Peterborough Examiner Negative Angling Article & Poll

[Rice Laker]

I seem to have stirred a hornet’s nest with my earlier posting. Can I correct a couple of errors?

 

MuskyGreenHorn wrote “Did you notice that the MNR set the bluegill limits to 30 for larger specimens. This is to prevent stunting and ensure that teh larger ones are left to breed to ensure larger size stays in the gene pool” I fully agree and we proposed ZERO bluegills over 7", so which will improve the gene pool better, 30 or zero ? For the last 4 years there has been a voluntary “throwback the big ones” programme on Rice Lake. This was starting to have an effect, in the last survey they average size was bigger than the previous survey.

 

The association also mapped out and proposed to set up bluegill spawning sanctuaries to protect the larger bluegills. The MNR must have thought this was a good idea, they agreed to fund it......

 

Yes, the economies of the northern states, the exchange rate, border issues, cost of gas, passport cards etc have been major contributors to the decline in the number of US anglers, which is why there are many more fish in the lake than there were 5 years ago. And yes Michael, if and when these situations improve, they may start to come back.

 

Michael also wrote “It's always annoying when people use bits and pieces of material/research from over a long period of time to justify their agenda.” I am not sure what is meant by this and would be interested in details.

[Ron]

For the last 4 years there has been a voluntary "throwback the big ones" programme on Rice Lake. This was starting to have an effect, in the last survey they average size was bigger than the previous survey.

 

OK, just how much "bigger" were the bluegill in the last survey? What are the results from the previous 5 surveys? Lets draw the whole picture here.

[xeon]

Seriously 300 5'' fish? Can't believe there's actually groups of hicks that spend half their trip cleaning all those.

[Jer]

I seem to have stirred a hornet’s nest with my earlier posting. Can I correct a couple of errors?

 

For the last 4 years there has been a voluntary “throwback the big ones” programme on Rice Lake. This was starting to have an effect, in the last survey they average size was bigger than the previous survey.

 

 

...and what about the new regs prevents you from continuing this voluntary program. Nobody says you have to keep 30 big ones. Before the changes, people could keep as many as they want.

 

I'm not really understanding your concerns with the new regs.

Edited January 23, 2010 by Jer

[GregF2]

This whole topic is getting hilarious. I wonder how many resident anglers go out and limit out on walleye, perch, etc..., go in and fillet them and go out for more. I know for a fact that this goes on too. The people we met at Mitchells Bay at Lake St Clair last week were actually bragging about when we went ice fishing their, ie "When we get our limit on perch, we go in and fillet them and then go back out to get more" People from both sides of the border practice some very poor fishing management techniques.

 

I live close to Lake Erie and nothing annoys me more when I hear of some our local anglers going out and limiting out on walleyes and perch only to give them away to other people, because they already have plenty in there freezer. Our fisheries will never last with that type of behavior occurring.

 

Again, I love ice fishing, just don't agree with it on Rice Lake, right now. I think the fishery their is extremely fragile and the walleye are just starting to come back, the bigger perch have basically disappeared and I am not sure that it is worth the risk to open it up to ice fishing, before monitoring the new limits and size restrictions that have just taken effect. I would have watched that for a couple years and then if the fishery looked like it was improving, then opened up Rice for ice fishing. Just my opinion, but I feel like I know Rice Lake as well as anyone and I just want to to make sure that it stays a great fishery for future generations.

 

Just for laughs, it seems like ice fishing is not doing much this year, because I don't see many reports of many good panfish catches

[Michael_Brown]

So where do I start?

 

Rice Lake cottage association did have a stakeholder representative on the FMZ 17 council.

 

The 500 limt of sunfish was proposed by the Rice Lake Cottage Association stakeholder but it included no fish over 7 inches and was certainly discussed and truth be known the sunfish regulation was one of the most throughly reviewed issues. Some wanted no limits, some wanted far more restrictive limits.

My main issue all along was youth anglers. If no sunfish over 7 inches is allowed to be kept, than kids fishing off their docks might break the law by catching a big sunfish. That would be unacceptable. I actually like the maximum 30 over 7 inch limit.

The part I'm at issue with is that some members of the Rice Lake cottage association would like to have you think that if left unharvested that the sunfish will continue to grow in numbers until they have pushed all other fish out of the lake. This will not happen. You could ban fishing for sunfish and have a 0 limit and guess what, they will maintain a population balance in the lake.

 

From what I have heard is that most non-residents are reporting not liking the 7 inch limit, which suggest that they volunteer program to release the larger fish was just that volunteer and not all agree to take part. Like Jer suggested there is nothing stopping that volunteer program from continuing.

The other thing I'm not pleased with is that after sitting through 3 years of meetings and being provided loads of information about the sunfish resource, is that now after the regulation has been brought into law and the cottage association didn't get exactly what they wanted they are going to public meetings and other media and criticizing the MNR and FMZ council for not listening or ignoring them.

I agree with Rice Laker in that the Rice lake cottage association did support the winter fishery during the fishery advisory council review but you would not know that by the comments in the media lately.

If the anglers take the same position then we should be all over the media asking for a sunfish limit reduction to 30 or lower. The cottage association is a small group of people, the anglers who fish Rice lake number in the tens of thousands. It would be in the best interest of all to give this a few years to see what happens. Fear mongering about walleye poaching or possible drownings does nothing but hurt the image of the great fishery Rice Lake represents.

[Dutch]

I read the article in the local paper and was immediately annoyed with the one-sidedness of the information presented.

