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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1975-05-01, Page 19Crossroa1s, the *WO bolrfoo otiloeilotel Bauuero Vil$gka Adeet ee? he SRO; Neeet 'Forgot. Cook, dent* Is reed* 3.3mo *le te 'the ..o0heflribto Pritibeeotgro, 41111$04, on Leh readers in each of $ homes.) r r ; omethirtg ver fishy • . • Published ever y + in The tistowiq Banner, The liVingliarn Advance.Times and Thp Mont Forest Confederate by Wenger Bros. Limited. ns-tar't care ulati�n of In the very early hours of the morning on April 26, sportsmen appeared along the bank§ of streams, or rowed boats across quiet lakes in Ontario, The occa- sion was the long-awaited open- ing of the fishing season. Fishing is one of the better loved sports in Ontario. There is a sense of pride and .accomplish- ment for the fisherman who lands a 20 -pound catch. It is a sport in which all ages can participate. As in any sport there are parti- cipants ' who understand the theories and rules of the game and there are those who do not. Fishing is more than just casting a line and waiting for a bite. It in- volves a great deal of prepara- tion, preventative measures and therefore requires a great num- ber of rules to preserve it. A be -- ginner fisherman should know more than just how to cast a line or the types of bait. Knowing' the basic rules and following them is important, as is knowing the spe- cies of fish available, their cha- racteristics and how to protect them from injury and disease. Gerry Harris, a conservationist at the Owen Sound Ministry of Natural Resources station sum- med it up when,he said, "Fishing is a privilege and should not be abused." ' Seasons Vary April 26 was not the start of all the fishing in Ontario. There are areas where fishing is open all year round. For example, in Bruce County, the Penetangore River in the town of Kincardine, the Sauble River in the -Township of Amabel and the settlement of Sauble Beach,•the Saugeen River in the Township of Saugeen and the Town of Southampton are, open all year. In Durham County parts of the Ganaraska River in the Town of Port Dope are Open. Sections of . the Bighead River, Indian Brook, Indian Creek, Keefer Creek, Pottawatomi River and the Sydenham River in Grey County are open all year. Parts of the Bayfield, River e and • Maitland H River inHuron County are also open. ' Roy Bellinger, a conservation- ist from the Wingham Ministry of Natural Resources,, explained that the rules vary when it comes to who requires a licence to fish in Ontario. In general, Ontario resi- dents, those who have lived in the province for at least the past • • A LONG JOURNEY—A conservationist at- the Saugeen River Sea Lamprey Control Barrier and Fishway in Southampton puts a large trout down a chute into the water. The fish will continue upstream to spawn. It has been tagged and checked for wounds and dis- ease. (Photo Owen Sound Ministry of Natural Resources) seven months, do not require 'all ordinary angling licence pr 'ap- gler's bait -fish licence. floWeVerj if they intend to catch smelt for their personal use with a seine* net, a special licence is required'. An angler's bait -fish licence fora:. seine -net is required in some. specified waters. Such .licence: cost $1.00 and are valid for the entire season. A dip -net licence is required -for fishermen who want to use the dip -net ' for taking coarse - ash, herring and whitefish in specified: areas. The cost of this licence is $2.00. Information about areas, where these licences are requited is available from district offices' of the Ministry of Natural, Re- sources. • • Non-residents of Canada muse apply for a fishing licence. There° are licences available for three, days or for the entire seaSan, Because the fisherman carries' a licence, the bearer does not; have the rightto fish on private; land without heauthority of the' owner. ' Mr. Bellinger pointed out that, conservation officers patrol the fishing areas regularly to make' sure that all rules are being fat} lowed. ' "If we find persons breaking the law . we lay charges and they are-brAought.