Ron Posted December 12, 2012 Report Posted December 12, 2012 (edited) Through the FMZ 17 Advisory council, we have finally been able to release the changes that will take effect Jan/2013. Some of the changes will be: Increase minimum size on Muskie to 54 on Lake Ontario and lower Niagara. Decrease limit of Rainbow trout on Lake Ontario from 5 to 2. Bass season will now open a week earlier in some zones. Limit of 2 walleye on Lake Nippissing. A slot size for walleye is now imposed in zone 18. These are just a few that need to be mentioned. Here is the list of all changes: OMNR reg changes 2013 Bass Seasons in Southern Ontario English http://www.mnr.gov.o.../stdprodconsume ... 101637.pdf French http://www.mnr.gov.o.../stdprodconsume ... 101646.pdf Bass and Walleye in FMZ 18 English http://www.mnr.gov.o.../stdprodconsume ... 101638.pdf French http://www.mnr.gov.o.../stdprodconsume ... 101647.pdf Fisheries Management Zone 20 (Lake Ontario) English http://www.mnr.gov.o.../stdprodconsume ... 101639.pdf French http://www.mnr.gov.o.../stdprodconsume ... 101648.pdf Edited December 12, 2012 by Ron
fishindevil Posted December 12, 2012 Report Posted December 12, 2012 sounds like some very welcome changes !!! thanks for sharing ron !!!
Roy Posted December 12, 2012 Report Posted December 12, 2012 Thanks Ron. Important and welcome information.
torco Posted December 12, 2012 Report Posted December 12, 2012 Thanks Ron, I like the rainbow limit reduction
Fish Farmer Posted December 12, 2012 Report Posted December 12, 2012 I feel for the tourist industry around Nippissing. Blame who! Won't say any more.
Ron Posted December 12, 2012 Author Report Posted December 12, 2012 One week earlier bass opener It would have been nice if FMZ15 had been included, but I'll take it! I wish they'd done something to relieve the pressure on the Scugog walleye population though. To the best of my knowledge, there is still discussion on Scugog but the reg changes didn't make the books for 2013.
solopaddler Posted December 12, 2012 Report Posted December 12, 2012 Reducing the limit on rainbows from 5 to 2 in the lake is HUGE news!
Live2fish85 Posted December 12, 2012 Report Posted December 12, 2012 That's good news about the trout limit in Zone 20, I have a feeling it could do some damage to the charter boats. I don't know why the bass season wasn't changed in Zone 19 though lol.
Rich Posted December 12, 2012 Report Posted December 12, 2012 Wow this means... Absolutely nothing for those of us in the actual southern portion of ontario. Guess i can travel to fish bass a week earlier.
Rich Posted December 12, 2012 Report Posted December 12, 2012 Lake ontario is an hour and a half north of here..
Rich Posted December 12, 2012 Report Posted December 12, 2012 And its the LACK of nicotine talking ... Lol
BillM Posted December 12, 2012 Report Posted December 12, 2012 (edited) Awesome news about the reduction from 5 to 2 rainbows on Lake O! No more kill boards loaded with steelhead from the bluezone! Edited December 12, 2012 by BillM
kemper Posted December 12, 2012 Report Posted December 12, 2012 Charter boats or not, the reduced limit on zone 20 bows is fantastic news. Never could wrap my head around the limit of 5 - way too many boats heading out every day and coming in with 15-20 bows in a box.
BillM Posted December 12, 2012 Report Posted December 12, 2012 Charter boats or not, the reduced limit on zone 20 bows is fantastic news. Never could wrap my head around the limit of 5 - way too many boats heading out every day and coming in with 15-20 bows in a box. This is going to have a great effect on the amount of returns we see each year. Great start if you ask me. Now if we could protect those spawning fish a bit more, I think we'd really be headed in the right direction.
grimsbylander Posted December 12, 2012 Report Posted December 12, 2012 This is all very good news. The bass regulation change makes my wonder a bit...the Ministry stated the change due to warmer climate trends. Hawkesbury = yes...Windsor = no. And does Lake Ontario warm quicker than Erie?? I'm no biologist so I know I'm missing something. Great update regarding the rainbows for sure.
