Congratulations to the Aurora Bassmasters on winning a prestigious Berkley Conservation Award at the bassmasters Classic awards in Shreveport La.
Aurora Bassmasters’ Wil Wegman was a little nervous when he entered an application about his group’s 2008 smallmouth bass sport fishery project on Lake Simcoe.
You see, Berkley gets about 5,000 submissions a year and York Bassmastes were last year’s winner while Kitchener-Waterloo took the award two years ago.
So, you can’t fault Wegman for thinking his application was a long-shot to win.
“It’s pretty neat,” said Wegman who serves as the Ontario Bass Federation Nation conservation director as well as an Aurora Bassmasters member. “I felt our project had merit to have a chance. But when an Ontario group had won it the last two years, I was thinking ‘do they want to give the award again to an Ontario group when there are a lot of other clubs that do good work?’ I really didn’t know if we would have a chance to win it.
“But when our group was called out, it was quite a surprise.”
The uniqueness of the project is what caught the eyes of the judges at the Berkley Conservation Institute.
The smallmouth project involved tagging and movement monitoring of bass in Lake Simcoe.
They also studied the effects fizzing had over a period of time on fish caught in fall when they are found in deeper water.
Through their studies, the Aurora Bassmasters revealed fizzing, if done in a proper manner, would enhance the survival rate of a smallmouth bass to the point where they could be caught again in years down the road.
“Fizzing has been a controversial subject since before we did our project there wasn’t any data,” acknowledged Wegman. “But now we’re opening doors.”
“Setting up a historical record of bass caught during tournaments and the effects of fizzing over a long period of time reflects the conservation ideals of the Berkley Conservation Institute,” added Jim Martin, Berkley conservation director. “Understanding the health and population of an entire lake is key to preserving the fishery for the long run. The Aurora Bassmasters have done a great job continuing the efforts of preserving our heritage.”
While the Aurora Bassmasters were honoured to receive the award, Wegman was quick to note other groups who provided assistance in their project deserved credit.
Among those was the Ministry of Natural Resources through their Community Fisheries Involvement Program to fund the buying of equipment for their project.
As well, Wegman noted the award should add credence that Lake Simcoe provides some of the best smallmouth bass fishing in North America.
“It’s great for the club and Lake Simcoe because it highlights the great bass fishery in the lake and it highlights the fisheries work being done through the Community Fisheries Involvement Program and the Ministry of Natural Resources,” he said.
The $2,000 cash award will go toward extending the project this year during the 2009 Bassmasters Eastern Divisional Championship July 23 to 25.
During the three-day competition, eight states will send their top 12 anglers to compete against the top anglers from Ontario.
Within the tagging process, Wegman said, each fish will have their size, weight and age sampling recorded.
Anyone who has a registered ice hut out on Lake Simcoe (Zone 16) should take note that March 15 is the last day which they can be out on the frozen surface.
For those who have to remove their huts, the ministry suggests placing them on six-inch high wooden blocks to make it easier to transport.
As well, it is an offence under the Public Lands Act to leave an ice hut out after ice break up regardless of whether registration and removal dates apply.
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Posted by: Silvia | February 17, 2010 at 09:13 AM