2020 Walleye Slot Size?, NO CHANGE FROM 2019

South shore area. I'm not naming the operator, they are great people, it's not their fault fish aren't there.

Spoke to plenty of people with other operators, same story.

i’ve seen glfpro’s insta account he isn’t lying about icing big eyes. having fished Nip myself for the last 20 years and 30+ days the last 3 winters. I have to agree with the sentiment that bigger fish are there and are increasing in population but are much harder to find. after years on the lake fishing a certain way i’m learning to adjust and modify techniques to try for larger fish. trying to make the best of the situation and as a long time user of the lake i’m ok with a 5-10 year sacrifice in an attempt to restore the fishery.

I can totally understand being disappointed in not being able to have a fish fry on a bungalow weekend and I do sympathize with those who have spent hard earned money for a fishing trip to be disappointed by the catch. but that’s fishing.

still plenty of edible pike, perch, whitefish and burbot in the lake and if that doesn’t satisfy you then maybe you are better off going to simcoe. can’t please everyone.

This would be my choice for slot size, perfect eating size, a size that would be easily caught by the average fisherman and is the second lowest slot size for risk to the walleye population

400 - to - 450 mm = 15.748" - 17.7165" 2 - fish limit

A slot size that the ice fishermen could harvest and not go home disappointed empty handed. A slot size that cottagers could catch and have a fish fry every now and then.

The Lake Nipissing Bayesian Walleye Model

Given the high probability that the Lake Nipissing Walleye population will be declared recovered after the 2019 FWIN survey (Figure 17) and the current management target of 1.3BMSY, the best suite of angling regulations that may continue the recovery, if required, and possibly rebuild the population age and size- structure are: maintaining the current 460mm minimum size limit with 2 fish creel limit or changing to either the 50mm (i.e., 400-to-450mm or 450-to-500mm) or 100mm (i.e., 400-to-500mm or 450-to-550mm) fishable (harvest) slot size limit options. The regulation with the lowest amount of risk is the 450-to-500mm fishable (harvest) slot size.


Enjoy 2020 fishing and good luck looking for walleye 460 mm. Take glfpro's tips on finding these bigger walleye, it worked for us the last two years. Things change, where you used to catch them may or may not work anymore.

I have to side With golfpro on this one. I have only been fishing Nipissing the past 5 years, always along the South Shore. Over the past 5 years my results have improved dramatically. The number of keepers I catch each year has increased so much I now always release the larger ones because I am confident I will get enough of the 19-22 inchers to satisfy my family with all the fish dinners they want. I like to believe it is because my fishing skills have improved, but in reality, it’s more likely the fishery has made a rebound. The keepers are definitely out there, it is just a matter of finding them. My two cents anyway.

Ah yes I recall the 2009 winter season where smalleyes were all that were being caught. Must have been the worst of the dip in adults and subadult fish that I have seen in more than 20 yrs on the lake. Anglers were taking 12" fish.

It appears that those young fish were all that was left despite an angling reg that protected subadult and adult fish. Things had to change for everyone or we'd be arguing over perch by now.

Even though I fully agree that you have to move to locate the larger fish, I would venture to say that most winter fishing is done in the ice bungalows and or day huts.

If that is agreed on , then one simple needs to do a mindset adjustment and deal with what is

And that is ...can you get a legal walleye ..yes, but not consistently

Can you catch a lot of slot size ones. absolutely

plus alternate species such as perch, whitefish , herring and pike , odd burbot as well.

So, for me an easy decision a I don't have on ice transport......get to my ice bungalow and stay for 2-4 days and have an absolutely great time catching an average of 15-20 fish per day

eating great food and having some great drinks with friends and family

That is what Nipissing is about for me now and always has been


I couldn't care less whether I catch a keeper fish or feed, but I do like to catch and release and just enjoy the annual outing

X2......good times with good friends have kept us coming back for 25+ years now. If you want trophy's go to Quinte but safe ice and on ice accommodations are not the best on Quinte, Nipissing offers both.