Quebec's Main Rules for Sport Fishing

[JLG]

Jay: Like I said before regs are ambiguous and you really have to dig to insure you see all.  I am curios if anyone knows what the measuring rule in Quebec is?  I fish the flats in FL/gulf coast and they have slot limits for reds and sea trout and from what I seen there you need to squeeze the tail and measure from snout to tip of squeezed tail.  This did make a difference this year as my brother caught a 26 and 3/4 inch red but when we squeezed the tail it was over 27 inches (slot is 18 to 27).  If enforced to the letter of the law a 1/2 inch change due to misunderstanding the law would be over a CM and could prove costly if you keep fish close to the prescribed regs.  I don't know the legal way (lay flat naturally or squeeze the tail) and in the case of lake trout wont matter to me as I will insure any kept are 26 or over but I am sure some folks will keep eyes right near the limits and from what I see it could make a difference both on the stringer as well as after filleted according to the pictures.  Will be interesting to hear from anyone this year who gets stopped as to how closely their fish are measured, examined etc...

[JLG]

BTW - If I had my way we would measure the fish with beer cans (eyes have to be over 3 cans in length and no longer than 5 and trout have to be over 5 cans in length)  LOL

[Greg]

I've been checked 3 or 4 times in my 10 years of visiting Kipawa - the game wardens had the "seamstress" (soft cloth) measuring tape and checked both frozen fillets and live fish very carefully.  They placed the fish (or fillet) on a flat surface and leaned right over to put themselves 8 inches above their measuring tape, as if they were checking a piece of wood they just cut to fit into a very precise puzzle.

I can't see them changing their ways, every time was exactly the same and I would definitely expect this again this (and any) year. 

Bottom line - no margin for error... I like your "round up" approach - 15 inches for eyes and 26 inches for trout.

[cmoreau]

Just an FYI to those commenting on the difference between a Yellow, Blue or Black Walleye. There is only one species of Walleye Sander vitreus vitreus in Kipawa there are several color variants (Yellow to Blue) but all the same species. Blue Walleye or Blue Pike were thought to be a subspecies Sander vitreus glaucus found only in Lake Erie and now believed to be extinct. I believe the 'Black' Walleye mentioned in one of the posts actually refers to Sauger Sander canadensis. There are no sauger in Kipawa so if you catch a Walleye in Kipawa, regardless of color the regulations apply.

I know some have mixed feelings regarding the regulation changes but as a grad student in Fisheries specializing in Walleye and recreational regulations I can assure you this regulation change is desperately needed for Kipawa and should improve the fishery over time. The Ministry Biologists are very informative and will provide you all their reports if requested (mind you they are only in French) with information that justifies why they have made these changes.

[SgtCrabby]

Most of my experience has been on one of the lakes in the ZEC that has had the tighter regulations.  I see that was probably a test of these new regs.  I  have no issues with these, other than trying to figure out the new fillet methods but I'm sure our outfitter will set us straight.

I've been check a few times on the road.  My only issue was the language barrier.

[Jay Thomas]

I know some have mixed feelings regarding the regulation changes but as a grad student in Fisheries specializing in Walleye and recreational regulations I can assure you this regulation change is desperately needed for Kipawa and should improve the fishery over time. The Ministry Biologists are very informative and will provide you all their reports if requested (mind you they are only in French) with information that justifies why they have made these changes.

Can I assume that you have obtained and perused these reports? If so, could you please provide a birds eye summary of the facts that justified these changes? Short of that, could you provide the titles of the reports that I should obtain? Thanks in advance.

Jay

[T-Bone]

I don't know if all this banter is to fill the void of a slowish banter season, but wow...a lot of debate about slivers of information. As you know, I really don't understand this side of the angling sport as I don't keep any fish caught and simply do it for the challenge and relaxation of it.

As an outsider looking in on this forensic analysis, I offer that maybe it would be absolutely best to error 1" on either side of the slot. I mean, really, don't you catch enough fish during the week to satisfy your appetite for fresh 'eyes from Kipawa? Or maybe like 10x that amount? Again, I recognize I'm not the voice of reason here as I don't understand why anyone would keep a fish, but to get down the the 1/4" error margin by squeezing a tail...worrying about officers (we get checked every year) and fillet techniques...or whether X cm = Y inches seems gratuitous and almost misplaced.

If I were someone on this site and reading this thread for the first time, I'd think the reason most of you go to Kipawa is to catch, keep, and eat fish. I'm pretty sure you can find fish for sale in most grocery stores...

There you go @RHYBAK...THAT'S stirring the pot... 

106

[RHYBAK]

I don't know if all this banter is to fill the void of a slowish banter season, but wow...a lot of debate about slivers of information. As you know, I really don't understand this side of the angling sport as I don't keep any fish caught and simply do it for the challenge and relaxation of it.