 

I'm not about to start name calling or debating the facts in this forum. The reasoning for the open season has been vetted over a number of years for what probably accounts for thousands of hours and that cannot possible be replicated in a forum with any numbers of informed (or uninformed) posts. I will leave it to the scientists and panel members, the experts, to determine what is best for the long-term management of FMZ17. An open ice season has been deemed by the experts to be beneficial for the fishery - I thanks them for basing this decision on solid science, also taking into account the opions and thoughts of many interst groups. Mostly, I thanks them for increased fishing opportunities in FMZ17.

 

The resort owners that sit on the RLCA are missing a grand opportunity to expand their revenue base by catering to ice fishermen and are instead wasting their efforts on slamming the new regs. They are giving up 3-4 months of revenues from ice fishing to try and protect US fishermen that come up for a week or two in the summer - or am I simplifying things.

 

Anyway - I will be writing to the author of the article. The exaggerator tends to print this one-sided garbage, not to raise issues, just because their reporters are too lazy, or uneducated, to get both sides of the story.

[fishermccann]

Is it just the Rice Lake people that are upset? What about the other Kawarthas cottage ass. what do they say? or is it just to much rice lake inbreeding?

[Billy Bob]

I have read all of these post and I have to admit I'm a little offended that it's the Amerian's that over fish Rice Lake or any other lake for that matter........I have only purchased a conservation license for MANY years because I rarely keep any fish from my Ontario trips......maybe each year the wife and I will have a shore lunch from 2 or 3 walleyes and that's it.......I can't remember the last time I took fish home from Ontario.........I can get freezer full of walleye here in Lake Erie but I enjoy the jig fishing of a small Ontario Lake for the sport......Lake Erie fishing is more like harvesting when you use all the equipment needed to have a successful day......and BTW Ontario is the only one that still has COMMERCIAL FISHING on Lake Erie for perch and walleye but I guess that's OK..........

 

I have fished Ontario for over 35 years straight and know at least 20-30 other guys in my fishing circle who also likes to make 1 - 3 trips into Ontario be it a drive to lake or fly in lake and NOT ONE of these anglers have gone to Ontario to fish Bluegills......I can't even believe I read that here......99% make the trip for WALLEYE fishing and some pike fishing, not pan fish which we have enough of here in NYS......

 

BTW this MIGHT be the year I don't take the trip to Ontario and it will because of the weak US dollar compared to the Canadian dollar....I haven't made ANY reservations as of yet and that's very unusual for me.

This could change but I'll have to see how thing go....Ontario prices are VERY high compared to our prices and a strong US dollar usually balances that out for us Americans traveling over there. High gas prices don't help either.

[MuskyGreenHorn]

GregF2. There are still plenty of walleye and big perch. I dissagree that rice that is fragile. Like I said before, its an ever changing ecosystem. It's faced with a lot of challenges and liek any ecosystem it goes through a natural cycle of highs and low. That being said, if we do pressure a system to much it eperience very drastic changes much like what happened to Lake Erie in the 80's. The walleye and perch populations crashed huge. I have a great deal of knowledge about this stuff because I do it for a living. Billy bog. I have had teh privalege of working on Lake Erie. The commercial fishery in Ontario actually harvets less fish annually that Ohio, New york and Michigan sport anglers combined. In fact the big crash in the 80's saw State Anglers greatly eclispe our commercial boys. The poblem wasn't poaching persay, but the fact that the statesite population on Lake erie makes the people living along teh north shore look liek a small village. Lake Erie is curently doing very well. The commercial limits are set by a partnerships bewteen the MNR, the Three state DNR's and teh Ontario Commercial Fisheries Association.

 

Greg2 is correct i ssaying that there are many resident poachers on our lakes. To this I ask. If you are already breaking the laws, how will a closed season stop you. Closing a fishery simply because there is a potential of poaching is a loss cause. We simply need more C/O's.

 

Rice lake is unique in that it is largely a panfish fishery Billy Bob. And yes everyone, people do keep boat loads of panfish and take the time to fillet them. They are very tasty. Think electric fillet knives, a drum style electric descaler from bass pro and a case of beer. makes for an afternoon. And I do apologize Bill Bob, it is unfair to pick solely on Americans. There are planty of Canadians who stay at Rice Lake resorts and keep too many fish. Its the resorts I am angry with for encouraging and cattering this behaviour.

 

If we all want resposible stewardship, than why are we arguing? We have to support the MNR. Abide by their guidelines, spread the good word and fish by example. I am very fortunate that I now guide for a living. I get to show people and teach them first hand about fish biology rather than writing about it in long boring reports that the average person never reads. The idea was spark discussion and it certainly has.

[Jer]

I have fished Ontario for over 35 years straight and know at least 20-30 other guys in my fishing circle who also likes to make 1 - 3 trips into Ontario be it a drive to lake or fly in lake and NOT ONE of these anglers have gone to Ontario to fish Bluegills......I can't even believe I read that here......99% make the trip for WALLEYE fishing and some pike fishing, not pan fish which we have enough of here in NYS......

 

 

I don' t think anybody is saying that only or all Americans take a lot of fish, but the main argument presented by the Rice Lake Tourist Association against a limit on sunfish is that their mainly American clientel would be upset with a limit.

 

I have seen first hand the non-resident affection for Bluegill. I used to deal with the Ennismore Inn & Resort on Pigeon Lake who catered almost exclusively to American anglers. Once, several years ago while making a call in mid-July, I asked how the fishing was and what people were catching. The owner told me everybody in camp was fishing for Bluegill, 15 or 20 cottages worth of anglers. I took a look around at license plates and there were trucks from as far away as Colorado, all fishing for Bluegill.