Eagle Lake lodges ask anglers to avoid using forward-facing sonar technology

The Eagle Lake Conservation Group is asking anglers to voluntarily avoid using forward-facing sonar technology when fishing for muskies.

The technology allows anglers to see what's happening underwater in real time, including seeing fish and how they react to bait. Several lodges are also concerned about the long-term impact on the muskie population.

Eagle Lake in northwestern Ontario is known as a trophy muskie fishery.

"In terms of the population of fish in Eagle Lake, muskies are more of a rare individual," said Gord Bastable, owner of Vemilion Bay Lodge, which is on Eagle Lake. "There's just not as many of them.

"They're hard to handle when you're trying to release them, and there's a lot of stress put on them," he said. "They're actually a fairly delicate fish."

The issue with forward-facing sonar, he said, is it "increases your catch rate two or three or four times."

That results in more muskies being handled, which leads to increased stress on the caught fish, which could potentially result in the deaths of more muskies, Bastable said.

Charlene Snow, general manager of Eagle Lake Island Lodge, said the use of the sonar on the lake is increasing.

"The good thing is, I really think that muskie anglers in particular, by nature, are conservation-minded people," she said. "It's just helping to educate them and understand."

In a media release, Snow and Bastable said lodges on Eagle Lake are asking anglers to voluntarily avoid using the sonar when fishing for muskies.

They are posting signs at public boat launches and local fishing resorts.

"We're hoping to have them up for this weekend, because this is the opening of the muskie season," Bastable said. "We'll see what happens when they go up."

Snow said she has talked to guests at Eagle Lake Island Lodge about the issue, and they've been accommodating.

"I would say there's definitely a division from people about, should it be used? Shouldn't it be used?" she said. "Is this just people complaining about new technology?

"If you see people who avidly use it, they're glued to the screen and they're not really even fishing."

Snow said she has reached out to Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hungers, and the Ministry of Natural Resources, to discuss potential policy changes around the use of forward-facing sonar.

Bastable said the appeal of fishing for muskies is how much of a challenge they present, since the fish are known as the "fish of 10,000 casts."

"It's just a tough fish to fish for. But it's interesting and exciting when you see them," he said. "You see a 50-inch fish coming towards your boat, it's pretty exciting."