2017/2018 Inner Bay Ice Fishing Thread

they are walkin out fishin & catchin mitchells bay perch this week...I am sure it will be busier this weekend...something to consider...for me its 80 minutes from st.thomas...about the same driving time to st.williams...
 
carmera is all cleaned off now, definitely would watch were your stepping if you travel on the right side of that channel as it still looks wet . Chipping your way out is going to be the safest and with that snow that was received its covering up what you cant see.

Enjoy and be safe people
 
Red Fisher said:
@mick Do you remember the Jeep's and MacDonld driving them ?.. Yes many moon's ago and no limits, you brought back some memories..Red.. PS. HOWE BROS..(Fred)
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Red...... Ya I also remember the good old days,,,no limits,,5 gal pails of perch,, lots of schools just had to do a little work to find them,,then it was fish on.........
& the odd vehicle going through...also I believe it was 7 vehicles parked together went thru near shore 1 yr.....
 
@canslayer.. Yup GOOD old days.. Well I just look forward to seeing the sun the next morning now. I will wait for soft water at my age. Hope hard water people enjoy as much as we did back in the day.. Keep your worm wet and your tip up..P.S. Happy New Year every one....Red
 
bow slayer said:
i heard the sail store is going in where costco is now on wellington as they are building new costco on wellington further south so they can have a gas bar. as well as the ikea store
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I don't know about the location of the SAIL store, but do know IKEA is going in where the old London Gardens location is across the road from Costco
 
thats good news @bassaholic ...we can jump on a few sails at the local sail store -20 minutes away from st.thomas

I wonder what the time line is when the doors open....lol ....most likely sometime this year..

I have shopped the cambridge store twice...I hope they properly stock the store with merchandise when the sails go on...

thats what i mean by jump on...or you might be soL... ya its call a head to make sure they got it...thats what I did at the Cambridge store..and it worked out...

and I was told by Sail manager of the hunting Det. they will order in merchandise they don't stock...but it won't be a bargin..

that quote is better then cabelas policy where they will not order in any mechandise they don't stock....look at all the stock they have discontinued stocking....ya I am not a cabelas fan at all anymore...
 
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mick said:
thats good news @bassaholic ...we can jump on a few sails at the local sail store -20 minutes away from st.thomas

I wonder what the time line is when the doors open....lol ....most likely sometime this year..

I have shopped the cambridge store twice...I hope they properly stock the store with merchandise when the sails go on...

thats what i mean by jump on...or you might be soL... ya its call a head to make sure they got it...thats what I did at the Cambridge store..and it worked out...
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I've only been to Sail once in Burlington when I was there for work training @mick and was impressed with the selection of items. Now If only we could get a Bass pro or a Cabelas closer then we'd be all set!!
 
I just edited my last reply @bassaholic about how i feel lately with cabelas...

I did buy my last T/C muzzleloader years back on sale from Cabelas for under $600 to the door...that was great...very happy with that...

But lately not so good ....I bought and ordered a cheap $200 spotting scope last season and it had a plastic mounting base that crumbled just after I got thru with it and scored my caribou...I shipped it back well over a month ago...still waiting to get my credit back on my card...they said they were to busy to take care of all there returns...lol..thats the winnipeg calling centre and merchandise is shipped out of there calgary warehouses...

so ya A in store local cabelas experience would be inviting...

the best bass pro deal I ever got was the life time warranty on the heavy gray socks they offered years ago....I have had these 4 pairs of socks for well over 7 years just takin them back for new ones on my annual huntin trip north.. no receipt needed...

does bass pro have any decent sails...not sure anymore...
 
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So where are all the pictures of buckets of perch?! Everybody couldnt of had as bad luck as us with a whoppin one fish...it was a good breakfast though. Maybe next weekend will be better.
 
We went out with a portable hut yesterday and got set up before the wind came through. Definitely had to have it tethered down well but was a fun day. We got 5 perch. Fairly slow but always better than a skunk.
 
I know a guy that will tell of catches so big through the ice at Long Point that he built a special sleigh to haul his daily catch of perch off the ice. This was before the days of perch limits. I heard him say "Everyone he knew had a freezer full of perch". I've never had a catch like that in the Inner or Outer Bay in over 30 years, winter or summer. It makes me wonder if that kind of pressure, combined with the ongoing commercial harvest, has knocked the perch down so far that they can't bounce back.

I've suggested this before and I know this will likely rile a few up, but it doesn't make sense to me to continue to have a commercial harvest in the Inner Bay when, if it were just managed differently, it *might* be a prime sport fishery for perch, pike and crappie, . How about a 5 year moratorium on the commercial harvest to see what happens and/or buy out the commercial Inner Bay licences. If there were perch catches on LPB like those on Simcoe, I think we could have a city of huts out there in cold years like this one, a lot more success fishing in summer months and a lot more fishing dollars heading to Long Point.
 
I’m sure the commercial harvest has a small affect on the the perch population but I think the bigger issue is the changing condition of the Bay itself. It’s slowly becoming a marsh as it continues to fill in from Big Creek. The fish are slowly migrating out to spawn closer to deeper water. The increase in the pike and musky population I’m sure another factor in the perch population as I’m sure their eating a lot of the smaller fish so the perch that are there never mature pass 5”-6”. Just my thoughts though.
 
I agree with both @stomp and @jeweller point of view. IMO pike and musky have a big effect! Saw lots of pike out on Saturday. Pike and musky population goes up and their diet of perch and other smaller fish will decrease somewhat over time
 
stomp said:
I know a guy that will tell of catches so big through the ice at Long Point that he built a special sleigh to haul his daily catch of perch off the ice. This was before the days of perch limits. I heard him say "Everyone he knew had a freezer full of perch". I've never had a catch like that in the Inner or Outer Bay in over 30 years, winter or summer. It makes me wonder if that kind of pressure, combined with the ongoing commercial harvest, has knocked the perch down so far that they can't bounce back.

I've suggested this before and I know this will likely rile a few up, but it doesn't make sense to me to continue to have a commercial harvest in the Inner Bay when, if it were just managed differently, it *might* be a prime sport fishery for perch, pike and crappie, . How about a 5 year moratorium on the commercial harvest to see what happens and/or buy out the commercial Inner Bay licences. If there were perch catches on LPB like those on Simcoe, I think we could have a city of huts out there in cold years like this one, a lot more success fishing in summer months and a lot more fishing dollars heading to Long Point.
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I agree with that. It might create a loss in tax revenue from the comercial end of things but could easily be made back on the tourism side of things. Since Norfolk county is becoming known for its tourist destinations(especially along lakeshore) and is promoting it as that. I plan on hitting up the bay again this weekend and if i get close to being skunked again i will definately be thinking of going elsewhere.
 
I am likely out to lunch, but I think it would be interesting to know what the trends have been in the commercial harvest of fish from the Inner Bay.
 
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