Lake Nipissing Walleye Crisis

Leftys Buoy

Leftys Buoy

Well-Known Member
R.O.C. (Radio Operator's Certificate)
An article from OFAH http://www.ofah.org/fishing/nipissingwalleye
 
I haven't read all the links yet and I was just compiling my photos from our annual Nipissing trip but I cannot believe the numbers and size of the fish we have caught this year and generally over the last 3 years. 3 of us have boated 127 walleye in 5 days fishing only a couple of hours morning and evening. We boated 33 this morning alone and probably 90% are in the 12"-16" range, a few over the 60cm slot size and maybe 5% are in the 40-60cm slot. Every year for the last three years has been better than the previous one for us.

It would be nice to curtail the "commercial netting" going on but I honestly can't believe there is any sort of crisis going on up here. Not very scientific but I think there is really no need to panic here.

Will post my trip report and pics after my afternoon beer/nap.
 
Just back from fishing the Chantry Derby and saw this post so felt impelled to respond.
About 5 years ago was my last trip to Nipissing....A group of us used to do an ice fishing trip every winter and also a spring trip. That last trip up there the fishing was absolutely horrible...about 6 fish between 8 of us over 3 days. Ok..so fishing is fishing and not every trip results in fish but what really ticked me off what the outfitter's helper told us about how the commercials (not mentioning specifically who they were but I am sure we all know) would hire divers in the early ice time...drill a hole 4x4 feet square...the divers would go 1/4 mile under the ice pulling a rope and up another hole same size...gill nets were put down between the holes and basically pulled back and forth all winter long.
Taking whatever they could get...no respect for quotas or what the outcome might be.
What really ticked me off though was this kid ice fishing near us...who hadn't caught a fish all weekend...in last hour on the Sunday he catches a walleye which was like 1 cm or so in the slot size and the operator says he best let it go or he might get in trouble...
Now for our annual fishing trip we go to North Bay and turn east into Quebec...fishing is great and none of the other crap going on.
 
Hey JohnPK I have been looking at Quebec also. Any suggestions on places to fish when bringing your own boat? We also gave up on ice fishing Callendar Bay and did not go to Nippissing end of May last two years due to same reasons.
 
Well say no more the commercial fishing should be stopped if their is any kind of crisis on Nipissing.I mean with the slot size affecting anglers catches why is their still a crisis now.
 
I have to agree about the comercial fishing in Nipissing. We go every year to Calendar Bay for a spring fishing trip. Although we do well, this year included, it should be better. In the last 5 years of fishing up there, we have only boated one decent sized Walleye that was in the slot, every other fish has been 14"-16" range....great eaters.

With Nipissing being so large, the fishing should be ten fold! With the great lakes so close by, I see no need for comercial fishing in Nipissing.
 
The same thing happens at the river in Bellville certain people are tollerated netting fish right at the dam, it's a shame we all don't respect the earth as we should.[V]
 
my two cents worth is that we have a envasion species on the way soon enough , but we don't need our own people netting the rivers and killing off what we have for future generations , they get to fish like every other canadian , they don't have limit's and don.t need a liscence !!!! B.S. AND WHEN THEY ARE IN TROUBLE WHO DO THEY RUN TO THE GOVT. B.S. , WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF TWO REDNECK CANADIANS PUT NET OUT IN THE LAKE , would the **** hit the fan !! I probably loose everything I ever worked for !!! and payed taxes on it !! sorry if I have offended any good native canadians but it's true ! and a lot of the people that read this will agree , cheer's the red neck canadian !
 
quote:
Originally posted by fishbaiter

my two cents worth is that we have a envasion species on the way soon enough , but we don't need our own people netting the rivers and killing off what we have for future generations , they get to fish like every other canadian , they don't have limit's and don.t need a liscence !!!! B.S. AND WHEN THEY ARE IN TROUBLE WHO DO THEY RUN TO THE GOVT. B.S. , WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF TWO REDNECK CANADIANS PUT NET OUT IN THE LAKE , would the **** hit the fan !! I probably loose everything I ever worked for !!! and payed taxes on it !! sorry if I have offended any good native canadians but it's true ! and a lot of the people that read this will agree , cheer's the red neck canadian !

I hear ya buddy!! It's too bad that a few bad apples spoiled the bunch!
 
Take a dive down to Youngs creek belowe Vittoria in the spring .
THE KEEPERS OF MOTHER EARTH ,are in there ,standing in the spawning beds with their spears and nets.[V][V]
 
quote:
Originally posted by meridian

Take a dive down to Youngs creek belowe Vittoria in the spring .
THE KEEPERS OF MOTHER EARTH ,are in there ,standing in the spawning beds with their spears and nets.[V][V]



A sickening sight for sure.....

DSCF1466.jpg
 
Hey All.............I fish nipissing alot as well, my good friend has a cottage on the south side on the west end of the lake , the "commercialfishermen" are suppose to be limited to a 500ft net but no one stop them from sewing them together and we have seen them putting out more than 500 ft(more like 1/2 mile !) out on a reef out there , they also let them open a store in North Bay to sell there catch of pickrel ! What about all the fish that get caught in the nets that are garbage fish to them ! We have seen HUGE piles of nice pike rotting in back bays where they just dump them because they are not want and dead , WHO is really to blame , goverment , band cheif ,.............ect , wish I had the answer and wish there was something we could do to help ! People have tried restock program but people aren't going to keep dumping money into something they are not going to get any return on ! I also did a survey when I was up hard water fishing ,we had herd they were talking about shutting the lake down for pickrel but when I asked the fellows that were doing the survey for the MNR if this was true they replied , "they can't stop EVERYONE from fishing it so there is no way to shut it down !" There are alot of people that make a living on that lake like outfitters , guides ,marina .............ect , what about them there would be a huge impact on all there business if they shut it down ! There is no soild answer to the problem ! I can tell you one thing the fishing has decreased over the pass 10 years and something does need to be done before it becomes perch , bass , pike and musky lake ! Just my 2 cents .......................apps
 
History has shown that they will stop fishing when they stop catching enough to fuel the boat and pay the bills. Hopefully it won't be too late and the lake can recover at that point.
 
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