Lots of OOS bass fishing Zone 17

[captpierre]

Seeing lots of guys throwing spinnerbaits to shore and docks. 🤷🏻‍♂️🤬

[CrowMan]

Same on my lake in FMZ18. A few days ago some clowns were bouncing baits off my dock and shoreline, as I'm sitting there.  When they caught a Bass they even posed and took photos of it. When I called them out on it, their response was "don't worry, it's cool dude, we're all catch and release".

I tried to explain to them that the males are guarding the nest, and pulling them off even for a few seconds allows other fish to gobble up the fry. They argued with me, then eventually gave me the finger, and took off..

There should be some kind of written test before they issue fishing licenses..

https://www.outdoorcanada.ca/fishing-for-nesting-bass/

Edited June 12, 2023 by CrowMan

[Beans]

3 hours ago, captpierre said:

Seeing lots of guys throwing spinnerbaits to shore and docks. 🤷🏻‍♂️🤬

And I would bet they would say they were fishing for musky !!!

[Terry]

They were flipping docks for pike and lake trout 

[fisherman7]

Yup see them in bass boats patrolling the shoreline around my area. 

[KraTToR]

On 6/11/2023 at 8:38 AM, CrowMan said:

Same on my lake in FMZ18. A few days ago some clowns were bouncing baits off my dock and shoreline, as I'm sitting there.  When they caught a Bass they even posed and took photos of it. When I called them out on it, their response was "don't worry, it's cool dude, we're all catch and release".

I tried to explain to them that the males are guarding the nest, and pulling them off even for a few seconds allows other fish to gobble up the fry. They argued with me, then eventually gave me the finger, and took off..

There should be some kind of written test before they issue fishing licenses..

https://www.outdoorcanada.ca/fishing-for-nesting-bass/

Doesn't matter, they'll do it anyways. People are just selfish these days and don't care about conservation. Saw the same out on long point the last couple of weeks. At least I didn't see anyone fishing the sanctuary zone but other than that it was game on!

[BillM]

People are idiots.    I ran across a glitter boat on Lower Buck last weekend during musky opener tossing spinnerbaits right up close.    

[AKRISONER]

1 hour ago, BillM said:

People are idiots.    I ran across a glitter boat on Lower Buck last weekend during musky opener tossing spinnerbaits right up close.    

Same ish different year. 
 

I usually go for a boat ride on the Friday of opener just to see how things are shaping up, check water temps and without fail every time I see guys beating the bank with spinner baits 

[akaShag]

4 hours ago, AKRISONER said:

Same ish different year. 
 

I usually go for a boat ride on the Friday of opener just to see how things are shaping up, check water temps and without fail every time I see guys beating the bank with spinner baits 

Friday before opener most years on Loughborough, lots of folks obviously fishing for bass.  When challenged, most claim to be fishing for pike.  Yeah, right.  Often the boats have out of province registrations, or they are rental boats from the marina.  But lots of Ontario stickers, and sometimes guys in serious bass boats (which never fails to surprise me).  We do not have nearly enough COs in this province....

Doug

[RandyLinden]

Part of the problem is that it is difficult to prove what someone is fishing for. If a CO see's someone tossing a spinnerbait and the angler claims he's fishing for pike, was there a regulation broken? It's hard to prove intent and all too often there is no real proof or evidence. There are also many anglers that do not know about lures and the types to use along with very little knowledge about the habitat, biology and spawning cycles of various species that the regulations are based on.

I have a cottage on Loughborough lake and have watched and reported a number of obvious offenders but it is difficult to prove. The only successful intervention occurred when an out of province angler was actually putting large mouth bass in his live well.

As an early season Crappie guy with a serious bass glitter boat I get hassled and accused of bass fishing constantly, to the point that it's no longer an enjoyable activity. I understand the challenges and actions from concerned folks watching out but it's equally important to understand that not every angler is out there hammering out of season fish. 

More information and education is required but as long as it is legal to catch some species while other species are out of season I feel that this problem will just continue and it becomes a matter of personal ethics to go fishing at this time of the year.

[porkpie]

Yeah, I hear ya every year people accuse us of bass fishing in the spring from a distance in pad beds.  Yelling out “bass is closed”. I’m always waiting for the CO to show up so we can laugh our butts off when he tries to bust us for this big caper and finds a livewell full of crappie lol.  I can only imagine what it’s like in a bass boat.

Edited June 14, 2023 by porkpie

[lew]

I never had any interest at all in bass fishing and fished musky almost exclusively for decades and a very successful tactic in the very early season was throwing smallish spinnerbaits into shallow water pencil reeds which was also a favorite haunt of largemouth bass. Yes, I caught some which were always released but can honestly say I don't ever remember being accused of targeting them but wouldn't have been surprised if I was.

