Fish-Hawk.Net

Fishboy wrote:
If the bass are in there due to irresponsible anglers dumping their bait, then we all lose. They will have wasted our tax dollars dedicated to stocking programs. Furthermore, their actions only serve to diminish the diversity of angling opportunities in our backyard.

Someone that is making sense, nice to see! I agree with you 100% and would like to see MNR implement a ban on the use of live bait in all of the trout lakes!!....I was up at lake last year and I couldn't keep my streamer in the water for more than a few minutes without catching perch.....This is another put-and-take lake which only had suckers and rainbows in it for the past 30yrs....again, the perch had to be introduced by fellow anglers...Personally, I have never used live bait for catching trout...I have had my best success using flies, and trolls with worms or DEAD frozen minnows.

My belief is that live bait of whatever species are being introduced to these lakes more during the ice fishing season when you can't cast/troll a spinner, or fly. Another sore spot I have with the MNR but I won't get into that discussion.

When will the Ontario MNR get their heads out of their a%^ and begin to apply restrictions on live bait..Quebec MNR does it and their CO's are very strict enforcing this!

You fellas are making a real assumption it's coming from bait buckets!

When was the last time ya found a bass or a perch in your minnows that you bought?...

I never have.....

RJ....how many guys do you know, that trap their own bait because they don't want to open their wallets or travel to a bait store?....I know lot's of people that do it!

Now I do know from personal experience on my lake that it is partly due to improperly disposed bait fish but as well I saw last year a seagull fly over our dock with a fish in its mouth and it fell into the water and swam away...That was for sure not a trout and did not come from our lake. So it is also nature that does this.

RJ makes a valid point - people who buy their bait would be unlikely suspects in the bass dumping caper. The bait they buy is unlikely to contain bass. People who trap their own bait would be the most likely culprits.

Again, this is assuming that the introduction of bass was caused by people. At this point, all we have is anecdotal evidence.

I'm not optimistic about the future of angling in Ontario. The government's latest minister at the MNR is someone who neither fishes nor hunts. How can we expect her to understand any of the pertinent issues concerning hunting and fishing?

Fishboy wrote: I'm not optimistic about the future of angling in Ontario. The government's latest minister at the MNR is someone who neither fishes nor hunts. How can we expect her to understand any of the pertinent issues concerning hunting and fishing?

Then I suggest that anglers and hunters start sending e-mails and making calls to the Minister's (MNR) office....it's fine to debate and complain about the pertinent issues concerning hunting and angling on sites like this, but what does this accomplish other that a debate between us???? I'm sorry, but people have to start getting off their lard a%^%^% and begin to VOICE their opinions/thoughts to the correct level.



How many members on this site have done this???

unfortunatly you are right. no offense to the mnr, but the enforcement of fishing regs really sucks!


About a year ago I had to call up mnr tips on a relative of mine, he brought brookies back from a camping weekend. the problem was that he caught them out of season. and i specifically told him that brookies were closed. "if you are just out for camping sure go where ever you please but BROOK TROUT IS CLOSED!!" i told him.

so i called up the mnr tips gave all of the information, spoke to somebody who seemed to care. and nothing happened. it's sad but nothing's really being done to protect our Natural Resources, other then us fine fisher-people.


i understand that the MNR is underfunded, but if somebody has proof that someone is or has commited a crime, then they should take it seriously.

i'm not bashing the mnr but we need to speak up more like TROUTnMUSKIEhunter said. and not just chat about it on the net. send emails, call them up as much as you can. We need more enforcement of the rules!!


i still think Ontario has a bright fishing future, IF we as a population do something about it!

Todd B. wrote:As an avid trout fisherman it was disturbing to hear that bass have been introducted to at least one of the Calabogie stocked lakes (Shiner L.) Word of mouth has it that bait fisherman have been using "minnows" trapped from Black Donald L., and subsequently releasing live bait into the lake at the end of the day. A confirmed bass catch was made this past weekend.

Personally, the only way to protect the trout lakes would be to designate then as artifical lures only, but without an increased CO enforcement it's unlikely such a designation would adhered to.

Just a reminder of the regulations:

Bait-fish
In most areas of Ontario, only the following fish may be used
as bait:
• Minnow family (except carp, goldfish, cutlip minnow, redside
dace, lake chubsucker, and gravel chub)
• Mudminnows, white sucker, sticklebacks, darters (except
eastern sand darter), trout-perch and sculpins
• Lake herring
• Crayfish.

Release of Bait
Anglers must NOT release live bait into waters other than the
waterbody where the bait was originally captured.

Moving Live Fish
Many new populations of non-native fish species have
been established through unauthorized stocking or
release. This practice is illegal and can cause great harm
to existing fisheries and aquatic ecosystems.

Personally never witnessed bass in Shiner but this lake have a lot of pressure so anything is possible. I'm not sure why would someone use minnows from Black Donald when Shiner is full of minnows as well.

I sometimes feel that bass in a trout lake can be beneficial for the trout.
Trout lakes with bass get overlooked and are sometimes fished less. Less fishing pressure means the possibility of actually catching a nice trout rather than a small first year stocker.
Scully lake across the road rarely get's fished in the summer because people are more prone to catching bass. I from time to time fish Scully in the winter because there is little chance of catching a bass.

Perch and brook trout have a difficult time co existing.

this reply is to todd b. in reference to calabogie lake with bass problem .I have fished shiner lake for 15 years and not only does it have bass in it also it has 15 pound pike in it because i caught 1 about 2 years ago and the lake has lots of pike in it .I would have to say that they would be far harder on the rainbow trout than bass they probably came in the stream on the rear hill side from one of the upper spec lakes(center or homes )next time your at this lake throw on your trusty red devil and see what i mean