I’d appreciate a moment of your time please

[CR500]

I’m sure many already know about the proposed creel limit changes for the open lake, Ontario. The proposal is for the lake limit being brought in line with the trib limit of 1 steelhead per day.

Creel Limits for the open waters of Lake Ontario- Propose changing the creel limit for rainbow trout (including steelhead) from 3 fish per day to one fish per day. The regulation would read- "Three fish in combination (brown trout, rainbow trout, coho salmon, chinook salmon, and pink salmon) not to include more than one rainbow trout". This would apply to the open waters of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River (would not include the Niagara River).
The proposed changes, if adopted, would go into effect on 10/01/2006.

I’ve been fishing the Lake Ontario tribs for steel and salmon since the 80’s. I’m sure that those of you that have been around this fishery for as long or longer can remember years with much higher return rates. I’m sure most will agree that there has been a change in the fishery and not a change for the good in the past bunch of years. I understand seasonal return rate fluctuations but “I don’t need no stinkin’ scientific data” (a small shot at humor) to tell me that there are less steelhead in the system from a historical perspective. Even if I don’t need any scientific data, many people have put a great deal of time and effort into understanding this issue from a biological and environmental perspective.

Please take a few minutes to look over this link, ask questions and respond if you have an opinion.

http://www.flyguysoutfitting.com/regulations.html

If you fish Lake Ontario please give this a read and take the time to participate in the process and let your opinion be known. I’m not asking for anyone to support the change even though I do support the change. This is a change that effects everyone so takes this opportunity to get involved and let your voice be heard. After this all, this fishery is part of all of our heritage.

I’m not one of the many people working on this issue. I know a couple of the people working with this first hand and was asked to help spread the word. Since I use the fishery, it seemed the right thing to do. If anyone has questions that you can’t find an answer to, feel free to ask me and I will do my best to get you a contact that can answers your question.

Thanks for allowing me a bit of your time.

Scott Olex
cr500_95@yahoo.com

[ecsteelheader]

Glad i dont fish the lake anymore,,,its a rich mans sport to do charters anymore ,i cant see paying $300-$450 to catch 3 fish or should i say keep,,but one thing they should do is INCREASE the size limit of a steelhead to a min.24" or 26",that would be a real plus,,,just my thoughts>))>

[CR500]

ecsteelheader,

I don’t fish the lake, I like moving water. Once the trib season ends I fish local rivers and streams.

The DEC’s numbers estimate a bit less than a 20% reduction in harvest with the 1 steelhead limit. The DEC’s numbers also estimate about a 50% reduction in harvest with a 25in minimum size.

I don’t keep trib fish other than a fresh salmon or two to get smoked and for eggs. With not fishing the lake there is no loss in these regulations for me. However, I do see where the lake guys have a sacrifice to make. It just seem to me that when things get tight and steelhead number drop like they are we all have to tighten our belts. If we do nothing I wonder what the return rates will drop to?

[Beards247]

The petition this website put online (http://www.salmoncrazy.com/vforums/showthread.php?t=1999&highlight=petition) not only stirred the pot on many levels, but was a contributing factor in the discussions online and in the decision making.

If you want to make your two cents to one of the people involved in the proposal becoming regulation, contact this person:

wjcullig@gw.dec.state.ny.us (wjcullig@gw.dec.state.ny.us)</B>

or

William Culligan
NYSDEC - Lake Erie Fisheries Research Unit
178 Point Drive
North Dunkirk, N.Y. 14048

[CR500]

Beards,

Thanks for adding the links.

Scott

[centrepin]

CR500,

You know how I feel about this, we talked Sunday. I'm all for it. For the few times I'm on the lake in a given year, I want shalms when I'm there.

The more I think about it, I would even support a 1 trout limit on brown trout on the tribs. I read in Lake Ontatio Outdoors, someone is petitioning for this. I know gman discourages folks from speaking of Oak Orchard on this forum but, CR we've seen hundreds of brownies dragged out of there on a given day. Heck, Morgi has put a hurtin on them himself in one day. Plus, think what a 1 brown trout limit could do for *******, *****, Marsh, Johnson, etc. I think the smaller tribs would really benefit from this.

Pin

[gman2153]

CR500,

I know gman discourages folks from speaking of Oak Orchard on this forum but, CR we've seen hundreds of brownies dragged out of there on a given day.
Pin

If I may Clarify:
We (moderators, Lil - OWNER, and most if not all of the SC comunity discourage the mention of small trib names when things are HOt to prevent poachers from emptying it out.

In my Opinion, Oak Orchard is beyond hope... I don't think a 1 Brown Limit would even help there... the meat packers would simply leave, come back & rotate for position.... They should change the name of that place to ThunderDome...

[centrepin]

Gman,

From reading your posts, I just know you hate the Oak. That's all that was.

Pin

[gman2153]

Pin -
your right, I do hate the Oak..after only 1 time there. After the carnage I witnessed that day, I have no plans to ever visit it again..

[CR500]

The Oak like most things in life has it’s time and place. Peak November just isn’t the Oak’s best showing. The Salmon River also has it’s time and place and October isn’t it. You will rarely find me on the Salmon in October or the Oak in November these days.

A one brown trout limit wouldn’t hurt me but I also haven’t formed an opinion on a 1 brown trout limit really. I’ll toss something out for a laugh/joke. From time to time I wonder if catch-n-release is a good idea on the Oak in November? With the actual wall to wall anglers I wonder if putting a fish back in is a better option than a rope? That was tong and cheek.

[champlain fisher]

I think that there is no reason why the limit on browns should'nt be one also. These fish are like steelhead in the fact that they will spawn multiple times. I have never fished Oak Orchard and from the sounds of it I would not like what I would see. All that C&R in the oak would do is subject the fish to being caught so many times it would end up dying from fatigue and stress. Make it a one brown limit and when you decide to creel that one fish you are done for that day. Let me explain why, This could help by keeping some of the fisherpeople from even showing there in the first place because if they can't fill the trunk with fish to them it is not worth the time. I have had friends of mine who need to bring home a truck load of fish in order to think the trip was a success say, why do you want to travel all that way for one fish. So I tell them I'm not fishing because I need food, I am fishing for the fun of it and the enjoyment of being outdoors. Also this is not a large stream and it could ease some of the pressure on the fish. This fishery[Lake O. and tribs] grows trophy size trout and should be managed as such, besides larger trout have a strong fish taste compared to smaller ones. With the downward trends on the fish returning it is no longer a put and take fishery and should have never gotten labeled as such in the first place. Yes they are putting the fish there still but there just are not as many reaching adulthood so over time it will get worse if people continue to take what they are legally allowed to. If less fish are creeled that leaves more mature fish and then the state does need to stock as many in order to keep the predator / pray numbers in balance. When that happens it then makes more fish available to be used to enhance another fishery and so on and so on. Who knows, the next fishery to benifit from it could be your local system.

[steeliejim]

I got beat up on the board a while back for suggesting a 1 brown limit in the tribs and possibly on the lake. I really hope it goes through. We, as sportsmen need to do everything in our power to ensure the future of this great fishery. The time to act is now, not when there are just a few fish left in the tribs. As for catch and release on the Oak or anywhere else, I think it could be a good idea. First, a lot of fishermen need to be shown how to properly release a fish without injuring it. Some of the ones I have seen released would have been better off on a stringer.

[Linescreamer]

Any one beating up on an SC Brother should watch their back :eek: . They don't know who they maybe tangling with :) :D :p !!

[metalslayer]

I don't think you'll ever see a 1 brown limit on the Lake----most years the boys in the east don't have the early salmon to play with.