Hot Action Lake Ontario

[Jewelbee]

Awesome guys! Rick and I have a charter coming up soon ( as soon as we can plan time off together) I hope we have so much success, although we wouldn't be keeping all the catch, I say to each his own!!!

[Roy]

Hey chessy, have you ever posted a fishing report? Just curious.

[chessy]

ROY no i have not as you could have possibly seen by my post count. I amnot saying i don’t like posted fishing reports but i have learned to keepinformation to myself. And could you clarify what this has to do with theslaughter of rainbow trout in lake Ontario or the limit of possibly 2 rainbowsin the lake just like the rivers here in Ontario. If you ask me any questions iwill sure to answer them truthfully. So what I should have done is started aseparate post about how SOME charter boats target rainbows to fill the boat orhow they say they are good to eat and are not. Yes you are correct i should nothave done that but unfortunately i did. If you being the administrator wish toremove my post and start another one I would not be offended at all over it. Thankyou for you time and consideration in regards to my posts. Oh and well we areon the subject how about the same guys on here not giving information out butcome on here to brag about their catches to promote there business No differentthem me complaining about them killing inedible fish

 

 

Edited July 3, 2010 by chessy

[Roy]

I won't remove your post. You're doing quite well. My concern is that you're peeing on people for fishing in all legality. I'll repeat...if you don't like the present catch/possession limits, have them changed. Until such time as you do, leave the members of the community alone and let them post their reports.

[chessy]

I won't remove your post. You're doing quite well. My concern is that you're peeing on people for fishing in all legality. I'll repeat...if you don't like the present catch/possession limits, have them changed. Until such time as you do, leave the members of the community alone and let them post their reports.

 

SORRY Roy i dont mean to pee on any one what I am concerned about is people think it is just them catching fish this is happening all over lake o and they can times that by 100s the fishery can not support it .And like i said in my very first post they (mnr ) are looking at the "cold water fishery " I think any one concerned about the fishing resourse could be concerned about such posted as it is happening daily.when boats bring in 20 rainbows a day day in day out something has to be said .

[Roy]

Chessy, I didn't make it clear enough. Look up...see my post of 8:11pm? That's my last word.

[bigfish1965]

Let's see..I see tons of pics of the steelhead huggers pinning the fish before and after spawn on and around the redds...if you really gave a rats patootie you wouldn't fish them during the spawn, would you???

I don't fish walleye during or before spawn...I leave them be until they have recovered from the spawn.

Steelheads are not native fish, neither are the salmon. Both are placed STRICTLY for alewife/smelt control and for sport fishing.

The salmon are put and take, John, and you know it. The reproduction rate is not at all enough to sustain the population.

[danc]

Let's see..I see tons of pics of the steelhead huggers pinning the fish before and after spawn on and around the redds.

 

The answer is simple Rick. Make the lake fishing guys use fancy float reels and make them include that fancy reel in every photo. If in fact you can actually notice the fish instead of the fancy reel, then all is fair. Keep them or eat them. It's only the fancy reel that matters. Lord forbid if anyone caught a Steelhead on a Mitchell 300. How embarrassing would that be??

[Fish Farmer]

How come you guys don't say anything about over harvested Sheephead, just thought I'd through that in.

If you guys only new how many Big Rainbow and Salmon ended up in dumpsters when the Star derby ran years back when you got a ticket in the draw for every fish over 10 Lbs. It was a greedy slaughter.

The fishery in Lake Ont. was a commercial fishery years ago when the Hamilton beach Strip was lined with nets. Then died. Then brought back for recreational fishing but then it was advised not to eat contaminated fish as they tell use today, but some people do including myself, take a chance. Then the big Boom hit the lake with the derby and the charter boat invasion which was big business. In a round about way it was a put and take fishery, whether people admit it or not. Now if they could only clean up the watershed and bring back natural reproduction but with the population booming it doesn't look good. So keeping your limit for the person that only fishes once in a while is not so bad. If they eat them, thats there choice, just don't take them and throw them in the garbage, release them. Everyone has there opinion and interpretation of the fishery.

Just don't bang a guy having a little fun catching his limit. Life's to short.

[CLofchik]

The answer is simple Rick. Make the lake fishing guys use fancy float reels and make them include that fancy reel in every photo. If in fact you can actually notice the fish instead of the fancy reel, then all is fair. Keep them or eat them. It's only the fancy reel that matters. Lord forbid if anyone caught a Steelhead on a Mitchell 300. How embarrassing would that be??

