It's a first: ice fishing allowed on Rice Lake

[Spiel]

It's a first: ice fishing allowed on Rice Lake

 

 

December 15, 2009

VALERIE MACDONALD / northumberlandtoday.com

 

 

Fish huts are already lined up on the south shore in Bewdley for the first ice fishing allowed on Rice Lake since the 1920s.

 

The huts are to provide protection for people who will be fishing through holes in the ice for yellow perch, black crappie and sunfish (bluegill and pumpkin seed).

 

This year-round fishing for panfish is viewed by some as a boon to the tourism industry on Rice Lake -- and by others as a potential drain on the fishing resource while even more waste is left in the environment.

 

Changes to what fish can be caught, and when they can be caught in Zone 17, a very large area bordering Lake Ontario between Pickering in the west to east of Brighton and to a ragged border in the north to the top of Lake Simcoe, come into effect Jan. 1, says natural resources ministry (MNR) information officer Jamie Prentice.

 

The year-round fishing of panfish is due to the "very prolific" state of these fish which weren't inhabitants of Rice Lake years ago, he explains.

 

"By creating additional angling opportunities for those species, we can take some of the pressure off walleye and will hopefully see gains in those populations," says Prentice. The new stricter regulations for walleye require they be larger in size (more than 18 inches or 46 centimeters) or they have to be released again. They can still only be fished between the second Saturday in May and Nov. 15 with a maximum limit of four with a sports fishing licence and one with a lower-priced conservation licence.

 

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Note: I've been informed (thanks Beans) that there is an error in the above article, highlighted in bold text.

 

I'm told the following is correct....

 

Limit of 4 walleye, conservation license holders have

a limit of 1, they must be between 35-50cm (13.8 and 19.7 in.)

 

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The fish that can be caught year round in this entire zone include northern pike, yellow perch, crappie and sunfish, although northern pike is not usually found in Rice Lake.

 

Another major change is actually imposing a limit on pan fish. Effective Jan. 1 a sport fishing licence holder can catch up to 300 sunfish at a time but only 30 of these can be over 7.1 inches or 18 centimetres in length. Someone with a conservation licence can only catch 15 at a time, of any size.

 

"I usually only fish for crappie," says Charlotte Clay-Ireland, a long time fishing enthusiast who lives near Rice Lake.

 

The crappie limit is 30 with a seasonal licence and 10 with a conservation licence.

 

The new limit on yellow perch is 50 for those with a seasonal fishing licence and half that with a conservation licence.

 

"If the MNR thinks the lake will take the fishing" it will be based on science, said Clay-Ireland, who publishes a well-known Rice Lake tourism and fishing guide and is a former long-time local municipal council member.

 

"The livelihood of the lake has changed over the years and fishing is major component to the resource," she said.

 

There needs to be caution to ensure the fishing resource is not lost, Clay-Ireland he MNR will need to evaluate the impact of the fishing regulation changes.

 

"We have to be very, very careful we create the right balance."

 

Some tourist operators see this as a way to expand the tourism season and businesses like BJ Tackle in Bewdley have rental fishing hits available for the Jan. 1 fishing regulation changes.

 

In addition to year-round fishing of pan fish which introduces ice fishing to the outdoor sport opportunities of the area, the season for muskellunge and bass have been extended to Dec. 15, a month longer that previously. The change isn't in effect until next year, however.