Local Ministry of Natural Resources biologist Darryl McLeod won’t know all the figures until as late as January but early indicators show the Rainy Lake bass fishery is as healthy as it’s ever been.
After sampling 501 fish caught during last month’s Fort Frances Canadian Bass Championship, the total, average, and maximum weights of bass are up over last year as was the average daily catch per team.
“We won’t get a clear picture for a while but what I can say right now is we have a high-quality bass fishery here,” said McLeod.
A total of 1,817 bass were caught by the 131 teams competing this year, up 187 over last year’s total. The total weight was 4,690.92 pounds.
The average weight per fish was 2.58 pounds–up .17 pounds over last year. The biggest fish caught (5.48 pounds) also was larger than last year’s (5.20 pounds).
The winning total net weight also was slightly higher this year than in 1999 (55.40 compared to 55.07 pounds) although the winning daily net weight was lower (19.72 compared to 21.24 pounds).
And the average number of bass caught daily by teams was 4.6–.4 fish over 1999 figures.
As for where anglers were catching the bass, this year’s figures were much closer to those seen in 1996, in that 78 percent were caught in the North Arm, 21 percent in the South Arm, and one percent on Redgut Bay (the 1996 figures were 74, 24, and one percent respectively).
This marked a change from last year, when the figures were 83 percent (North Arm), 16 percent (South Arm), and one percent (Redgut Bay).
Finally, pre-release mortality was slightly down this year, with 67 bass (3.7 percent) dying before being re-released by the Fort Frances Sportsmen’s Club compared to 3.9 percent last year.
Further statistics to calculate from this year’s research include mean years, age range, mean total length, total length range, and total annual mortality.
Despite the positive data, McLeod stressed the ministry keeps an objective view of the stats until they can get more facts.
“There are a couple things we are still concerned about, such as delayed mortality [when a bass dies after being released due to handling and germs].
“Also, what is the effect of displacement of the bass? We try to release them around where they are caught but I think there’s some refinement we can make there,” he added.
The MNR did not tag any bass this year, with McLeod noting enough have been marked since 1995 to allow the ministry to monitor them for the next two to three years.
As an MNR employee, McLeod said he’s reluctant to give his own opinion of the highly-successful bass tournament here. But he did say the ministry is more than willing to make use of the opportunity the event provides.
“One of the benefits of the bass tournament is it’s a cost-effective way to tag many fish at one time,” he noted. “And it certainly helps us build a data set.
“But as the MNR, we have a neutral stance on the tournament–it has its benefits and disbenefits,” he remarked.
Rebecca Spencer, who chaired the bass committee again this year, noted the annual tournament has had an impact beyond the event itself.
“We’ve noticed that catch and release has caught on throughout the year,” she said. “More people are practising it–not just with bass, but walleye, you name it.
“And with the MNR monitoring the fish, we have found we have a very healthy bass fishery here,” she added. “I was at the [Kenora Bass International] over the weekend and I think we have a better fishery here.
“The MNR have provided positive, factual information for us and through that, we can learn more about [bass] distribution, sizes, everything,” she concluded.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