 

Bah whaa haaa haaa haaaaa

 

 

Just to clear up a couple inaccuracies from John et al's posts, at best 10% of stocked steelhead were ever clipped in a given year, even in the US that has a million dollar machine that can clip 10k an hour. In Ontario every clipped trout had to be snipped by hand which logistically makes it impossible to come anywhere close to 100% clipping rate. So just because there's no fin clip it doesn't mean it's a wild fish.

 

And steelhead have been naturalized in Lake O long before smelt, alewife and lamprey's and the St.Lawrence Seaway. They are much more part of the natural ecosystem than Atlantics ever will.

[john from craa]

Good to see interest in learning more about the fish and discussion around it.

 

To agree with Clofchick, not all stocked steelies are clipped. New York stopped clipping thier Chamber Creek fish in 2006 (500,000-700,000 yearlins per year stocked). They only clip Skamania (Left Pec, Left vent clips, sometimes with an adipose). Ontario clips the Right Pec, Right Vent or adipose only. While I'm sure some are missed as Chris says, MNR does have review protocols and they don't miss many at clipping time (maybe 1%). Most steelhead raised in a hatchery have visable fin wear from raceways and high density rearing. The dorsal fin is the most obvious. In my post above the bow Justin is releasing is a stocker (notice the dorsal is rubbed off). Fish that have a crisp dorsal are more likely to be wild (not a perfect rule, but its pretty accurate). If you look at other lake posts check out the dorsal on the steelhead. Steelhead are often raised to 12-16 months in the hatchery causing the fin damage, whereas chinook are stocked at 3 months after hatch so fin damage is minimal. If your looking for dinner it makes sense to keep a clipper and release a wild fish. Most of the west coast fishery have adopted a release wild fish rules and keep clippers.

 

To correct clofchick, Steelhead were first introduced to Lake Ontario in the late 1800's (1885+/-). Alewives, smelt and lamprey came 50 years earlier. Atlantic salmon are still a native specie, even though the present fish being stocked are not genetically from Lake Ontario, they are the exact same species.

 

As for the regs, I agree one should not bash some guy for following the regs, but there is nothing wrong with offering new and/or factual information to encourage the angling public to protect our resources in the vacuum created by lack of action and enforcement activity by MNR. Many fisheries have been destroyed by people following "the regs". The government is slow at tackling most issues and MNR is so under funded it is downright scarry. Great staff, just not enough of them or funds to conduct research or get into the feild to see what is going on enough. The Atlantic cod fishery comes to mind. The Severn Sound walleye fishery another.

 

And while I agree the floods circa 1980 did help grow the eastern steelhead population, I disagree with the analysis that higher silt on spawning beds is the cause of todays declines. General impacts to the population (such as regional floods, lake biomass, juvenile predation in the lake, changing food web, weather impacts) all effect the whole population equally (i.e. each river population reacts similarily). Yet our GTA steelhead declines have not been similar. They crashed in different years, far apart and some have crashed by 75-80%, while others have remained fairly constant (ones with limited pressure). I'll add a post in a few days with more details on the overall subject.

 

Its great to see so many people care enough to express their concerns or opinions.

 

Tight lines,

 

John

[chessy]

Good to see interest in learning more about the fish and discussion around it.

 

To agree with Clofchick, not all stocked steelies are clipped. New York stopped clipping thier Chamber Creek fish in 2006 (500,000-700,000 yearlins per year stocked). They only clip Skamania (Left Pec, Left vent clips, sometimes with an adipose). Ontario clips the Right Pec, Right Vent or adipose only. While I'm sure some are missed as Chris says, MNR does have review protocols and they don't miss many at clipping time (maybe 1%). Most steelhead raised in a hatchery have visable fin wear from raceways and high density rearing. The dorsal fin is the most obvious. In my post above the bow Justin is releasing is a stocker (notice the dorsal is rubbed off). Fish that have a crisp dorsal are more likely to be wild (not a perfect rule, but its pretty accurate). If you look at other lake posts check out the dorsal on the steelhead. Steelhead are often raised to 12-16 months in the hatchery causing the fin damage, whereas chinook are stocked at 3 months after hatch so fin damage is minimal. If your looking for dinner it makes sense to keep a clipper and release a wild fish. Most of the west coast fishery have adopted a release wild fish rules and keep clippers.