As an outsider looking in on this forensic analysis, I offer that maybe it would be absolutely best to error 1" on either side of the slot. I mean, really, don't you catch enough fish during the week to satisfy your appetite for fresh 'eyes from Kipawa? Or maybe like 10x that amount? Again, I recognize I'm not the voice of reason here as I don't understand why anyone would keep a fish, but to get down the the 1/4" error margin by squeezing a tail...worrying about officers (we get checked every year) and fillet techniques...or whether X cm = Y inches seems gratuitous and almost misplaced.

If I were someone on this site and reading this thread for the first time, I'd think the reason most of you go to Kipawa is to catch, keep, and eat fish. I'm pretty sure you can find fish for sale in most grocery stores...

There you go @RHYBAK...THAT'S stirring the pot... 

106

Oh boy.
Did somebody not get their MARS bar this morning

Rant and stirring the pot Monday to Wednesday doesn't cut it.
We need new reading material on Thursdays and Fridays.
It gets boring sitting in my office with nothing new to look at.

As for keeping or not keeping. That is a personal call that nobody has any right to judge on.
That is why rules are put in place and if you are a strictly catch and release person, that is your call and keep your faith to yourself .

I'm don't mean you Todd, I just mean the C & R guys that try to preach their beliefs onto others.


WOW......65

[NortonJoe]

I think it is important to know what the rules are since the reason for them are conservation based...I'll be the first to admit that we eat the fish we catch and release others. I don't see a problem with that at all.

[T-Bone]

As for keeping or not keeping. That is a personal call that nobody has any right to judge on.
That is why rules are put in place and if you are a strictly catch and release person, that is your call and keep your faith to yourself .

I'm don't mean you Todd, I just mean the C & R guys that try to preach their beliefs onto others.


WOW......65

Yeah...I could care less if you keep fish or don't keep them. Completely up to you. And if you like them, you should keep them to eat...I wouldn't begrudge you for that. But sheesh...this bit about dorsal fins and fillet techniques that must be used...why hassle?

[Oarin]

T-Bone, didn't you say you don't like the taste of fish? Good reason to catch and release. As for buying walleye fillets to eat, they don't sell them here or anywhere in the states I travel to, and we have Wegmans markets here who carry about everything. I have absolutely no qualms about bringing home my 6 keepers. All the other eyes we catch are released. I also have no problem with the slots. We pretty much do that anyway. The new filleting requirement will be a challenge, but I'm sure we'll get through it.

[JLG]

(But sheesh...this bit about dorsal fins and fillet techniques that must be used...why hassle?)

Didn't mean to start a pissin contest but yea I'm bored this AM so will add some more bantor.

Thanks T-bone for adding some more ambiguity to my understanding of the law.  I thought with my interpretation of the French video of proper filleting technique it was the pectoral fins that need to stay with the fillets but now wondering about dorsal fins.  I guess it can go on and on but its no big deal as I know the outfitters will keep us straight on the interpretation of any change.  I guess I am getting older and like my father years ago have reached the point where change is hard to understand and accept.

OK now I can go get my boat ready for a Erie trip - I fish the western basin for the spring jig bit.  I recall on a past trip being trapped on land for a day due to the unexpected wind change anyone who regularly fishes Erie has experienced and while killing time walked into a fish house by Fisherman's Wharf in Port Clinton and if I remember correctly there were walleye fillets for sale there.  My understanding was on the Canadian side commercial fisherman could net them and sell but US cannot so any eye fillets sold would come from Canada so it is possible to find some walleye fillets for sale but we have tried eye dinners in the local restaurants and they do not even come close to our own freshly caught eye dinners so lessoned learned is to eat the perch dinners now when in Erie country.

[fishtildark]

There are walleye filets available about half the time at the Giant Eagle in Hermitage pa.( near Sharon) but am sure they are Canadian. I also have rarely bought them except to make sure I had enough when having  a fish fry for company. They would obviously be over the slot limits and just don't taste the same. Just had a conversation about buying "fresh " fish in our grocery stores .. most had to be frozen to get here and thawed at least once. Makes me think if buying fish, frozen may be better, but never tastes like they were swimming an hour ago.

[Legend]

Just booked our annual trip to Kipawa and thought I would log on to see what is up and certainly glad that I did.

Thanks very much to everyone who contributed the information to this topic.

I can't say that I'm surprised to see these changes. I certainly don't have any concerns other than putting the new marks on our fish ruler.

Looks like we won't be taking home very many lakers going forward. I hope that lake trout anglers are up to speed on fish handling techniques as most of what is caught will likely be under the 25.59" mark.

Something about Kipawa though.... I think we would still go even if you had to throw them all back.

Cheers!

[limacharley]

According to this video made in 2011 (in french) the biologist does state that there are yellow and black walleye in western Quebec. He did not name any lakes though. It shows the distinction between the species...dorsal fin and tail.  This video shows you how to fillet "en portefeuille".

http://panache.yourme.net/t11670-filet-doree-en-porte-feuille-gestion-filet-brochet

I was left to believe that if the Action Plan was released in 2011, the slot limit is only now getting applied to 13 east and west.

clear as mud ya?