-`before., the udge ,ice court. Th judj a esii Ye' a elle anywhere from $100 to $1,000, de- pending on the severity of the case," he said. Regulations Some of the basic rules include the law that smallmouth and. largemouth bass, maskinonge, brook trout, rainbow trout and Atlantic salmon may not be taken by any other means than angling, Angling simply refers to taking or attempting to take fish by means of.a fish hook andline and includes casting, trolling or spin- ning, as long as the fisherman is tending the line.. Unbaited hooks, except for the use of, artificial lures for casting and trolling, cannot be used. Only one line may be used unless ang- ling through ice, when two may be used. If using live bait for fishing, the fisherman must remember that he can only take bait by using a dip -net of a specified size. He must not have more than 50 live bait fish in his possession from April 1 to October 14 or more than 40 pounds of bait from October 5 to March 31. Live bait includes the mudmin- now family, the sucker family, EXPERIMENTAL—This Is en experimental fish escalator being used at the Saugeen River Sea Lamprey Control Barrier and Fishway In Southampton. It was used for the firsttime in 1974. (Photo Owen of Natural Resources) Sound office of the Ministry equi-re'. by ario waters the stickleback family and the minnow family. If returning them to the water they must be put in the same stream film which they were taken. • Fish caught which are suitable for food must not be left to spoil. If an angler is caught wasting fish in this way he becomes liable to a stiff fine. Snagging Not Allowed Perhaps one of the strongest rules in effect deals with the "snagging" of fish. It is printed in the Fishing Regulations Guide in large, bold letters. "It is illegal to fish for or attempt to fish for, catch or kill a fish with a hook or hooks on any instrument manipulated in such a manner as to pierce or hook a fish in any part of the body other than the mouth." For the first time this year it is illegal in all areas of Ontario to fish with a spear. It was legal in Huron County last year. Fishermen should beware that they are not fishinpro perty of a provincial -Ash sanctu- ary. There are presently 170 of them in the province and in most cases they are clearly marked with signs. The ,,, "anctuaries range from entire lake to just sections, bays or streams. Depending on r Pet . when fishltig is allowed oil this land varies. Conservationists ask that fishermen make sure of the locations of these sanctua-- ries-. For the purpose of fishing sea- sons, Ontario is divided into 27 di- visions. The fisherman who would like to. try new areas, or who is looking for a specific spe- cies of fish, can obtain special maps. These lithographed, waterproof maps are available from district offices. They show the physical data, special charac- teristics of the fish species, ang- lingopportunities as well as ac- cess and facilities. Streams Stocked ' Mr. Bellinger explained that about a week before the fishing season opens the lakes and ponds in Ontario are stocked. These fish are mainly the brook trout from a government fishery in Chats- worth and rainbow trout from one in Normandale. "The fish are transported in trucks equip`iied with large tanks. During warm weather, there is ice in the tanks to keep them cool, as Well as a pump or oxygen bot- tles to supply the air," he Said. The time when the areas are stocked depends a great deal on the temperature and the condi- tion of the roads. The cooler it is outdoors the better, as there is more oxygen in the water; therefore more fish can be trans- ported at one time. The main reason for stocking area ponds, lakes and rivers 'is for public fishing. "These areas are usually 'Stocked with catch - able sized fish," said Mr. Bellinger. Conservation officers visit the • stocked areas ' one or ,twice 3. - week and keep a dose wateli on the number of catches at each lo- cation. From this they judge whether or not the area will need to be stocked again., Mr. Bellinger pointed out that the survival of the brook trout is not as high as that of the rainbow. "The brook trout is placed in a stream with native fish which al- ready have their own :place and FISH STOCKED 1975 LOCATION Flat Creek Fullerton Pond Bluevale Pond Wingham Pond Teeswater Pond Saugeen River Wilcox Lake Wilder Lake Bell's Lake Bass Lake Durham Pond Rainbow Trout TOWNSHIP Blanshard Fullerton Turnberry Town of Wingham Culross Saugeen Artemesia Egremont Glenelg Keppel Glenelg COUNTY Perth Perth Perth Huron Bruce Bruce Grey Grey Grey Grey Grey LOCATION Eugenia Lake Blye Water Lake Louise Lake Bell's lake William's Lake Lockerby Pond Shell Ponds Fullerton Pond Wawanosh Pond Alps Creek Trout Creek Otto Creek. TOWNSHIP Artemesia Bentinck Bentinck 'Glenelg Holland Elderslie Glenelg