Fish-Hawk.Net

Am I looking at the right 2013 list or what?? The one I keep finding is 1 page with maybe 3-4 lakes for each species?? Have they stopped the stocking program or just getting lazy with the paperwork??

http://home.cogeco.ca/~sparkysfishin/St ... 202013.pdf

That's it.......been those bodies of water for at least the last 5 years.

Wow..so many lakes and so little stocking. At this rate you can kiss many lakes goodbye for fishing opps...sad sight for sure...Glad my dad isnt around to see this.

I was recently sent the Pembroke stocking list and for some species it seems to be shrinking as well. Here's the link.
http://www.ofah.org/zonef/wp-content/up ... s-2012.pdf

Anyone can get put on the email list. Just contact Darwin

Darwin Rosien
A/Madawaska Area Supervisor
Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources
Regional Operations Division – Southern Region
31 Riverside Drive, Pembroke, ON K8A8R6
Ph: (613) 732-5533
Fax: (613) 732-2972
Email: darwin.rosien@ontario.ca

Cheers

almontefisher wrote:Wow..so many lakes and so little stocking. At this rate you can kiss many lakes goodbye for fishing opps...sad sight for sure...Glad my dad isnt around to see this.

So many lakes yes but if they can't sustain the fish why dump them in? That is a complete waste of time and money. The original stocking programs where they dumped fish in all over the place certainly didn't produce a better fishery in those Hills than it is now.

Until the fish that are dumped in get a bit more protection and preservation we are stuck with what those stocked lakes produce which in my eyes is a fairly weak fishery.

RJ

RJ wrote:

almontefisher wrote:Wow..so many lakes and so little stocking. At this rate you can kiss many lakes goodbye for fishing opps...sad sight for sure...Glad my dad isnt around to see this.

So many lakes yes but if they can't sustain the fish why dump them in? That is a complete waste of time and money. The original stocking programs where they dumped fish in all over the place certainly didn't produce a better fishery in those Hills than it is now.

Until the fish that are dumped in get a bit more protection and preservation we are stuck with what those stocked lakes produce which in my eyes is a fairly weak fishery.

RJ

Never looked at it from that point of view RJ...that does open my eyes to the situation a bit more and I do not want the MNR spending more money on a project that is just a waste of it. So when do you see a change occuring with all of this??? 5 years 10 years 25 years?? Do they start shutting down lakes every year for a year or two like they did Palmerston? What will help this out cause I for sure want my boys to be able to go out like my dad and I did and have a good day ice fishing.

I don't know the answers Peter. I know it's been suggested at the Advisory Panel level that min size limits would help (that I agree with). Rotating open lakes was also suggested, banning ice fishing was also mentioned.

But without knowing how these lakes are actually doing with the stocked fish how do they continue?

I keep my personal views on the whole situation pretty tight to the vest to be honest....

RJ

Has anyone ever ice fished Findlay Creek?

If they have they won't tell you...

...

With the huge lack of resources in the MNR I don't think they have enough info to determine which lakes can sustain fish well. If they're relying on reports from fishermen good luck because most won't bother and/or don't realize the importance of helping the ministry out with information. And I beg to differ RJ, but I think back in the day the fishing used to be way better in the Madawaska Highlands. I can think of lots of lakes from Calabogie to Ompah that used to provide consistently decent fishing, including easily accessed
lakes like Mair and Limestone for example. Now for sure some lakes are now contaminated with bass for example, which certainly reduces the likelihood of them sustaining a healthy trout population. I'm sure there are still some good lakes out there but folks aren't talking.
I agree that it is hard for the ministry to know which lakes are performing well, but if they don't stock them they certainly won't produce at all and people won't fish them. Unfortunately I think it boils down to a lack of resources and money, so everyone loses.

Cheers

smitty55 wrote:With the huge lack of resources in the MNR I don't think they have enough info to determine which lakes can sustain fish well.

BINGO! But ask yourself this, Why should they put their limited resource dollars into a fishery that a MINISCULE percentage of anglers ever attempt to fish?

smitty55 wrote: And I beg to differ RJ, but I think back in the day the fishing used to be way better in the Madawaska Highlands. I can think of lots of lakes from Calabogie to Ompah that used to provide consistently decent fishing, including easily accessed lakes like Mair and Limestone for example.

So what's changed that situation? They've continued to stock these lakes for the most part. I've talked to more than a handful of what I'd call experienced trout fisherman who have been at it for a long time up there. It's never been GREAT. I've spent about 20 days up there in my life and it would be a stretch to say the fishing is even "decent".

smitty55 wrote:I agree that it is hard for the ministry to know which lakes are performing well, but if they don't stock them they certainly won't produce at all and people won't fish them. Unfortunately I think it boils down to a lack of resources and money, so everyone loses.

Agreed 100%. They don't know and likely never will. Accessing to do studies is a painstaking task or impossible to get equipment back to these lakes that are stocked via copter. These lakes are put and take, very little IF ANY natural reproduction. Maybe increased fishing pressure has done em in but I highly doubt that. The whole situation is a mess.

RJ

RJ wrote:BINGO! But ask yourself this, Why should they put their limited resource dollars into a fishery that a MINISCULE percentage of anglers ever attempt to fish?

So that people can claim its THEIR SPOT!

I didn't realize that this area was in such bad shape. I was hoping to head up there this ice season but I guess I'll look elsewhere for now...

BrookieJunkie wrote:I didn't realize that this area was in such bad shape. I was hoping to head up there this ice season but I guess I'll look elsewhere for now...

It's not necessarily that bad. There are still lots of lakes being stocked further north and they're not all poor. Just the fact that all this garbage is being left behind at these lakes shows that people are still fishing them, so they must be catching trout still or they wouldn't go back. But I guess there will always be the ones who keep limits of stockers. They're the ones who wreck it. There are still some good lakes back there but you probably have to go further back to find the less pressured ones. Many of the lakes are actually easier to access in the winter. Besides, you never hear about the good ones cause nobody's talking if they do well.

The thing about trout fishing is that you could be at a great lake at the wrong time and figure it's a lousy lake. You know the old " you should have been here at daybreak, they were hitting well". Or be camping at a so so lake and nail it just at dusk or before a storm comes through. That's trout...

That Kemptville list is getting pretty lame though, that's for sure. The Pembroke area is larger but there are still 117 stocked trout lakes, 78 of them being Brook Trout, 17 Splake, 10 Rainbow and 12 Lakers. That's not bad.