Kawartha Lakes. What gives?

What is going on with these lakes. I fished them multiple times this year, hauling my tinnie back and forth and the fishing just sucks!!!! All the bass and walleye i used to catch are far and few between! hours and hours for little to nothing to show for. cant even get into good pannies, crappie none, sunfish very few, perch all dinks! the fishing sucks now!

ALMOST COMPLETELY FISHED OUT..
maybe time to drop the limits imo on all the kawartha lakes...They get a tremendous amount of pressure due to being close to the GTA..
Personally I rarely keep any fish on the kawartha lakes.
Catch and release 95% off the time ..

I agree and BIG change from before they opened ice fishing. thanks MNR! closer to GTA the worst it is, scugog is just garbage now!

It was a tough go for me during early stages of fall. Was out on Rice last weekend and saw tons of boats out and only saw one fish caught all day. Pigeon wasn't much better a few weeks prior.

Which lakes were you fishing?

I don't think that they're fished out...the way we fish for them has changed, but the numbers and size of fish are still there.

It seems like this topic comes up at the end of every season. Every season is different, and so we as anglers need to change our approach to every lake that we fish.

Early this fall I found I had to change things to catch the smallmouth and walleye that I had following my baits..adaptation is the name of the game, for me anyways.

When I had a place on Rice the americans were taking thousands of gills and sunnies every time they came. Also witnessed a nationality I wont mention that took everything they caught regardless to size or the slot requirements, I've kicked over many of buckets at several piers and shore spots over the years.

Lots of factors for fishing the Kawartha lakes. Yes pressure is heavy, I've also noticed that the amount of tournament fishing has increased as well. Summer time is always busy with pleasure craft which makes it tough to fish. Now with fall you have to consider water temps changing and lake turnover, the fish are still there and the numbers may not be what the used to but what lake system is what it used to be? Everything changes and adapts, we have to do the same as Anglers. Ice Fishing IMO is not a huge factor. I don't see numbers of ice anglers in the Kawartha's that I see on Nippising or Simcoe.

I feel like the main lakes in the Kawarthas are getting worse (way too much pressure). You need to try the more secluded lakes in the area. I went out on Saturday and caught 16 crappie, 11 of them were in a row. 11 casts 11 Crappie, pretty crazy.

I mean theres always pressure on these lakes. I think the internet and advances in GPS and sonar units make fishing easier. Its easy to search navionics and find spots quicker now. Theres also tons of sites that post hot spots for lots of popular lakes.

I don't know if the slot needs to be changed. Theres a ton of tournaments now as well, and who knows what the mortality of these events are. Theres hundreds of bass caught in the weekend.

I know on Chemong I saw the same dingy with two guys fishing it every single day all summer long in the exact same spot, 8-10 hours a day. They must have put hundreds of hours into this one spot.

Lmao😂 I'm pretty sure I know the dingy you're talking about.

I used to see the same thing on pigeon and the guy would be there before sun up until late after it set, every day. Now you see lots of different boats in that spot but not the same guy lol

I have tried nearly all the kawartha lakes that I can do in a day trip and they ALL SUCK. I just use minnows and worms and used to catch everything every time out. Now even live minnows nothing! These lakes are fished out! Waste of time hauling the boat back and forth. As many have said too much pressure and you have guys fishing every day in the exact same spot harvesting everything every day! They dont give the fish a chance top grow up. Just catch and kill.

Not to rub salt in a wound but why not blame yourself? Why not say hey 95% of anglers throw the same lures as I do why not adapt and have a more productive day on the water? I assume from talking to older people nothing will ever go back to the 80's, things will never get better unless you get better. I've had some really really crappy days on the water but I've always refused to blame anything but myself because if I do I've taken away any desire to learn anything and progress as an angler.

Kind of agree with Riverrat with his take on the Kawarthas, although I don't think it is fished out (yet).
For me, I find the area between Parry Sound and Sudbury (French River/North Channel) a nice area to fish, way less Ski-Doo and other boat traffic to worry about as well.

We all know on any lake you can get skunked, but, if you've been a fairly proficient angler, then certain lakes you see your success dwindle over time, it likely isn't because you forgot how to fish.
I agree the increased fishing pressure & increased tournaments don't help either.

That said, I sure don't mind the extra drive (time and gas) going to the French/Key/Pickerel River areas, with the odd trip to the Kawarthas for sentimental reasons (used to live in Ptbo)

Cheers,

I fish Balsam pretty much every weekend. Some weekends I do okay, with one or two keeper fish and a bunch of little guys to help pass the time. I fish about 8 hours a day. I move around a bit, but stick to four or six main areas. For me, its's more about the experience and enjoyment than actually catching fish. They're more like a bonus. Other times I will go and not even get a perch, doing the same thing as in the past week. There does seem to be a few less fish, but not enough to complain about for me. I just want to be out there, trying new lures, new spots, new techniques. By restricting my keep rate to only what I will eat that day, I'm sure I leave enough for everybody else. I don't keep small ones, I let them grown into big ones, and hope they remember that they owe me the next time that they catch my lure.