STORIES FROM THE PUBLIC

Hi Jamie,

I was listening to you on the Outdoor Journal on 590 this morning and it caught my interest. I grew up in Bobcaygeon and worked at a bait and tackle store since 1981 for over 10 years and on the north side of the channel below the dam. The “spawning bed,” that is now out of the water, is not what it used to be when the natural spawning bed thrived…

I’m not sure exactly which year…I’m thinking 1987, the MNR dumped truck loads of rock on top of the natural bed [in Bobcaygeon] which, by the way, was rarely above water levels at that time and, like I said, thrived. I’m not sure if this helps but you mentioned that [the MNR] are fighting you on digging down the beds? Well, you really are not…you are just putting the natural bed back to how it was. They made a very bad mistake back then.

The bait store I worked was called Kimble Brothers Bait, which was located right at the bridge by the old post office, right on the river. I had a perfect view and spent hours all over that entire river growing up. Not sure if it is a coincidence, but it was just a few years after they filled it in that the walleye fishing started to become more difficult—and I talked to a lot of fishermen in a bait store!

Thanks for your work on this, 

Jamie S.