Ontario Fishing Network
Newsletter
www.ontariofishing.net
Volume 4,  Issue 12 -  Dec.   2004

Lake Temagami
Temagami Angler's Journal Project for 2005

The question that has been repeatedly asked by anglers over the past couple of years is "Why is it important for me to keep a journal of my fishing trips?"

The answer to this question is multi-faceted. If all anglers fishing on Lake Temagami recorded the specifics of each fishing trip in a journal and entered the information on the Temagami Angler's Journal website, this information would provide excellent scientific data on the state of the fisheries to the Ministry. The result would be a savings of tens of thousands of dollars that has been the cost of conducting an Open Water Creels. The cost of conducting the 2003 summer creel on Lake Temagami was approximately $50,000.00.

The major bonus of having information gathered through the fishing journal is that this format captures "complete trip" information, not just the time fishing captured previously through a "creel interview". The Journal gathers information on segments of the fishery that have been difficult to cover during an Open Water Creel. Walleye fishing, for example may be conducted after dark, a dangerous time to have creel crews travelling about on the lake. The Journal also gathers important information on specific segments of the fishery, such as the pike and bass, which are seldom noted in a creel but are significant parts of the fishery.

Decisions that are made regarding the management of the fisheries should be based on good scientific information, not on someone's opinion. The Angler's Journal is one tool to be used in helping gather excellent "trends through time" data.

The new pad sized data sheets and the pocket sized booklet.

To view all the information gathered to date, check out the results tabulated from the 300 entries to the Journal during 2003 at www.temagamistewardship.ca  and click on the charts and graphs component.

Anglers can record fishing trip data on paper copies of the Journal which can be mailed or dropped off to the Stewardship through "drop-off" boxes which have been located at a number of businesses in Temagami.

Another method is to keep fishing information in a personal diary or journal and then at a later date enter the information on the website. An entry need be only a few sentences. I might write that Ryan and I went to Sand Point from 8:00 till 1:00. We caught 1 - 5lbs. 25 inches, released 1 - 2lbs. 18 inches and 1 - 2.5 lbs. 19 inches. You enter your data by designating an area of the lake as seen on the map. You will not be divulging any "secret fishing spots".

Personally, I record the information from 50 some fishing trips on the website during a quiet evening in October or November. The process of entering this data on a computer is quite easy. Log on to the Stewardship web page at www.temagamistewardship.ca  and click on the "Angler's Journal" button. On the Angler's Journal page, click on the "complete record" button and fill in your fishing trip information. It is just that simple and takes perhaps a minute or two to enter the information from each trip.

To encourage anglers to enter their fishing data, the Temagami Stewardship Council offers a selection of prizes once a year through a draw of all the entries received. Even if you don't catch anything on a fishing excursion, you can acquire a chance to win for each trip that you enter into the draw which is held yearly at the March meeting of the Stewardship. During 2003, there were 301 entries made on the Angler's Journal. Heather Windrem of North Bay won the first prize of a floater coat donated by the Ministry of Natural Resources. The next four prizes of $100.00 packages of fishing equipment provided by Maurice Sporting Goods were won by Al Murphy of Manotick, Ont., Bobby Morrison of Ann Arbor, Michigan, U.S.A., Rene Fortin of Sturgeon Falls, Ont., and Helmet Mergl of Brunner, Ont.

In 2005, the Stewardship will conduct a project to encourage anglers to enter their fishing data on the Angler's Journal. There will be a distribution of new "pocket-sized booklets" to record information from 12 fishing trips and new pad-sized single trip data sheets to be hung in ice huts. There will be drop off boxes strategically placed at local area businesses to allow anglers to enter the completed sheets. The prizes to be offered for entering these paper booklets and sheets will be the same as previously mentioned but there will be new and special prizes offered for anglers who enter their data online. Having anglers enter the information online saves the considerable work of having someone manually enter all the data from paper records into the computer.

A common complaint heard from anglers is often around the quality of the fishing and/or the fishing regulations. For a variety of reasons, the same people seldom offer to contribute their energy and efforts to improve the fishery. An easy way is at hand to let everyone contribute and to help the Temagami Stewardship Council gather good scientific data. The information will be used in establishing regulations to ensure the sustainability of the fishery based on good scientific data and the input of local expertise. Our goal is to acquire 1000 entries in 2005.

If you have questions or concerns, please contact us through the webpage.