OK, OK, I get a little carried away when discussing ice fishing. I've been flyfishing since I was 10 and I'm having my 60th birthday this year, so I've been around a bit, but ALWAYS willing to learn more. Yes, it was a little unethical for me to try for bass off season (I release all) but you wouldn't believe what I have seen over the years and the worse of it has been out here in the east over the last 15 years since moving here. Targetting salmon (legal) in the maritimes when all they want to do is spawn and likewise last year on Wilmot Creek guys scooping 5 salmon a day by tangling eggs in front of their nose on their way to spawning. I witnessed an oriental family take out close to 50 bass on the Mississippi a few years back. I reported them
I was trying to think of a hunting equivalent to ice fishing and I think I have it. Put out some deer ration in the middle of winter (like I do at our house) when they are starving, then gun them down (no guns here).
Out west (and let me be perfectly clear here, they have their problems and cutbacks too), they designate sensitve lakes fly-fishing only or artificial lure, no motors and NO ICE FISHING. Some of these are stocked lakes with little or no spawning - no different from our lakes. The lakes are monitered by the fishing clubs and miscreants reported. The clubs do a lot of stream restoration as well. I would say that some of our lakes in the Highlands are actually superior to most of those out west in terms of feed and water quality. So we could have the same or better. I had a client who had a private lake near Dacre, stocked it and the trout grew large fast but the cretins who live in the area cleaned it out, even though posted private. All you have to do the enforce the regulations is fine a couple of guys a thousand an infraction, seize their SUV and word would get out. They do it on the Grand River and there are hardly any infractions. I guess they are worried they will get shot out here in Cheryl Gallant Land.
I better stop before I get steamed up again. As far as posting info on lakes, I think it is perfectly fine to do on these lakes which are two minutes from the highway and well known. I grew up in Kamloops and the newspaper reported all the main lakes, what flies to use, who caught what, etc. They had lots of fishers out and if you were good, you caught too. Twin Lakes are two of MNR's best success stories. Heavy stocking and heavy fishing and you can still catch a few. I ain't gonna stop but like I said before, I'll happily release info on the really good lakes to those individuals I know who catch and release. What goes around, comes around.
cheers,
bobfly