 

To correct clofchick, Steelhead were first introduced to Lake Ontario in the late 1800's (1885+/-). Alewives, smelt and lamprey came 50 years earlier. Atlantic salmon are still a native specie, even though the present fish being stocked are not genetically from Lake Ontario, they are the exact same species.

 

As for the regs, I agree one should not bash some guy for following the regs, but there is nothing wrong with offering new and/or factual information to encourage the angling public to protect our resources in the vacuum created by lack of action and enforcement activity by MNR. Many fisheries have been destroyed by people following "the regs". The government is slow at tackling most issues and MNR is so under funded it is downright scarry. Great staff, just not enough of them or funds to conduct research or get into the feild to see what is going on enough. The Atlantic cod fishery comes to mind. The Severn Sound walleye fishery another.

 

And while I agree the floods circa 1980 did help grow the eastern steelhead population, I disagree with the analysis that higher silt on spawning beds is the cause of todays declines. General impacts to the population (such as regional floods, lake biomass, juvenile predation in the lake, changing food web, weather impacts) all effect the whole population equally (i.e. each river population reacts similarily). Yet our GTA steelhead declines have not been similar. They crashed in different years, far apart and some have crashed by 75-80%, while others have remained fairly constant (ones with limited pressure). I'll add a post in a few days with more details on the overall subject.

 

Its great to see so many people care enough to express their concerns or opinions.

 

Tight lines,

 

John

 

What kills me is that it is the same people that say the MNR = ministry of no results when you bring something to there attention you get bashed all to hell for posting something that cant be planer than the nose on some peoples face. i encourage people to go to some fish cleaning satiions and see how many fish are beeing killed THAT SHOULD NOT BE bussiness people say they are good to eat and they are not . sometimes it is better to put a fish back for another day than to bring it in and brag about the number of fish you caught .thats what digital cameras are for . i urge people to read the safe eating guide to fish.. YES i know some smart people say that smokeing will kill you but when your told by someone who does it all day long that they are safe to eat they are belived . when infact they only tell you this so you come back to the town or city to fish some more and spend more of your money

[Headhunter]

Well Chessy, you should see how wonderful my roses are!

I love special interest groups, especially when their special interest is their own!

Go catch a fish, heck, maybe even post a report, but leave LEGAL fisherman alone! So maybe you won't be able to catch the trout seen in these pics next spring while their spawning, so what. I do believe you have made your point, you can sleep easy now.

How about this question... how much extra license money comes in to the MNR as a result of charters on Lake O? Money that would not have been available to them, should there not be a charter industry on Lake O.

Thanks goodness carp guys don't use pins!!!

HH

[Terry]

for me

it's the white bucket crowd that I like to attack

 

 

 

 

why do they have to use white buckets

why not gray

or brown..pink

anything but those ugly white buckets

 

I have seen some great looking yellow buckets.........

I know they can legally use the white bucket

but, man they drive me crazy

[fishnsled]

for me

it's the white bucket crowd that I like to attack

 

 

 

 

why do they have to use white buckets

why not gray

or brown..pink

anything but those ugly white buckets

 

I have seen some great looking yellow buckets.........

I know they can legally use the white bucket

but, man they drive me crazy

 

:rofl2:

[Headhunter]

Terry, I have a yellow one you can use any time. White ones hurt the eyes too much in the direct sunlight.

HH

[asdve23rveavwa]

I second that!!!! The laughing, nice one Terry!!!

 

I've been trying to stay out of this one, and, to tell you the truth am getting a bit bored of the whole thing...both points have been made.

As for me, Juli and I went out on a charter on Saturday, as documented in my post. I caught four bows and one salmon. Released three bows.

Juli caught two salmon and three bows...we kept her three bows and one salmon, gave the other to another co-fisher who didn't get any large salmon that day. So we kept a total of four out of seven rainbows...not a crazy number by any means, and, I do not fish Lake Ontario tribs for steelhead. Thus these will more than likely be the only rainbows I keep for the whole year, out of this watershed.

I usually do all of my steelheading on Lake Huron tribs, and, have no problem with the two fish limit. In fact I like it. However, while people are going out on charters and keeping fish that are legally caught and within legal limits, they should not be beat on by fellow fishermen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There is nothing wrong with an argument, as long as both sides have their facts straight.

Edited July 5, 2010 by FRANKIE65