Pickerel stocking on Nipissing axed

[glen]

And we're down to the last resort on a lot of lakes in southern ont.

tons of fishermen i know don't fish here because there is not enough fish to catch. What does that tell you?

[BillM]

And we're down to the last resort on a lot of lakes in southern ont.

tons of fishermen i know don't fish here because there is not enough fish to catch. What does that tell you?

 

Which lakes would those be? I don't see anyone else complaining about the lack of fish... Kawarthas, Simcoe, you name it...

[glen]

Example. Pickerel within 2hrs of barrie. Most lakes are not worth fishing. Years ago you could catch a feed.

[BillM]

Example. Pickerel within 2hrs of barrie. Most lakes are not worth fishing. Years ago you could catch a feed.

 

Perhaps 'feed' is the key issue here, lol. Have you fished GBay lately? Walleyes are exploding out there, but not a lot of guys even fish for them because they can't bring them home and put them on the table.. Slot limits work wonders, Gbay is a prime example.

[glen]

Take a poll and ask if people would like better catching.

[BillM]

Take a poll and ask if people would like better catching.

 

A poll between what? walleyes and ???

[glen]

A better catch rate on all fish.

[BillM]

A better catch rate on all fish.

 

I'll take quality over quantity any day of the week.

[glen]

And I will take stocking over not stocking.

[BillM]

And I will take stocking over not stocking.

 

It's not just stocking over not stocking... there so many other ways to improve a fishery... You think it's black and white, it's not...

[glen]

I know the other ways. Having terrible fishing on a lake for 20 years that used to be good is unacceptable.

[BillM]

You kept fishing a lake for 20 years even though it was horrible? May I suggest perhaps trying some new water? Lots of walleyes out there man, you just need to do a little searching.

[ecmilley]

theres no point in stocking a lake if certain other conditions don't get met, be them harvest or enviromental or baitfish, stocking is a good idea if can kickstart a self sustaining system but yeah so many factors out there to consider

[glen]

Ya I fished it every day.

[Radnine]

Has anyone thought of putting some more cottage resorts on the lake?

Jim

Edited April 3, 2013 by Radnine

[SylvanOwner]

you do realize the recovery of balsalm lake had as much to do with stocking as reduced limits?

balsalm lake association had egg boxes all over the lake rearing fry for release, that has more to do with it than anything.

the eye fisihing on the kawarthas is cyclical sturgeon and rice were fantastic for lots of eyes while tri lakes were average and scugog was way down, difference between 4-6 fish is negligable and there isn't really enough enforcement to say the law is being adhered to

 

There was also a spawning bed rehabilitation component to this issue.

 

Sound like anything we've read further up the thread? It's not a single component that's going to fix the problem.

Edited April 3, 2013 by SylvanOwner

[Steve]

glen, your not going to find a lake 2 hours from barrie if all your looking for is a feed.

 

that's the problem.

 

folks only care to feed. hence no fish.

 

if you stock, then they get eaten.

 

where's the logic in that?

 

i don't see the difference in buying fish from a store and catching stocked fish from a lake..... you get your feed either way.

[Old Ironmaker]

Woodenboater, you sure hit a nerve with this thread, 99 replies in a few days.

 

Crosshairs you said 40000 Walleye is nothing compared to the 80000 plus angler harvest coming out, well it isn't nothing it's 50% if my dollar store calculator is working. Also you talk about " your government ", it's your government as well, no matter how much you wish it wasn't. It was my government that threw my grandfather in an internment camp in Pettawawa which is a nice word for POW camp in 1939 and held him there until 1945 actually 3 months after VE day, it didn't matter he took a piece of shrapnel in the skull fighting in WW1 for the Brits as a Canadian. We all have our political beefs and beliefs but don't need to harp on injustices forever.

I didn't say that at all, said everyone taking fish is to blame. The first nations 40 000 walleye is nothing to the 80 000 plus angler harvest coming out. Please don't walk on egg shells on my behalf, and you are right by the time your government shuts the angler walleye fishery down and the NFN shut down their walleye fishery it will be to late. Hence the political grandstanding.

 

[beagle dad]

people here need to take a trip to balsam

see how many walleye fishermen out there

lucky if u find 1

chk regs before u go not same slots or possession limits as the rest of the kawarthas..

me thinks maybe lack of table fare from this lake has something to do with the awesome stocks....yes along with all other factors

but if you cant kill it then they wont fish it!!!

[Old Ironmaker]

???????? Translation please. I know plenty of walleye guys on Balsam whom don't kill everything they catch. In fact I'm one of them.

people here need to take a trip to balsam

see how many walleye fishermen out there

lucky if u find 1

chk regs before u go not same slots or possession limits as the rest of the kawarthas..

me thinks maybe lack of table fare from this lake has something to do with the awesome stocks....yes along with all other factors

but if you cant kill it then they wont fish it!!!

[beagle dad]

i'm talking of the masses

amount of walleye fishermen on the kawarthas other than balsam is crazy

i'm a witness to the movement of fishermen through these lakes

not talking here about those that just want a feed talking about those that move lakes cause slot fish easier to catch there and easier to limit out

time after time...

tell me how easy it is to catch a legal walleye on balsam compared to rice. sturgeon.pigeon

then tell me how easy it is to just catch walleye on these lakes legal or not

point is fill a lake with fish is fine but realize that it would not take long to empty it without limits..

