aniceguy Posted April 5, 2012 Report Share Posted April 5, 2012 Fmz 20 covers all of lake Ontario and the bay of quinte Proposed bass reg changes for FMZ 17, 18 and 20. Currently FMZ 17 – 4th Saturday in June to December 15th Currently FMZ 18 & 20 – 4th Saturday in June to November 30th Proposed For FMZ 17, 18 & 20 – 3rd Saturday in June to December 15th Proposed increase in Muskellunge minimum size limit in FMZ 20 Current – 122cm (48 inches) and 112cm (44inches) in the lower Niagara River. Proposed – 137cm (54 inches) for all of zone 20 Please visit ontario.ca/zonecouncils for further info If you would like to comment please provide your feed back to: Marc Desjardins Lake Ontario Management Unit 41 Fish Hatchery Lane, RR#4 Picton, On, K0K 2T0 Email: [email protected] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musky or Specks Posted April 5, 2012 Report Share Posted April 5, 2012 My only question is are the American regs similar on the Niagara? Otherwise it doesn't make much sense Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike rousseau Posted April 5, 2012 Report Share Posted April 5, 2012 i think thats great... thatll pretty much eliminate all keeping of musky... and i can start fishing em a week earlier... BTW zone 20 also has the St.Lawrence river all the way to the quebec border... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike rousseau Posted April 5, 2012 Report Share Posted April 5, 2012 Didn't see an opening day change for musky. oops...my bad.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike rousseau Posted April 5, 2012 Report Share Posted April 5, 2012 My only question is are the American regs similar on the Niagara? Otherwise it doesn't make much sense zone 20 is a lot bigger then just the lower niagra... and someone has to take the first step... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musky or Specks Posted April 5, 2012 Report Share Posted April 5, 2012 I guess my point is fish don't recognize borders. The St Lawrence is also a border water that fish probably migrate frequently from one side to another. I agree all musky fishing should be C&R but I'd hate for our waters to become the nursery for an American trophy harvest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike rousseau Posted April 5, 2012 Report Share Posted April 5, 2012 I guess my point is fish don't recognize borders. The St Lawrence is also a border water that fish probably migrate frequently from one side to another. I agree all musky fishing should be C&R but I'd hate for our waters to become the nursery for an American trophy harvest. i dont think we will ever see 100% identical regulations across the board... it would be nice... a lot less confusion... like were i live... i can sit at a 3 way intersection of borders...Ontario... NY state...Quebec... they meet at one single point... 10 feet in any of the 3 directions and walleye close at a different time of year...ontario-march 1st...ny-march 15th...quebec-march 31...and all 3 have different possession limits... 4 3 and 6 respectively... and NY has a slot... the other 2 dont... same with musky season...ontario closes dec 15th...and as soon as i cross a line in the water to quebec...musky doesnt close till march 31st... ontario portion of the st.lawrence...1 rod...ny...3 :dunno: :dunno: its no wonder people break the rules... there so many different rules in different areas... i have to keep copies of the regs on my phone so i can check to make sure im thinking of the right regs... in a day i sometimes fish 4 different zones....18 ON...20 ON...NY and quebec... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Posted April 5, 2012 Report Share Posted April 5, 2012 well I often see bass still on their beds when season opens, now a week earlier, I will be some on their beds every year....good...bad or who care......I don't know muskie there are people who really like the other white meat and do make a point of keep muskie to eat sometimes I think it would be better to let them keep a small one rather then killing a 54" muskie to eat...but who knows Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davey buoy Posted April 5, 2012 Report Share Posted April 5, 2012 (edited) As you say the regs are so different from one side of the fence to the other.If the provinces and the states don't get a mutual agreement what's the use? Edited April 5, 2012 by davey buoy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trapshooter Posted April 5, 2012 Report Share Posted April 5, 2012 Why not make muskie C/R only? That's the way it is on lac seul. Eating a muskie is not a valid argument IMO and for those that 'want one for the wall' get a replica! my .02 c Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Live2fish85 Posted April 5, 2012 Report Share Posted April 5, 2012 I think we should have bass regs like the states, they obviously aren"t harmed to much by fishing them all year. As for musky I agree with catch and release. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Posted April 5, 2012 Report Share Posted April 5, 2012 Why not make muskie C/R only? That's the way it is on lac seul. Eating a muskie is not a valid argument IMO and for those that 'want one for the wall' get a replica! my .02 c So why would you have c/r and why would Eating a muskie is not a valid argument, I don't put one fish above another, why would you see fit to make this what seems to be very bias statement have you every tasted muskie hello it's a fish Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
farsider Posted April 5, 2012 Report Share Posted April 5, 2012 So why would you have c/r and why would Eating a muskie is not a valid argument, I don't put one fish above another, why would you see fit to make this what seems to be very bias statement have you every tasted muskie hello it's a fish My sense of the argument is beyond it being a "Musky", is that being a top predator (like tuna, swordfish, etc.)and so large when legal size(What you hinted at earlier), the mercury and other contaminant levels would be huge. Although people should be free to make unhealthy choices despite what I would prefer. Cheers, Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MCTFisher9120 Posted April 5, 2012 Report Share Posted April 5, 2012 It would be nice to see opener for bass a little earlier. As for Musky, going to be targeting them on a few good trips this season. C&R is my motto on them too as all fish but walleye and perch There useless and need to be turned into food most of the time for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trapshooter Posted April 5, 2012 Report Share Posted April 5, 2012 Why not C/R? Muskie... far more value in sport fishing then in consumption. If someone wants a meal there's a lot of options out there that are far easier to catch than muskie. Because there's not a lot of them, especially big ones, and it takes a long time for the lake to replace them. Their value is far greater in the lake then on a plate. And why would I make that statement... because it's MY opinion... as I stated... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Posted April 5, 2012 Report Share Posted April 5, 2012 I will bet my pay check, that someone who just want to have a meal of muskie and not for the sport of catching as many as possible, they will kill far less then you..you can argue c/r all you want but every study states the there is a mortality rate when fish are caught and released.....lots of people fish for a meal they catch there fish and go home, they don't say let just get one for for a photo one more for a paying customer .. it's easy to say c/r for muskie because it doesn't affect your fishing or your pocket book...sure be a good conservationist and don't eat muskie, easy for you but you are asking people to suffer or change their lives, if there are not many big ones then you should do your part and refrain from fishing for them.. yes lets take the high road and ban fishing for them completely..be a good citizen a good conservationist . it's easy to say let do something when it doesn't affect you...isn't it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
