The MNRF is proposing significant changes to FMZ15 – the Fisheries Management Zone that includes Bob Lake. The most impactful change would be the elimination of winter ice fishing, with the current Lake Trout fishing season of January 1 to September 30 becoming the 3rd Saturday in May to Labour Day. A good summary of the proposed changes can be found on the Ontario Out of Doors website. The MNRF is seeking public input on these proposed changes through until November 28, 2022. Full details on the proposed changes and how to provide your feedback can be found on the MNRF’s Draft FMZ15 Management Plan website. The BLA encourages Bob Lake anglers to become familiar with the proposed changes and to provide their input to the MNRF during this open consultation period.

Notes on the proposed change:

• The draft MNRF FMZ15 Management Plan document s rather large (191 pages) and contains changes to a variety of fish specifies other than those found in Bob Lake. The most relevant information on Lake Trout can be found in section 4.2.2 on page 61 of the PDF document (page 41 from table of contents).
• Bob Lake falls into the “Small Natural Lakes (<500ha)” (we are 220 hectares) and “Small-bodied Populations” category, which replaces the current “slot size” restrictions (fish between 40-55cm must be released) with a minimum keep-size limit of 40cm (fish under 40cm must be released).