[akaShag]

1 hour ago, RandyLinden said:

As an early season Crappie guy with a serious bass glitter boat

That's me in the black Alumacraft Escape!  😁  You often fish alone, right?

Edited June 14, 2023 by akaShag

[akaShag]

44 minutes ago, porkpie said:

Yeah, I hear ya every year people accuse us of bass fishing in the spring from a distance in pad beds.  Yelling out “bass is closed”. I’m always waiting for the CO to show up so we can laugh our butts off when he tries to bust us for this big caper and finds a livewell full of crappie lol.  I can only imagine what it’s like in a bass boat.

Years ago a buddy and I were fishing for big bluegills ("BULLgills) around the long May weekend on Loughborough.  We were fishing a stretch of the south shore where there are a lot of very nice year-round homes, and yes, two home owners came down and shouted at us about fishing bass.  I told the one guy, go ahead and call the COs, we are fishing for bluegills.  About an hour later I could see a boat bearing down on us, and I told my buddy I thought it looked like the CO's boat.  Sure enough, just as he was pulling up, I hooked a largemouth, and released it without taking it out of the water completely.  The CO (whom I knew) said that looked like a bass, and I acknowledged it was indeed a bass, but we were fishing for bluegills.  (Ultralight rigs, 4 lb test, 1/16 oz jigs, etc).  He looked in the livewell, checked our licences and safety equipment, and wished us a good day.  I said I figured the guy on shore had reported us.  "Oh no, I just happened to be out here" 🙄

Doug

[captpierre]

A friend of mine got nailed by an aggressive CO on Balsam a few years ago. Got a birds nest jigging a deep weed edge for eyes early June. While trying to untangle, the wind blew him near shore.  CO accused him of fishing bass in a know spawning area. 
checked boat and even house trailer on lake for evidence. None found.  Wrote ticket anyway.  Debated taking a day off work to fight it in court in Lindsay.  In the end just paid it.  Maddening. 

[Terry]

I was fishing crappie in the spring 50 deg water temps, fishing out of the only boat I owned at the time

i was in the reeds or just off them ultralight rods 4 lb test and crappie jigs  did not have a bigger rod line or lures then what is standard for panfish 

3 ft of water and the mnr/police boat comes flying up to me and stops beside me their wake was so big my motor hit the bottom of the lake  and it pushed me about 20 ft way from them

They told I was under arrest for fishing bass out of season

i said , but I’m fishing crappie

yeah, you are in a bass boat you are not going to talk your way out of this one

well I only own one boat and this is it if you look at the back you can see the plates for downriggers. 
the continued to try to get me to say I was fishing bass

i showed them the 4lb line the ultralight rods and jigs and told the they were welcome to look in my boat for any bass equipment

still not happy

i opened the livewell and showed 8 crappie

nope still harassing me about fishing spawning bass

i explained at 50degs bass will be following the minnows and feeding to prepare to spawn and would not be here yet
at that point I got rude threw the F bomb and many other words and to charge me

or  F bomb off.  
 

they finally said well we don’t have enough evidence so we will let you go but if you come back we will charge you next time 

I told them I’m not leaving and will be back again tomorrow so feel free to charge me now 

they left 

ps. I was fishing crappie

all the bass were near shore and in the rivers.  None where I was 

[BillM]

3 hours ago, RandyLinden said:

Part of the problem is that it is difficult to prove what someone is fishing for. If a CO see's someone tossing a spinnerbait and the angler claims he's fishing for pike, was there a regulation broken? It's hard to prove intent and all too often there is no real proof or evidence. There are also many anglers that do not know about lures and the types to use along with very little knowledge about the habitat, biology and spawning cycles of various species that the regulations are based on.

I have a cottage on Loughborough lake and have watched and reported a number of obvious offenders but it is difficult to prove. The only successful intervention occurred when an out of province angler was actually putting large mouth bass in his live well.

As an early season Crappie guy with a serious bass glitter boat I get hassled and accused of bass fishing constantly, to the point that it's no longer an enjoyable activity. I understand the challenges and actions from concerned folks watching out but it's equally important to understand that not every angler is out there hammering out of season fish. 

More information and education is required but as long as it is legal to catch some species while other species are out of season I feel that this problem will just continue and it becomes a matter of personal ethics to go fishing at this time of the year.

It's really easy to distinguish crappie baits from spinnerbaits.    I don't care where someone is or what boat their in, I always try and figure out what they're tossing before I judge them lol.   

