I am an avid fisherman,…

I am an avid fisherman, hunter, trapper and outdoorsman. While I believe in conservation and management, I believe that the proposed restrictions placed on live bait is overly restrictive and will have an adverse affect on me and my family's ice fishing opportunities in the winter.

We live a few kilometres from the Larder River Provincial Park and is where we do our ice fishing, not because the fishing is particularly good, but because it is convenient and easily accessible to bring my young family. If we can no longer use live bait there (we use minnows - typically shiners or dase) I doubt that we would catch very much through the ice in the winter. The proposal would effectively end ice fishing for us.

I am hoping that the government will consider amending the proposed regulations to allow live bait ice fishing. As the proposed regulations stand, they would have a severe negative impact on my family's opportunities. Could I suggest that a possible solution to this particular problem be that the angler must buy 'approved minnows' from an 'approved' bait dealer? This would give the MNRF control of what bait is used where.

Thank you for considering changing this overly restrictive policy that would ruin ice fishing for my family and I.

[Original Comment ID: 209862]