chessy Posted December 12, 2012 Report Posted December 12, 2012 now that this has happened it will be interesting to see if the rainbows rebound??? i know there has been a private study going on at a river that has absolutely No fishing pressure and the rainbows have been declining cause they have been killed or eaten in the lake NOT in the river
Rich Posted December 12, 2012 Report Posted December 12, 2012 This is all very good news. The bass regulation change makes my wonder a bit...the Ministry stated the change due to warmer climate trends. Hawkesbury = yes...Windsor = no. And does Lake Ontario warm quicker than Erie?? I'm no biologist so I know I'm missing something. Great update regarding the rainbows for sure. Exactly what I was thinking. Why would an earlier bass season be encouraged in obviously colder waters than we have in the southernmost part of canada?
kemper Posted December 12, 2012 Report Posted December 12, 2012 Exactly what I was thinking. Why would an earlier bass season be encouraged in obviously colder waters than we have in the southernmost part of canada? I have no knowledge of how/where these changes start, but I would take a shot in the dark and say its possible that pressure from lodge/resort owners in our area got the ball rolling? Bass season is bread and butter for them...
kemper Posted December 12, 2012 Report Posted December 12, 2012 now that this has happened it will be interesting to see if the rainbows rebound??? i know there has been a private study going on at a river that has absolutely No fishing pressure and the rainbows have been declining cause they have been killed or eaten in the lake NOT in the river No doubt we will see higher returns almost immediately, but that's not to say that more people won't be bonking fish at the river that they normally would have taken in the lake. The kill on the rivers lately has been crazy, seems like 3 fish bonked for every 1 released. At the end of they day, educating people on sustainable harvest is the best option. Until we can dispose of the Neanderthal gene that leads us to indiscriminately smash everything that swims over the head with a stick limit changes like this will have to do.
Headhunter Posted December 12, 2012 Report Posted December 12, 2012 From 5 per day down to 2 for Lake O steelies... to me, that means there's gonna be a lot more floaters in the blue zone, then there ever were! Let's face it, a good percentage of fish caught in that area, simply don't survive being caught. So now, folks will "cull" their catch and there will be chrome floating everywhere. Just so the river folks can beat them with a stick, gut them for their eggs and leave on the bank. Personally, I don't really care about the reduced number, it won't effect me personally, but I bet that we won't see much of a change in returning steel as a result of these changes. HH
young_one Posted December 12, 2012 Report Posted December 12, 2012 From 5 per day down to 2 for Lake O steelies... to me, that means there's gonna be a lot more floaters in the blue zone, then there ever were! Let's face it, a good percentage of fish caught in that area, simply don't survive being caught. So now, folks will "cull" their catch and there will be chrome floating everywhere. Just so the river folks can beat them with a stick, gut them for their eggs and leave on the bank. Personally, I don't really care about the reduced number, it won't effect me personally, but I bet that we won't see much of a change in returning steel as a result of these changes. HH I agree with the floaters
fishindevil Posted December 12, 2012 Report Posted December 12, 2012 well said headhunter !!! more floaters in the blue zone as a result,but guys are forgetting the massive reduction in stocking as well,as the cormorant issue!!!! the numbers will stay the same...
chessy Posted December 12, 2012 Report Posted December 12, 2012 (edited) if the floaters become a issue then the next step is to say if you catch it you kept it.. if the survival rate of a released fish is zero like is being said then it should be considered a caught and kept fish and the MNR should step up enforcement (never see it) and if the people care about the fishery as much as they say then they wont fish the blue zone as from my limited knowledge trout and salmon feed in different temperatures Studies have shown that rainbow trout can survive being caught and released (Klein 1965; Horak and Klein 1967, Reingold 1975, Mongillo 1984, Taylor and White 1992). While artificial and egg baits generally result in less than 10% mortality, other natural baits can result in mortalities of up to 50% (Mongillo 1984). Edited December 12, 2012 by chessy
kemper Posted December 12, 2012 Report Posted December 12, 2012 (edited) If they are harvesting within the law they don't need to be "educated", Neanderthal or not. It is the Ministry's job to determine and enforce sustainable practices. Since when has any Ministry been able to make perfect decisions that are in the best interests of all parties involved... I agree, if people are within the law then nobody can say a thing - everyone has the privilege of harvesting their limit. BUT - a little education goes a long way. Whacking two fat females every time you go out is within the law, but certainly not sustainable. Edited December 12, 2012 by kemper
SirCranksalot Posted December 12, 2012 Report Posted December 12, 2012 Why not reduce from 5 to 2 in all the lakes. Who the heck needs to keep 5 bows??
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