The Big Boys have come out to play!

Lol’zzz. The ministry and the fish and game “scientists” set the limits to keep a population healthy and healthy and in check…

I have seen altercations at LSC over just this practice of a guy keeping a musky in the limit….

I don’t keep ‘em but if it’s legal, she be legal!
 
Interesting. I may of learned something today. I was under the impression that putting back the bigger fish (females) that they were the bigger breeders. Makes sense that the older they get the less productive they are. Though my biggest reason to put back the bigger ones is the taste. Smaller are better tasting and have less chemical build up in them. Keep the fish you want it really a personal choice anyways.
 
There are a lot members on here that know I target a lot of pike in the spring and fall. I also do catch and release of them. Probably the majority are sent back after they have revived in the live well with the exception of a bleeder that will not survive.
It’s not about releasing breeding stock, it’s about releasing for the sport of catching large trophy pike and hoping it can be enjoyed by other anglers.
If it needs to hang on your wall of fame just take measurements length and girth and probably a distance between the eyes. I’m sure there are good taxidermists out there that replicate your wall hanger.
 
Three Bouys said:
There are a lot members on here that know I target a lot of pike in the spring and fall. I also do catch and release of them. Probably the majority are sent back after they have revived in the live well with the exception of a bleeder that will not survive.
It’s not about releasing breeding stock, it’s about releasing for the sport of catching large trophy pike and hoping it can be enjoyed by other anglers.
If it needs to hang on your wall of fame just take measurements length and girth and probably a distance between the eyes. I’m sure there are good taxidermists out there that replicate your wall hanger.
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Well said @Three Bouys !! 👍👍🙂Especially about realizing trophy pike for others to enjoy catching perhaps a fish,(trophy) of a lifetime!! For example,during the Long Point Bay Anglers Spring & Fall pike tournament’s,in this case,on long point bay. 🚤 🎣🐟 😉👍🙂
 
FlyingViking said:
Lol’zzz. The ministry and the fish and game “scientists” set the limits to keep a population healthy and healthy and in check…

I have seen altercations at LSC over just this practice of a guy keeping a musky in the limit….

I don’t keep ‘em but if it’s legal, she be legal!
Click to expand...

Your placing WAAAAY TOO MUCH faith in our MNR. Although its lack of funding that's the root cause, the MNR doesn't have the resources to properly manage our resources. The blanket limits we have across this province are in no way an effective management tool in most situations. The great lakes and a few larger systems that get studied in depth (simcoe, nipissing, lake of the woods) may be a little better managed but for the most part our regs are a disaster.

I've seen countless fisheries completely destroyed by overharvest over the years. What works on one lake doesn't necessarily apply to the next. How does having the same limits on a large, fertile, relatively unpessured lake as a small, overpressured city pond make any sense? Blanket, generalized regulations are not science based whatsoever.

Josh
 
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A mix of genetics are the best scenario, keep the odd big one if you want. The lake is always changing and so are the genetics that are successful. I don’t find the older fish as palatable, but I have taken some.

If you think the commercial guys are throwing them back then you don’t understand how they are harvested.

Good catch and I hope you enjoyed your decision within the framework of the license you purchased from the government that can’t manage a trucker protest let alone a fishery lol.
 
Merkinbrumsky said:
I see these arguments allot.” Release the big fish as they are the big spawners.” Are they though? I was once told by a long time quinte guide that by the time a fish reaches trophy size their best spawning years are behind them. It is in fact the juvenile fish that contribute most to the reproduction of the fishery. Much like humans, he said. You wouldn’t expect 80 year olds to be pumping out child after child. To each their own. If you catch a trophy and want to keep it I could care less. I’m only bringing this up to educate myself. Does anyone know for sure what is fact? Does a fish in the latter part of it’s lifecycle still contribute significantly to the renewal of the resource , or are they like me, and past their prime.,lol. Flame away.😎
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I took aquaculture and spent 5 years working @ trout hatcheries.... so I'm talking about rainbows

Our broodstock consisted of 3 - 8 year old fish
Using younger fish ( ie 2 year old) the size of eggs where much smaller , and had much lower hatch and survival rate . The 7 + age groups started to have less eggs each year and by 9 hatch and survival rates dropped to point not worth our time to spawn those fish.

I think everyone has there own ethics of what they should keep, and everyone else should respect there decision , or mind there own business....IMO

Personally for me I release all the big fish ....not because they might be good spawners? But why not let someone else have the same joy and excitement that I had catching that fish.

And maybe next year I'll catch a bigger fish
 
For the record, all the “trophy sized” fish I have ever caught have been released. Even salmonoids. I do respect someone else’s decision to mount their fish of a lifetime though, or eat it for that matter. 🍻
 
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Josh Roelofsen said:
Your placing WAAAAY TOO MUCH faith in our MNR. Although its lack of funding that's the root cause, the MNR doesn't have the resources to properly manage our resources. The blanket limits we have across this province are in no way an effective management tool in most situations. The great lakes and a few larger systems that get studied in depth (simcoe, nipissing, lake of the woods) may be a little better managed but for the most part our regs are a disaster.

I've seen countless fisheries completely destroyed by overharvest over the years. What works on one lake doesn't necessarily apply to the next. How does having the same limits on a large, fertile, relatively unpessured lake as a small, overpressured city pond make any sense? Blanket, generalized regulations are not science based whatsoever.

Josh
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We aren’t allowed to blame “scientists” or “experts” nowadays… we must trust them.

Yup, deer lake was wiped out of bows due to “experts” and “scientists”.. but keeping record from a pool isn’t gonna harm any population
 
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I respect anyone's choice to take whatever fish is legal...as long as it doesn't go to waste.
I personally don't keep the real biggies cause I prefer smaller ones to eat...less contaminants, better flavor.
Pike are a bit weird. They are certainly prolific, and if you've ever seen how they spawn, its pretty basic ..a kind of free for all. Those big fish are undoubtedly females but in lake Erie, I doubt if sport fisherman make much of an impact on the populations with the number of females they keep. The days when we used to spear pike...now THAT was tough on the big breeders.
I LOVE pike and find even the bigger pike are good eating from cold water, but I like that 4-5lb ones best.
Now I just have to catch some..
 
FlyingViking said:
We aren’t allowed to blame “scientists” or “experts” nowadays… we must trust them.
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I know this comes up about medicine and health often. I just spent the afternoon with a doctor and retired doctor. Hearing them talk about medicine and health makes it obvious that they've forgotten more about the topic since this morning than this IT guy will ever understand.
 
This is a funny discussion. When you see pictures of jumbo perch full of eggs everyone heaps their praise on you but show a picture of a dozen 8 or 9 inchers and you're sent to the gallows for draining the resource. Nice pike by the way, I'll bet that was fun! TC
 
FlyingViking said:
We aren’t allowed to blame “scientists” or “experts” nowadays… we must trust them.

Yup, deer lake was wiped out of bows due to “experts” and “scientists”.. but keeping record from a pool isn’t gonna harm any population
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I have a hard time trusting any scientist or expert right now as funding will easily find an 'expert' to support any required ideology.

Deer lake? Or do you mean Deer Creek? Not sure what your referring to? The entire second paragraph has me confused TBH. This seems like a worthy topic for respectful debate over winternet 😄

Josh
 
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