And catching OOS bass is almost impossible when you're fishing the same water they're bedding in.   All you can do is get them in and toss them back.   The amount of giant bass I got this year out on Gbay for pike opener was insane.   These fish were roaming big weed and mud flats, no bedding yet (Assumption on my behalf)

 

I've got a funny OPP story for you guys.  Out in Parry Sound jigging up lakers maybe mid Sept.  I had a OPP boat roll up to us out of nowhere in some really thick fog and told us we were fishing out of season.   I asked the officer what fish is out of season on Sept 15th?   He said lake trout.   I tried not to chuckle and told him that lakers were in season until the 30th.   He told me they closed on Sept 1st.   I had to remind him to check the regs again..  He still couldn't figure it out.  Finally I passed him my phone with the regs that clearly stated from Sept 1-30th is a catch and release only season.   He wasn't very happy..    On the flip side, anytime I've been pulled over by the MNR it's been a great convo, no accusations, just a quick ask to check the live well.   OPP needs to take a page out of their playbook.  

Edited June 14, 2023 by BillM

[akaShag]

2 hours ago, BillM said:

On the flip side, anytime I've been pulled over by the MNR it's been a great convo, no accusations, just a quick ask to check the live well.   OPP needs to take a page out of their playbook. 

I have had mostly good interventions with police officers, and with COs, and I have had interventions that were less good with both groups.  If one meets a law enforcement officer of any stripe who is bound and determined to lay a charge, regardless of guilt or innocence, chances are that the meeting with that LEO is going to be strained.  I do not envy these folks their chosen careers, and everybody can have a bad day.  But please don't approach me, when I am doing nothing wrong or illegal, and accuse me of something.  It is not a good start to an encounter with a citizen who is paying their salary.

[AKRISONER]

Had a home owner yell at me on Friday while doing some scouting. 
 

I guess what I was doing looked iffy, I’d just finished rigging for Saturday morning and took the boat for a spin. Rods rigged strapped on the deck of the stratos. 
 

im up on the trolling motor in a very weedy shallow area looking around and a homeowner says, “hey what are you doing?” I said, “looking around” 

 

here’s when I questioned his intention though, his reply “I never catch fish over here”

I made sure I fished his dock the next morning…obviously I caught fish.

[KraTToR]

I've had mostly great interactions with the MNR guys, but one terrible encounter with an OPP in the Massassauga park. He blocked us on a channel and began grilling me on my safety kit.  First thing was flares.. i didn't have any :). I was in a 17' boat on an inland waterway. Therefore, for both reasons, I didn't need flares. He had to go into the the regulation book to check as he obviously didn't know the regs either.  ONce that was satisfied, he went after my flashlight. I have a large Mag light on my boat and he was really concerned that it wasn't waterproof. He recommended that I carry a $3 flashlight w/extra batteries with me. Just a crusty old guy on what I would call a great duty. There was a really young/jr guy with him that just stood there in disbelief. 

Next time I'm going to get their name, badge number, and the name of their sergeant.  Last time I looked, we didn't live in a police state.

[AKRISONER]

There’s not better sinking feeling then when the OPP asks you to “turn on” your waterproof flashlight that you haven’t turned on in months lol

[porkpie]

10 hours ago, KraTToR said:

 

Next time I'm going to get their name, badge number, and the name of their sergeant.  Last time I looked, we didn't live in a police state.

I guarantee crusty old boy won’t care.  He’ll probably give you his business card and his Staff’s home phone number.  There are no worse bedside manners than crusty old b@stards on their way out the door, and newly minted young guys who believe there is a world to be saving! 

[BillM]

There used to be a MNR guy that was local who had the same mindset.  I'm sure Wayne knows who I'm talking about lol

[OhioFisherman]

https://majorleaguefishing.com/bass-pro-tour/bass-pro-tour-mlfnow-live-stream-stage-five-day-6-6-11-2023/

They were still bedding in New York 6 - 11, bed fishing seemed to be the key for big fish, and smallies far out numbered largemouth.

[CrowMan]

1 hour ago, OhioFisherman said:

https://majorleaguefishing.com/bass-pro-tour/bass-pro-tour-mlfnow-live-stream-stage-five-day-6-6-11-2023/

They were still bedding in New York 6 - 11, bed fishing seemed to be the key for big fish, and smallies far out numbered largemouth.

Personally, I have a problem with these tournaments that are held during the spawn, and where the winning strategy is to fish beds. This is a C&R tournament...watching the same guys catch the same fish multiple days in a row....and sometimes the same day...well, is that what a competition should be ? The same guy will keep catching and releasing the exact same fish to the point that it's exhausted and can no longer defend the nest. The fish aren't even eating...how much skill or talent is there in pulling fish off the beds, or the knowledge required in bait selection or presentation...

And don't get me started on the floggers...specifically used to find fish on the beds. 1000's of $$$ of electronics on the boat and it comes down to a plastic cone with a piece of glass in it....please.

Anyway, like I said personally I just don't get it, and frankly I think it does the "sport" a big disservice. It certainly doesn't meet my definition of "angling".

 

Edited June 20, 2023 by CrowMan