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"WEEKEND STAR" FRIDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2001" § Lake Scugog's walleye stocks remain healthy, says MNR' By J. Peter Hvidsten Weekend Star Walleye stocks in Lake Scugog remain healthy, but officials say that peo- ple who fish the lake shouldn't expect the same size catches they might have heard stories about I5 or 20 years ago. "It just won't be like that again," Bill Fisher, a conservation officer with the Ministry of Natural Resources, told a group of residents and fish enthu- siasts at a meeting Monday night at Scugog's council chambers. Mr. Fisher and Wray McQuay, also a conserva- tion officer with the MNR; Peter Lindsay, executive director of the Kawartha Fisheries Association; Scott MacNeill, a Watershed Biologist with the Ganaraska Conservation Authority and Cori Carveth, an MNR Fishing Biologist, were all on hand for the Dec. 3 public session. Mr. Lindsay said sug- gestions that the number gf Walleye in Lake Scugog 'areubeing depleted was thot accurate. i Even though Lake .-'Scugog is the only lake in the Kawartha chain that ID OFTHE AE BED & BREAKFAST HARLEY & WENDY DAVIS 2900 CARTER LANE PORT PERRY ONT LIL 1B4 (SCUGOG ISLAND) PHONE/FAX 905-985-6287 "E-MAIL: WDUnicorn@aol.com permits walleye fishing during the winter, ratings calculated for all the lakes in the Kawarthas places Lake Scugog as the sec- ond-most populated, right behind Rice Lake, and just ahead of Sturgeon Lake. However, one local man, who explained that he spends plenty of time trying to locate fish' with two fish finders, said that there are almost no wall- eye to be found between Goreski's Marina and Port Perry's lakefront. He suggested that there needs to be a limit for some time to allow the walleye to regenerate. "There's a lot of stress on the lake and we could kill it," he said. A Platten Blvd. resi- dent said that he used to be able to catch all kinds of walleye off the dock near his home, but now he gets nothing and won- dered if Zebra Mussels were part of the problem. Mr. MacNeill said he felt that Zebra Mussels in Lake Scugog had reached their peak and added that they probably won't get any worse. He also sug- gested that they actually help clean up the lake. In reference to the numbers of walleye in the lake, Mr. Fisher said that yearly patterns constantly change. "We've just come through a hot, miserable summer," he said. Mr. Fisher explained that the fish go through a four-year cycle, but that the last real good years were in 1977 and 1980. Larry Mabley, a Port Perry resident who has fished Lake Scugog for more than three decades, felt that part of the prob- lem was the walleye don't have enough feed to sus- tain them. feature kits from RJ. Spagnols | SAVE $10.00 EACH Cru Select Australian Muscat = aromas of orange peel, raisin and toffee - finishes con- centrated and complex Grand Cru Barolo - deep in colour and high in tannin, full-bodied and robust [ime to fill your favourite ® winemaker's stocking for Christmas Ci our great equipment deals Floor Corker - h Modul ie Racks - 0, OFF e Elec tic Filter - $20, OFF 0) 8 I LI ENO) A 0 0 i 3 01 more! PIZZA, SUBS ® SWINGS 80 Walter St, [Port Peimy 905-985-8448 EE -- ' ENA ESC SERN 0, {,& bs WL cl Will vings and {J %1 HT C Breac $1399 EY ea aa i». IRAE IAAT EP "I've fished for mudcat for 30 years and they are almost a zero now," he said, suggesting that ever since the walleye were introduced the mudcat population has decreased to an almost non-existent level. The results of creel sur- veys, carried out by the MNR on Lake Scugog in both summer and winter, indicate the walleye pop- ulation has remained almost the same since about 1988. Ms. Carveth said the latest figures come from surveys carried out in the winter of 1997. The creel report says that 9,798 walleye were harvested out of the more than 12,000 caught in Lake a h) a ---------- Re -- a ------------ Ea A A aman i Rl wha eS Scugog during that winter and that anglers fishing for walleye accounted for 98 per cent of the total angler hours reported. The 1997 catch sam- pling survey reported that the average walleye was about 15 inches in length and weighed 1.25 pounds. The report also says that the majority of the walleye harvested were relatively young -- about 3.7 years old -- and less than 5 per cent of the samples were older than seven years.' Mr. Fisher said that between 600 and 800 huts are set up on the lake each winter and that the number of structures set up on the lake can be effected dramatically by Shopper Optimum Members™ Customer APPRECIATION DAY Show your card and receive 5*OFF* 8 AM TO 12 NOON, SATURDAY DEC. 8 the weather. "If Lake Simcoe doesn't freeze up early there will be more huts on Lake Scugog," he said. He also informed the crowd that there are no limits on the number of huts allowed on the lake in the winter. In reference to enforce- ment during the season, Mr. McQuay said there are only two officers assigned to patrol the lake each winter and 'that they spend about 75 per cent of their time patrolling Lake Scugog. The officers indicated they would like to do another winter creel sur- vey for Lake Scugog in the near future. *Excludes advertised sale items, prescriptions, tobacco (where applicable), non-prescription products containing codeine, baby milk and diapers, single cans and cases of Boost and Ensure liquids, stamps, lottery tickets, gift certificates, soda and pre-paid phone cards. 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