell if this is a blip or a down turn.

 

 

Arctic char for bait???

[Muskieman]

No Reply....... I've poked the nest before. I'm also hoping it's just a cycle.

 

scroll through the "Fishing News".

 

 

RFS