farsider Posted April 5, 2012 Report Share Posted April 5, 2012 (edited) I will bet my pay check, that someone who just want to have a meal of muskie and not for the sport of catching as many as possible, they will kill far less then you..you can argue c/r all you want but every study states the there is a mortality rate when fish are caught and released.....lots of people fish for a meal they catch there fish and go home, they don't say let just get one for for a photo one more for a paying customer .. it's easy to say c/r for muskie because it doesn't affect your fishing or your pocket book...sure be a good conservationist and don't eat muskie, easy for you but you are asking people to suffer or change their lives, if there are not many big ones then you should do your part and refrain from fishing for them.. yes lets take the high road and ban fishing for them completely..be a good citizen a good conservationist . it's easy to say let do something when it doesn't affect you...isn't it Your paycheck would be safe on day one of fishing. Day 365...you owe somebody your paycheck. The mortality rate of a C/R Muskie fisherman is very low. For agruments sake...say 15%. Mortality rate of meal fisherman...100%. Cheers, Mark Edited April 5, 2012 by farsider Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ecmilley Posted April 5, 2012 Report Share Posted April 5, 2012 Terry I agree 100% with you, i wouldn't keep a musky of any size, but why would i get up i arms about someone keeping one themselves for the table or the wall, it's a fish. maybe there should be a harvest taking place, remember the fish of 10000 casts on the kawartha's was always a good sized fish of 40" and over and now with all this c&r see all kinds but in the 30-35 inch range that are more of a nuisance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Posted April 5, 2012 Report Share Posted April 5, 2012 yeah but the average guy that would want to eat a muskie would catch one or 2 a year... dead this year from eating 2 how many would you catch a year, lots of guys claim over 100 and the guys that guide who boat hundreds a year..15%.. you do that math oh and make the check out to cash thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Posted April 5, 2012 Report Share Posted April 5, 2012 (edited) I would never eat a muskie but I do know people who would and they are only a fish if you want to look at it in dollars then bass should be c/r before and above muskie..far more money generated from bass the fishing industry of today was built on bass tourneys....god don't eat a bass we need big ones Edited April 5, 2012 by Terry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misfish Posted April 6, 2012 Report Share Posted April 6, 2012 (edited) I agree on the keeping - I'd like to see Musky regs changed to 100% C&R everywhere Why is it that you want to see musky 100% C&R? What about all the other fish? I like others would not eat a musky,but I find to many bleed hearts protecting them.Like mentioned,it,s a fish like any other. I have yet read or heard why they are so special,or better then any other. Edited April 6, 2012 by Misfish Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bucktail Posted April 6, 2012 Report Share Posted April 6, 2012 With the later datesi hope people take it easy on the deep smallies in there hibernation area and not bring them up past 30 feet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
farsider Posted April 6, 2012 Report Share Posted April 6, 2012 yeah but the average guy that would want to eat a muskie would catch one or 2 a year... dead this year from eating 2 how many would you catch a year, lots of guys claim over 100 and the guys that guide who boat hundreds a year..15%.. you do that math oh and make the check out to cash thanks You are comparing the "average" meal guy=2 to a C/R Guide? You are usually more fair. Cheers, Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Posted April 6, 2012 Report Share Posted April 6, 2012 You are comparing the "average" meal guy=2 to a C/R Guide? You are usually more fair. Cheers, Mark fair I don't know honest you bet how many muskie does an average meat hunter catch n a year..I thought saying 2 muskie caught was stretching it a bit and how many has he been responsible for at 15% mortality...... fair don't know but I think anyone in the know anyone really into fishing should know you should never take eating out of the equation ...the P3TA nuts just love that..it's one thing to kill your food but hurting killing just for sport..they eat that up even the in-fishermen knew that there should always be a regulation to kill for the table ..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pooch Posted April 6, 2012 Report Share Posted April 6, 2012 Here is a little background on the bass regulation change for FMZ 17. I sit on the advisory council for FMZ 17. Below is my interpretation of data that was presented to council. Bass are climate change "winners". Over the last century temperatures have increased and these increases have translated into ice out dates on average 10 days earlier. Extra days of soft water means longer growing cycles for bass before winter sets in, and bass populations are thriving especially in FMZ 17. Also, research shows that when spawning season begins there is a bias towards large fish, meaning the largest fish in the population (the ones that need the most protection through regulations) spawn before the smaller fish. Any nest that is still occupied by the opener are most often small males guarding empty nests. Current regulations protect bass almost entirely throughout their spawning season in FMZ 17. Two of the main reasons we have fishing regulations are: 1. protect the resource and 2. to provide fishing opportunities. In short, the biologist that presented for the FMZ 17 council concluded that opening bass one week earlier would not negatively impact the spawning season of bass and it would provide increased fishing opportunities for anglers; a win, win situation so to speak. One side benefit of opening bass season one week earlier is that it may give the walleye another week "off", as many bass anglers often target walleye before the bass season opens. I hope that answers many of the questions that may arise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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