Algonquin Adventures / What's Your Personal Best?

**Posted by vanslyke** 6/05/2017 6:22 am

Antman wrote:
My apologies for assuming it was kept. But how did the picture come about ? Was it caught from shore? One should handle the fish as little as possible. Have it out of the water as little as possible.
Fish this aize are the spawning class. Algonquin is under too much pressure to lose fish like this. Or we will all lose the pleasure of hooking such a fish

I appreciate your concern I am a strict C&R angler (except ice fishing for whitefish on simcoe), every fish I catch is released. I dont love the taste of fish so it is just the enjoyment of the search and the catch for me.

**Posted by Antman** 6/05/2017 10:19 am

Vanslyke,
Glad to hear the story ,and your philosophy in general. I don' use a net, even a c & r type. Try to remove hook, single one, with fish in the water. Odd bigger fish is lifted out for 30 secs or less for a pic. If deeply hooked I cut the hook with a pair of mini side cutters. Been fishing this way for 30 odd yrs.

**Posted by Peek** 6/05/2017 11:08 am

The fish-related threads on this forum never cease to amaze me, filled with judgement and assumptions - every damn time.

Great catch, vanslyke - the look on your face says it all! I remember when I pulled my first brookie from AP - it was like, ahhhhh finally! A quick pic then I did the same as you, and put it back in the river.

@Dan - that has got to be the funniest post you've ever made. I lol'd pretty good, and like Martin, I was also confused by the 'too big to keep' comment - I, too, worried that I was missing some important reg.

**Posted by Antman** 6/05/2017 11:39 am

Peek,
Check regs for specks in the north bay area. Something like only one fish over 12". The park may institute similar slot limits. Along with single hook fishing only. They will regulate if we don't do it ourselves.

**Posted by Peek** 6/05/2017 11:42 am

Cool - I appreciate the additional info Antman. I really did wonder for a few minutes there - I thought, 'did the regs change for 2017?' which now in retrospect, is a trigger for me to ensure I check it carefully each year - just in case a change like that does pop up, I'd hate to deliver the 'I swear I didn't know' excuse to a CO.. I'm sure they hear that waaaaay too often. Thanks for clearing it up!

**Posted by Antman** 6/05/2017 1:53 pm

John,
Hah didn't know about that free lure offer.Didn't get in last yr and this yr a serious foot problem has me sidelined- maybe permanently . I certainly will never single trip a 1.5 hr portage again.

Last edited by Antman (6/05/2017 1:54 pm)

**Posted by RobW** 6/05/2017 2:01 pm

First off, if it is a legal fish within the regulations then it is legal and ethical to keep the fish for human consumption. The baseline regulation for Zone 15 which includes Algonquin does not impose a size limit on Brook Trout. There are some lake specific exceptions in Algonquin such as the Harry-Rence-Weclome series of lakes where the lake specific regulation is "Brook Trout S - 2 and C - 2, must be greater than 36 cm (14 in.)."

https://files.ontario.ca/2017_fmz_15_english_0.pdf

Note that in this case the regulation only allows you to keep larger fish. This is consistent with the fact that Brook Trout are a relatively short lived fish with a typical life span of only 5-6 years. In sharp contrast to Lake Trout which are a slow growing, long lived trout, Brook Trout are a relatively fast growing and very short lived trout.

When given the choice between keeping a large Brook Trout or a smaller Brook Trout, then a good understanding of the Brook Trout life cycle should lead you to keep the large fish as it is likely near the end of it's natural life span. Based on this Ontario info page ( https://www.ontario.ca/page/brook-trout ) a Brook Trout in the 16" range or larger would be a good keeper.

Of course there may be other areas where different size regulations are appropriate.

Catch and release can be part of responsible fishing practices but is certainly not mandatory unless regulated. I think most of us here practice catch and release to some degree. Heck, I'll even do catch and release with the stocked Splake down at the cottage so they can come back bigger a year later.

At the same time, no one should be made to feel bad about keeping a legally caught, legal sized fish.

**Posted by Antman** 6/05/2017 2:31 pm

Rob,
Once upon a time many lakes had the potential of Harry and Rence . You assume the regs of Algonquin are up to date. But we have seen limits in the park diminish over the yrs. Is this from legal and ethical catch attitudes? Time to be proactive about limiting our catches. Even if a large trout has only one spawning season left in its life I would like to see it spawn.A lot more eggs in her than a mature panfryer. And large fish genetics. I can live without that shore lunch !

**Posted by Jdbonney** 6/05/2017 3:24 pm

Antman you are correct in that educating people regarding the wonderful fishery we have in Algonquin is important in order to help preserve it. Scolding somebody for keeping a fish is not providing education. The approach to the subject is the sticking point, not the subject itself.

**Posted by D Smith** 6/05/2017 4:20 pm

Here's a few of the bigger fish caught by myself and personal friend group within Algonquin. All released.

**Posted by breed85** 6/05/2017 5:29 pm

RobW and especially Jdbonney, your last posts are spot on.

**Posted by Antman** 6/06/2017 10:25 am

Jdbonney,
You're right my comments on keeping large fish are meant to scold. These fishermen are behind the times and deserve a rap on the knuckles. I am more concerned with protecting a fragile fishery than worrying about a few thin skinned meat fishermen. They know what they are doing and don't deserve your softy defence. Time for some tough criticism where its warranted, and applause for those practising catch and release.

Last edited by Antman (6/06/2017 10:38 am)

**Posted by MartinG** 6/06/2017 10:54 am

Wow! Nice fish D_Smith.

**Posted by RobW** 6/06/2017 12:02 pm

Antman wrote:
Jdbonney,
You're right my comments on keeping large fish are meant to scold. These fishermen are behind the times and deserve a rap on the knuckles. I am more concerned with protecting a fragile fishery than worrying about a few thin skinned meat fishermen. They know what they are doing and don't deserve your softy defence. Time for some tough criticism where its warranted, and applause for those practising catch and release.

I disagree. You need to respect individual's rights to legally fish within the regulations. Your comment that a a particular brook trout was too big to keep was contrary to the regulations and demonstrated a distinct lack of knowledge of brook trout biology.

I understand that fisheries management generates a lot of passion. As someone with Honours B.Sc. in Wildlife Biology I also understand that effective natural resource management needs to be data driven and supported by a solid scientific knowledge of the species life cycle, habitat and reproductive capacity.

As an individual you can constructively contribute to fisheries management in many ways, including participating in the Algonquin Trout Survey. On the other hand, trying to intimidate someone who is legally and ethically fishing within the regulations is not constructive. I would encourage you to focus your passion on contributing to the fishing community in a positive, constructive manner.

**Posted by Jdbonney** 6/06/2017 2:17 pm

I never provided any "softy" defence, as none was required...the fish was legally caught. I simply stated that you should change your approach if you would like people to listen to you.

**Posted by D Smith** 6/06/2017 2:22 pm

MartinG wrote:
Wow! Nice fish D_Smith.

Thanks MartinG! Just trying to get the thread back on track to inspire more people to get out, enjoy the Park, and have some fun fishing.

**Posted by Antman** 6/06/2017 4:37 pm

Jd,
I've met some of these meat fishermen in the park and some soft educational approach is a waste of time. Only a dirty look or worse is what they deserve. Talk here assumes we are all sophistos working at Google. Used to fish with a guy with an msc in biology. He agreed with my opinions. He, like me wants the most conservative regs possible - including lakes that are c and r only.