Scugog, Asked the ministry a question about

This is the reply I got from MNR why not just restock as it is a man made lake in the first place and was stocked way back restocking walleye in Scugog ! Hello Steve,



Thank you for your email indicating your concerns with the Lake Scugog Walleye fishery and suggestions for improvement.



On January 1, 2016 the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) implemented a full season Walleye closure to eliminate all fishing mortality and promote recovery of the species. The regulatory changes were done in consultation with the Fisheries Management Zone 17 (FMZ 17) Advisory Council and other stakeholders, including public consultation through an Environmental Registry posting. It was determined that a full season closure was the best option to assist with the recovery of the Walleye fishery, recognizing that the impact of the closure on the fishery may take many years to see improvement on the population. The Ministry is not considering changes to the Lake Scugog Walleye regulations at this time.



Despite having removed angling pressure, there are a number of challenges facing the Walleye population in Lake Scugog, including but not limited to, land-use changes and shoreline development, increasing water clarity, declining water quality, increasing water temperatures, introduction of invasive species, and an increasingly complex fish community due to the introduction of new fish species (e.g. Black Crappie, Bluegill, etc).



The Ministry is continuing to investigate the potential cause(s) of low annual recruitment in Lake Scugog to inform a rehabilitation plan. The FMZ 17 advisory council will continue to be engaged on this important resource management issue including regulation development when a season is reinstated. It is important to understand that due to the changes in the fish community and water quality, recovering the Walleye population to historical levels is unlikely. Although we are now over 5 years into the full season Walleye closure, the closure is still in early stages.



The Ministry remains committed to monitoring the Walleye population on Lake Scugog and Broadscale Monitoring (BsM) is currently scheduled for the summer of 2021. This monitoring may provide some insight into changes in the lake’s fish community as a result of the Walleye recreational fishing moratorium put in place in 2016.



The goal within the FMZ 17 Fisheries Management Plan is to manage Walleye populations that are naturally reproducing and self-sustaining. MNRF has reviewed supplemental stocking practices over time and its effects on natural Walleye populations. Stocking over existing Walleye populations can have significant negative impacts, and is generally unsuccessful, inefficient and seldom cost-effective. These outcomes are also likely true when stocking Walleye into a complex fish community (which Lake Scugog most certainly is). Most importantly, supplemental stocking does not address the root causes of decline in the first place. At this time, the focus for Lake Scugog is to protect the naturally reproducing Walleye fishery while working to determine the root causes of the Walleye declines and what, if anything, can be done to rehabilitate the Walleye fishery. Research and monitoring are continuing and will help inform management decisions.



Thank you for your inquiry and please reach out if you have any further questions.



Best regards,





Peterborough District

Note paragraph 4.

Summer of 2021?

I would suggest they sent out an out dated form letter as a response.

Weak performance on behalf of the MNR.

Weak performance don't give them credit. They dropped on the ball on Scugog so bad, they should have shut down ice fishing years and years and years ago. Terrible job on this lake and the walleye. Ya lets call this historic levels or just history. The end. WHAT A JOKE!

The dated letter is my bad found it in my old emails from awhile ago

The ministry has become become a joke now with all the fees taken by them it should have been slowly restocked over the years and reopened with new slot limits and limits allowed . Rice lake is next to fall all the pressure that was on scugog is now being felt on rice. Most of the walleye being caught are big girls not much in the slot they need to act now or it is next to shut down for walleye . Reduce slkt size and put catch limit to 2 and restock . The worst art is they wont let groups that want to clean up spawning beds help as it makes the ministry look like idiots when suggestions help . It will be another 10 even 20 yrs before you see scugog open to walleye again and thats very sad

I know a guy who is on some Lake Scugog committee . Every spring they count walleyes spawning. There are a decent population of big breeders but almost no smaller walleye. Proof they are not reproducing very well.

This is the most important takeaway from the whole letter...

Everyone wants their house on the lake...it comes with a price. With increased water clarity comes easier predation of smaller fish by all the predators in the lake. From bluegill on up the food chain to the musky in the lake...they don't care what they eat, they just eat what's there.

Take away the cover that the fry use as safe harbour, you're going to see them eaten up faster than hot dogs at a Blue Jays game when they're a dollar a piece.

Scugog at best is a large marsh with water clearing by the year...doomed from not just over fishing but from development of its surrounding areas.

It sucks, but that's the reality.

Hey - I met a guy who owns a property on Rice Lake (small cottage resort) he believes that ice fishing is coming to an end on Rice. He's on the council for zone 17.

I have been ice fishing a quiet spot on Rice the last bunch of years, this year it was invaded by a large group of anglers that each drill 100+ holes in a short amount of time and take buckets of fish. Now - I get catch limits, but when you each (50+ people) are taking buckets of crappie out of the lake they won't be around forever.

I am not picking on anyone. I am just stating what I have been seeing. When 50+ people each are taking a 50 fish limit it has to hurt a lake.

They need more patrolling of the lakes and when somebody has in excess of the amount of fish fine the sh_t out of them. If you start with huge fines word gets around also start posting more about people being caught and the fines recieved. They say stocking will not help but it cant hurt also

100% - I also think some limits need to change!

Also the government seems happy to pick on Nurses and Teachers and pave over the greenbelt. Maybe some funding into Conservation would be a wise investment.

The math data is simple. Ever since the MNR (bolstered by the OFAH) opened ice fishing seasons on the Kawartha's for pan fishing, all species have taken a beating. These lakes face enormous pressure during the soft water seasons, they need to admit that this may not have been the best idea in hindsight....and eliminate ice fishing on all of the Kawartha Lakes like it was in previous decades.

As some of you have already mentioned, Rice is well on it's way to becoming the next Scugog.

Rice lake is done. Ice fishing and poaching has done extensive damage. The fishing there is garbage now that the meat hunters have over harvested the fish now both in summer and winter. Not worth the drive anymore. It is next on the list just like Suckbog. Dumbest thing ythe Mnr has ever done was open ice fishing in kawartha lakes again terrible job.