Walleye Limits Reduced Area 5 Ontario

Here is a link to a very unpopular political move by the Ministries in Ontario.

http://thedrydenobserver.ca/2018/01/camp-owners-association-outraged-over-border-waters-expansion/

Limit from 4 to 2 not based on science but on politics.
 2 walleye per day. Possession limit 4. Eat 2 for lunch your done for the day with walleyes in the boat even if you catch a trophy unless you like bologna sandwiches for shore lunch. Good sportsmen will not violate but will this cause others to fudge the truth if questioned on what they had for lunch.I will not be going back as a guest to Canada. I spend about $1100 a year, US funds, in Ontario.They took away the tax rebate of about $35 a year. They reduced the walleye limit and the lodge took away a free guide day with my package that I have had for 15 years. $130 value.

I feel sorry for all the nice folks up there that could be hurt because anglers have had enough of being gouged on prices by the politicians. Yes the fishing is spectacular but they have over priced themselves for the value given for monies spent.  There are wilderness lakes in my home state that can compare to the Canadian experience and I plan on taking on a new adventure and a Walleye limit of 5 per day.

Last time I was to Canada 1997,was treated like Garbage by the wardens,never found any violations!Picked everything apart!went thru cabin ,boat, luggage!Asked what they were looking for and never got an answer! Older warden just rolled his eyes but younger one was on a mission! Was going up there for 10-12 years NEVER again! Fish Wi. Minnesota,and Dakotas much better and NO Passports!

Pop,

What are the reasons behind your decision to no longer go?  Im not looking for an argument and will respect your opinions.  I get it that some people like to eat fish.  That is likely why some no longer go.  Has the quality of the experience changed outside of the possession limits?  I've never been ther so I have no frame of reference.

Yes, you are correct Fetch if you're camping on Crown land.  Even if you have a non-resident Sportsman's license, you can only possess 2 walleye.  We're staying at a commercial lodge on private land so our Sportsman's license is good for 4.  "Perks" of feeding the local economy I guess.

If you want a cooler full of fillets, you can get 110 lbs. here for about the cost of an average week-long trip to an American Plan lodge.  

Bugle Trout.... Better check those regs close!  In the area we fish the daily bag is the same as the possession limit.   We have dealt with the reduced bag limit for several years now because we choose to camp and buy the Conservation License.  If we fish the same lake but stay at a resort or motel we could but a sportsman's License and our limit would be 4.  It's all about feeding the local economy.  After the first day, 1 to 1½ fish per person is plenty for shore lunch.  We have brats the last day so we can take those 2 fish home the morning we leave.  If someone NEEDS a cooler full of walleye fillets to have a successful trip, they need to go to Lake Erie instead...........

I can see this being more of an issue for people who value meat over the experience. But then why go to Canada in the first place? 

Area 5 also includes the Canadian side of Rainy Lake . This has been in effect since the border wars in the 90's . Despite this , I have fished these waters since 1992 and have enjoyed the solitude that comes with Not having numbers of boats crowded onto every main lake reef in the summers . It is great fishing no matter , and , easy to get to via boat out of Voyageuers .

I don't see this as an issue either. I've been going to Birch Dale Lodge on Eagle Lake for 30 years, so I've gone threw the various changes in the size and possession limits. Those same regulations are what made Eagle Lake the great fishery that it is today!

I don't see this as an issue. As BT said it would be tough to eat 2 fish per guy for a meal with sides. And you can still take home your 4 fish limit. The part for me going to Canada is not only are the numbers better but the sizes are larger too. The extreme remoteness that you can find on these bodies of water is unbelievable. I have found areas where I have a couple thousand acres just to my boat and have wild life all around me. No cell service. No nagging woman. Peace and tranquility. Heaven.

On a side note for people who do take the fish home with them. Have them readily available for inspection. On our way up last year we saw a road block checking coolers, much like a roadblock checking for drinking and driving. Keep the cooler with the fish right at your finger tips for easy check and go. Don't want the hassle of having to dig the cooler out.

Hopefully the resolution is good enough on the attached snip.  It includes Eagle and Lake of the Woods (Canadian Side).

This regulation is not new to FMZ5.  The bottom half already had it to deter US citizens from crossing the border for the day to fill up on walleye.  Or at least that's how I interpreted it.  Now the whole zone will have the regulation.

Can someone clarify the boundaries of area 5? 

I'm not sure that the change in the walleye limit will change the attitudes of the younger anglers. A Canadian fishing trip is much more than bringing home a limit of fish. If the number of fish in the freezer is the most important part of a wilderness experience then one would be better off to head to the Dakotas. I'm sure if I were to ask my mid 20 year old sons to rate their Canadian experience, taking home fish would not be on the top of their list. Anyway we all have our opinions. In my book my annual Canadian fishing trip is so important in bonding with family and some close friends.

I guess for someone who has gone to Canada for years and has slowly seen the limits tighten and prices rise, this would be upsetting.  As I've mentioned on a few posts in this forum, I'm headed up there for the first time this spring.  This rule change doesn't turn me off.  If I'm reading the regulation correctly, I still can bring 4 walleye home at the end of the week.  I can only keep two per day and that includes what I eat for shore lunch.  I don't have a huge appetite so one 15-17" walleye and some beans, fries or potatoes is plenty for me.  That puts one fish that day in the freezer for the trip home.  Eat perch or pike for lunch and you got two for the day.  Most folks are up there for a week so getting your four fish shouldn't be an issue assuming decent conditions and fishing that week.

For me, it's going to be about the experience.  I got caught up with how much fish I was going to bring home the last time I was in Alaska and it almost ruined the experience for me.  You can only eat so much fish before it's quality degrades in the freezer.  I actually managed to get sick of halibut after my last trip and pretty much gave all of it away before it lost it's quality.  Enjoy the trip for what it is, an adventure and bring home a few meals to remember it.

If our trip ends up to be half of the fun it looks to be, I'll be happy with with the experience and will consider it a great value.  To put it in perspective, my dad and I are booked for the lodge's deluxe sportsman's plan.  American housekeeping plan with upgraded boat, a fly-out one day, a guided remote wilderness excursion one day and two more days guided on Eagle Lake (and two days unguided either on Eagle or portage lakes).  Combined we're paying less for both of us than one of us paid at the lodge we stayed at in the Kodiaks in 2016.  And that doesn't include airfare.  Comparing Alaska and Canada isn't apples to apples but I think that for what we're going to get and the species we're going to pursue, it's still a pretty good value.

But I get it for those who have been going for years.  My bro-in-law used to go up there many years ago when either the limits were more liberal or they simply didn't enforce them.  He and his buds would bring home coolers of fillets.  When they tightened that up or started cracking down, they stopped going because it "just wasn't worth the trip anymore for a couple of walleyes".