Firstly, I have been a…

Firstly, I have been a recreational fisherman for over 45 years. I have seen a lot of changes to the regulations in those years. One thing I have NEVER seen is a reversal of those changes. MNR says these changes are needed to improve wildlife and fisheries. Well, is it working? If the answer is yes on any specific issue then these changes to the regulations SHOULD be reversed and yet I have never seen this happen. If, reducing the walleye catch on Lake Of The Woods is necessary to revive the fish population then I am ALL for it. What scares me is that this decision could become a one-way street. A great example of this is the Winnipeg River fishery. A slot size was put in a few years ago to bring back the spawners that were apparently in short supply. Being a Winnipeg River resident and angler for close to 50 years, I have seen a huge increase in the larger walleyes on the river. In fact, I can go out and catch numerous walleyes that are too large to keep. At the same time I can catch numerous walleyes that are too small to keep. This tells me 2 things: 1: There are plenty of large spawners on our river and 2: the spawning is working just fine. So if this is the case then why can't the MNR tweek these slot size regulations to allow for the possession of at least one fish over 45 cm. Again, I am one for the betterment of fishing, but the lack of reversal to these changes is what worries me the most.