How long before Ontario becomes bait restricted?

Spoke with a local bait dealer last week about this and he says his future is very very grim. He believes that some changes are coming in 2014 regulations. What do you all think?

Very soon I believe and another nail in the coffin for the mom and pop baitshops .

TD

Yep and any convenient store can sell worms

Anyone know what the changes might be?

Minnows were hard to come by late in the fall. I can see them banning them because of VHS. Not sure what will happen with outfitters on Nippising and Simcoe if that is the case. Most occasional anglers need the live bait.

for the most part without bait you won,t be catching many perch. Most guys rely on minnows for pan fish.

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Originally Posted by Frank81

Anyone know what the changes might be?

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Not sure about bait restrictions but i heard from a friend that there could be some walleye slot changes, but its all hear say

Its definitely in the very near future. Being in the business its pretty worrisome. We sell a lot of gear and tackle but our livelihood is based on the fact we have licences to harvest bait fish. Its the consistent seller as well as the best profit in terms of percentages. I think more strict regulations will be put into play within the next couple years but I would be surprised if there isn't a live bait ban within 3-5 years...

I know this happens in the states lots already, but I believe that bait dealers are able to purchase certified non-vhs minnows in Ontario now. I'm sure that will cut into the margins though. That's the only solution I can see before an outright ban has to happen.
Oh well, we still have our minnow traps...

Cheers

I was right in my thinking. After talking to our local wholesaler he confirmed being able to purchase Simcoe emeralds that have been certified by Guelph. He did say that a lot of trappers are now getting out of the business because of all the hassles involved now, like having to have separate ponds for the certified fish. I also got the impression that he thinks the whole vhs thing has been blown out of proportion somewhat, but that's just his opinion. So hopefully it won't be all doom and gloom like some seem to think.

Cheers