fullarton E. Wawanosh Culross Blanshard Downie COUNTY Grey Grey Grey Grey Grey Bruce Grey Perth Huron Bruce Perth Perth – Cro oadh--May 1, WOOLEN G L' OV E S—This conservationist uses woo len gloves to handle the fish because cif the slippery' slime. coating the body of the fish. He is checking forf wounds and disease and he will either tagthe fish or clip its fin and register it in a special book. All this takes place at the Sau- geen River Sea Lamprey Control Barrier and Fishway. (Photo Owep Sound office of the Ministry of Natural Resources) they must put up a fight for survi- val," he said. What is the major difference between the brook trout and the rainbow trout? The brook trout, sometimes known as the brookie,. speckled trout or mud trout, is popular as a game fish. It is a favorite with fly fishermen and is well known for its rare beauty and fighting spirit. Characteristics The brook trout has a long, slender, deep body with a large head and large mouth with strong teeth. The coloring of the fish varies with its environment, ranging from an olive-green to a dark brown and almost black on the sides. There are olive -colored wormlike markings on the back and roundish markings on the side. This fish generally spawns from late August to early De- cember, depending on the loca- lity. This trout responds well to worm and spin fishing but the purists insist on fly fishing, in which both wet and dry flies are used. The average catch is about a pound in weight. The flesh of this fish is usually pink or salmon in color, is firm in texture and delicately flavored. The characteristics of the rain- bow trout are quite similar to those of the brook trout except for the coloring. The name "rain- bow" is given to trout when they have a pinkish or reddish band along their sides. All rainbows are black spotted and the number of the spots and size differ de- pending on the size of the body of water they are living in. The more light the fish is exposed to, the lighter the spots. These trout return to streams to spawn and it is during this period that they are available to the angler. They are very diffi- cult to catch in lakes. In most of Ontario, anglers are apt to catch a fish that has been tagged by Ministry personnel. All hatchery fish of fingerling and yearling size are fin -clipped and tagged before they are released. Anglers are asked to forward these fish tags and details, of the fin clips to anyoffice of the Minis- try. They will be sent a form re- questing the length and weight of the fish, where it was caught and r the date. Gerry Harris, from the Minis- try in Owen Sound,explained that. all this information • is entered into a register book. In this way the Ministry can trace the entire life of the fish, determine their movements, rate of growth and the abundance of them. They can then judge the success of the re- stocking program. Mr. Harris said that one-tenth of all the fish tagged last.year were reported. . Dangers of Nature . Before the fish reaches the fisherman's line, it has come through a long, hard struggle with diseases, wounds and para- sites. Mr. Harris noted that of the tagged fish reported last year, 0.9 per cent had wounds to their mouths, 1.7 per cent had hooks or wounds in their body parts, 1.6 per cent had spear marks and 0.3 per cent had gill net marks. All of these wounds and markings are recorded in the register along ..with the characteristics, stating whether they were healed or fresh. These are checked again when the fish is reported to be caught. Fish, just like any animal, are subject to a number of diseases. There are diseases caused by their environment. Pollution, a sudden change of temperature or lack of oxygen in the water cause illness. Deficiency in the diet causes anemia, vitamindeficien- cy, goiter and a dietary gill dis- ease or degeneration of the liver. There are viruses among fish and they are hard to identify as well as cure. Fungus or water molds are common on all fresh water fish, particularly if they have a wound of some kind. Some fungi attack the internal organs of the fish, such as the air bladder and in- testine. Intestinal worms such as tape worms and thorny headed worms are present in almost all fish. Lamprey Eel There are also external para- sites and the. worst and most common of these is the sea lamp- rey (Petromyzon marinus) . This deadly parasite has invaded the Great Lakes, originally migrat- ing from the Atlantic Ocean Please turn to Page 2 •