MANITOULIN—Manitoulin’s inland waters will see the bass fishing season open a week earlier than usual this summer, but those waters are closed until then under the new Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) 2014 recreational fishing regulations.
“It was what had been asked for, for this area, so it is good news,” stated Al Douglas, a member of the Fisheries Management Zone Advisory council for Zone 10, when contacted by the Recorder last week. “This is a good news story, this is something that both the United and Gore Bay Fish and Game Clubs had requested.”
“We wanted bass regulations to stay the same as they were before,” said Jim Sloss, chair of the UFGCM, “but we should be okay with the changes having been made.” For Fisheries Management Unit (FMU) 10 (which includes Manitoulin), the bass seasons open one week earlier (third Saturday in June) but bass seasons are open (starting January 1) all year in FMU 10 north of Highway 17. This means that Manitoulin’s inland waters will see bass season opening a week earlier this summer, but those waters are closed until then.
The new regulations for fisheries management unit 10, which includes Manitoulin, states: “bass season opens one week earlier (third Saturday in June) in the south of zone 10, and is open all year in areas north of Highway 17. As well, harmonized seasons for lake trout between stocked lakes and naturally reproducing lakes, open January 1 to Labour Day.”
