Quinte Fishing

My bro and I were fishing couple of weekends ago at the tip of Sherman's point and had our marker bouy "taken". Since we are drift fishing, we like to mark a spot so we have a reference point to drift over and over again. Anyways, a couple of other boats drove by our marker and then when we returned, the marker was gone (we were never less than 300 yards from it). The only thing I could think of was that someone had either taken it, or drove over it. I'm hoping that someone accidently drove over it, because if someone did take it, I would wonder why? They're only worth a couple of bucs. Has anyone else had the same problem because I have a friend tell me that only at the BOQ does he loose marker bouys.

Anyways, we did quite well each time we are out on the BOQ, haven't been skunked yet. We've been out there the last 6 weekends in a row. Biggest one so far was a 14.5 lber caught last weekend. Many around 8 - 10 lbers. Unbelievable fishing, worth lossing a marker once in a while!!!!

Guys (and gals), those who are not getting the message about releasing these big fish, are just shortening their own lifespan. Those who are keeping more than one fish above the slot, they need to be shown the error of their ways, and if there's no remorse or compliance, reported to CrimeStoppers of the OPP.
Police forces in my area are well aware of the resource contraints being experienced by the MNR and often will respond when someone witnesses the regs being contravened. I'm sure there are those who choose to flaunt the law, and others who need education, but we have to take action. Let's not just talk about this stuff.
We had a situation in Markham in the spring where approx. 30 people were illegally fishing the area below the Milne Resevoir fishway on the Rouge River, after Steelhead. An astute fisherman observed for awhile, attempted to explain the infraction (unfortunately encountered a language barrier). When this didn't yield results, he first called the MNR, got an answering machine, then called York Region police. 6 cruisers swooped in within minutes. They lined up everyone, checked licenses, fined people for not having them, fined for fishing in sanctuary and confiscated a bunch of equipment.
It takes time and energy to take action, but if we are enjoying this fantastic fishery as much as it appears, the investment is worth it. Educate others about the regs, warn those who are guilty of infractions, program the numbers into your cell phone, carry a copy of the regs. Let's do what it takes.

Tight lines.....

PS - I know we're preachin' to the choir here, but talk without action is a waste of energy, and keystrokes

Here here to the York Reginal Police........ Job well done weedman....

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WIG

Quest and first time poster. Good thread, glad we are getting along.

In regards of fish stocks nature takes pretty good care of itself. Two main factors for a healthy stock is food, in this case bait fish, and a successful spawn.

I believe there is enough fish in the water to feed any population. Taking fish out is good and not good depending on a giving time. When there is not enough bait, stocks will naturally go down, when there is lots of bait, stocks go up, when you take fish out you are making room for others.
But since we life in a commercialized society with a lot of greed its very hard for nature to keep at par. Of course it is better to release a big female hoping to help the stock and it will, the changes are higher, but its not the only factor for a healthy stock

Years ago when the Portuguese and the English fished cod on our east coast they could as the story goes ‘walk over the fish’. They did this for years with no problem to the stocks, even though there were years of plenty and years of a poor fishery. But over all stocks remained. Later on a fishery was opened for squid and shrimp the prime source of food for the cod. You see what I’m getting at, we are taking all, till slowly on our fishery went dead. Also the seal hunt was stopped so more seals eating what ever is left of the cod. If we would have left the squid and the shrimp there would still be a ‘harvest of plenty’ on our Canadian east coast. At the moment cod fishing is pretty well band. Now what happen is with no cod and red fish around the shrimp are doing good with nothing hunting them down. Lots of shrimp around now a days. ‘Our solution,’ Gov’t has increased the quota’s, plenty of foreign boats to catch the most valuable food source for the cod of which they are still hoping will return. Not so, because with not enough food to go around cod can’t life. If they don’t leave the food source there cod will not return. You see what I mean. Its more important to have lots of bait fish in the lake than to take a fish out.

The big issue is environmental. You want to help with the stocks. Stop using bleach, don’t spay your lawn, tell the farmer to stop using pesticides, acid rain, our no respect for nature etc, and the list goes on and on, we are killing all little micro animals for spawn to live of and start a life cycle. Look at the salmon in our creeks, no problem years ago, now every river has to be restocked. You don’t imagine the damage salt, fertilizer, medicine and all other chemicals that our society dumps into the environment does. A heck of a lot more than a few fish taken. Its not just the walleye or perch that are suffering, but also our bait fish stocks.

One more thing. Years ago fish was caught, now we are raping the seas. Salmon on the west was plenty till ‘we’ raped the salmon 300 miles from shore. Our solutions is to start farming the salmon, but what we don’t know is that 9 lbs of other fish has to be caught to make feed to grow one lb of salmon. This ‘other fish’ is a food source of other fish and so on, till.......or what is happening......you get what happen to our cod fishery.

I know I have drifted away from the walleye issue, but before we point fingers, lets look at the fishery in a whole. Nature has its own natural cycle, good years and bad. One good spawn can put billions and billions of walleye into the lake. We as a whole society are not helping it survive.

Hmmmmm...food for thought

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WIG

quest,

Natural populations fluctuate over time - the lnyx and the hare population data collected by the Hudson's Bay Company over 200 years is a perfect example. However, this natural fluctuation is affected when human 'pressures' are introduced. Instead, a species could be decimated and may never return to normal levels if the pressures persist. (e.g. lobster, cod, salmon, turbot, bald eagle, peregrine falcon, panda bear, etc........). Interestingly, when the human pressures subside, the natural population almost always re-balances itself.

As a result, as long as we, as responsible, educated citizens, respect nature and this sensitive balance in the BOQ, the walleye fishery will continue to be strong. Of course it will naturally fluctuate, but will never disappear.


Captain Hank

Hi guys this is my first post on this site

I was out last saturday with a friend from Ottawa . the first fish we caught was 5.4 lbs and 24 1/4 inches this died on retreval I was talking to ken on the radio and he told me I had to release dead or alive, which I did . I think the last person to see it was Ken who said the gulls were having a field day , this broke my heart to see sush a waste, But on the other hand if we could keep dead fish people would be perposly killing them for there lunch, and for this reason I do agree that if they are in the slot put them backThis was the first time I fished the bay , Many thanks to Ken for the great info and McQ for directing me to a less crowed boat launch. PEOPLE if we keep all those double digit fish the fishery would die the ministry would shut down the bay until stocks regroupedThis is no good for all us anglers and for the many busnesses that rely on this fishery for a lively hood IF YOU SEE A PERSON KEEPING THESE LARGE FISH TALK TO THEM(NICELY)AND EXPLAN THAT THESE FISH AT THIS SIZE ARE NOT GOOD TO EAT AND WHY most of the people keeping these large fish are probily from out of town and they want to bring home large braging fish!!! I'm sure if we educate these people this will be a viable fishery for years to come

Ken how's the painting coming along? Topwater and my self did not make the trip down today , the snow no problem, the cold temp. , no problem 50kph. winds problem, also so many nuts on the 401 I did not need them to take me and my boat out because it is the first snow fall
Any way hope to make many more post on this great site and learn alot more about fishing the bay

Big-O(Phil)<!!!!!><

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BIG-O(Phil)<!!!!!><
SO MUCH WATER .....SO LITTLE TIME

Arg. It ain't rocket science, eh?

Big fish beget little fish. Let the big ones go, or there won't be any little ones.

Get it?

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Self-unemployed and available for fishin' mid-week most days.