 

we need to quit messing with mother nature.. slow the slaughter of our resources....let the stocks build back up

[Sinker]

I could say so much here, but I'll just bite my tongue.

 

I've never fished nippissing, but start a thread on kawartha walleyes and I will write you a book.

 

P.S I have NO problem catching a limit of eyes on any of the kawartha lakes mentiones in this thread, any time I want. The lakes are cyclical, and if you know which one to be on, and when, walleye are easy to catch! Overall, the population is rising if anything. The decline in fish had nothing at all to do with fisherman, or fishing either.

 

S.

[Old Ironmaker]

Beagledad,

 

Ok, I hear you. There are always going to be the guys that fish to eat, nothing will change that, in generations to come as catch, possession limits drop, slot sizes get tighter the next generation will accept it as normal. Just as we started to catch and release in the late 70's my father in law and uncles wanted to throttle us for letting a very good fish go. These guys grew up during the great depression. I've seen them fillet largemouth the size of your hand, and yes yanks seem to be the worse offenders. I've seen it first hand, half of my relatives are American, I'm going to catch holy hell for that statement. If you had food in hand you didn't throw it away, simple as that. And you never let a big pike go, you opened the pike up and froze as many walleye fillets in that would fit. That was the mentality, and if any of those old timers still fish they could care less about a slot limit. So you can thank them for the rules on transporting fish with skin on it. Do you know how many fights we have had when they want to bring back as many walleye that would fit in a cooler in my new truck. What da ya mean they can take your truck for a few pickerel?

 

We go to a 300 acre lake in upstate NY every year for Pike opener, more of a family reunion. Big fish of the weekend was 15 pounds 25 years ago, now it's lucky if you get a 3 pounder. And guess what they fillet hammer handles and say the fishing isn't what it used to be!!!!!!! No limit on crappie, so they tell me, and fillet every minnow that ends up in the boat.

 

I hope they all live forever, but I bet the fishing gets better when the WW2 vets are gone.

[Sinker]

There's not a thing wrong with keeping a limit of any fish for the table! Fisherman have the least amount of impact on a fishery. Get that out of your heads, and look at the BIG picture.

 

There's a lot more going on than guys keeping fish.

 

S.

[crosshairs]

Old Ironmaker, I am not harping about past injustices I have a government I vote for and you have one also. Simply because that is my belief doesn't make it harping. Looks more like your harping about what happened to your grandfather. People need to speak up against injustices and fight for what they beleive in, and not worry about being told "get over it" or quit "harping" lol. If people don't stand up and fight they deserve what they get.

 

The 80 000 mentioned is just based on 10 weekends, 2000 huts and 1 angler in each thus this could be the very minumum number. The point is the NFN government has first right to the resource (the higharchy works like this 1]conservation is very top 2] first nation subsistence 3] first nation commercial 4]sport fishing) so before first nation commercial can be stopped anglers will have been stopped prior to this. This is taught at CO training, and the first right is based on the 3 court cases. They could just tell OMNR this is what our community needs and you manage what is left, but they are chosing to work with everyone to still only have the finger pointing at them. I have a feeling their tolerance for this is soon going to end, because they will always get blamed no matter what.

 

I have been looking at alot of info and asking myself Why is the lake in this situation??

 

NFN has been fishing this way for centuries (noted in jesuit records) (NOTE: blue walleye were fished out for food for the war not by FN's) elders mention they remember there were no walleye for along time. And tourism has always been big, ice fishing has grown. So I started to look at the data and this is what I have come up with.

 

The OMNR decide what the safe harvest level is based on population. I think 5 years ago it was at 66000kg, OMNR estimates for angler harvest for the whole year on some instances were as low as 10 000 and 7000 kg. Now NFN takes that data and establishes their quotas and was set around 46000kg 5 years ago and quota was reached only once. 66000 is the safe harvest level remember.

 

Now this past winter OMNR is estimating anglers harvested about 14000kg of walleye(just winter) and the estimate for the lakes safe harvest level for all users is now 30000kg. So almost half is gone already now NFN has their qouta (they haven't decided what changes they are making to it yet) plus soft water anglers. So what is the first nation suppose to do?? In the past NFN have been reactionary to the angler harvest and adjustments to quota can be made quickly compared to government (omnr)red tape but OMNR have no control on how much anglers will take out. Past estimates for entire years were 10000kg and now with a lower limit 14000kg are caught in just 3 months. Crap data in puts crap out. I now see why over harvest has been occuring. I don't beleive the safe harvest level of 66000kg was accurate and neither are the harvest numbers OMNR has been using.

 

The lake needs a quota. Once this number is hit it is shut down just like NFN does when they hit their quota. How does the quota get divided up ?? I have no clue. The over harvesting has been occuring due to the fact OMNr has taken a back seat in lake Nipissing management, inaccurate data screwed everyone. Anyhow if we could get the numbers back up and keep accurate catch data the lake and all users would be fine. i think these strong year classes are our last chance at saving this thing.

 

Just my thoughts, take care all.