RLEF has been supporting research on lake fish populations, including that Dr. David Philipp and Dr. Steve Cooke for some time. Studies have shown that the Bass populations in Big and Upper Rideau Lakes was declining over time due to preseason catch and release fishing taking male bass away from their nests. Fisheries Conservation Foundation (FCF) is working on a…
December 2025 Dear Lake Friends and Neighbours, As the year winds down and the snow settles on the lake, it’s time to pause and reflect on the value of this special place to our own well-being and that of our families. Time at the lake allows us to reflect and reconnect. We rely on a healthy lake environment for our…
Here is an update on getting a larger, new Bass Spawning Sanctuary Study up and running in the expanded group of bass lakes that make up our Coalition for Innovative Fisheries Conservation (CIFC). That all said, it became very clear that the study as we envision it, cannot get started until spring of 2027. Even if we could have had…
RLEF activities are featured in an article in the Westport Review-Mirror, September 18, 2025…
Restoring degraded aquatic habitat is one of the most appealing tools in freshwater conservation.
A study on Big Rideau Lake, published in 2024, tested one such intervention for smallmouth bass spawning habitat — and the results illustrate how difficult translating that logic into practice can be.
There’s a new “live” report up on Facebook from researchers at Carleton University, reporting on survey of showing a bass on a nest, and talking about ideal temperatures for bass spawning from May 2025. Hook wounds are a real indication of angling pressures.
If so, please complete this survey for Dr. Steven J. Cooke, Ph.D., Professor and Director, Canadian Centre for Evidence-Informed Conservation Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada. Your knowledge of the state of bass populations in key lakes/rivers and perspectives on bass management will supplement traditional fisheries sampling conducted by MNR. Survey results will build an undertanding of current angler attitudes towards existing…
Did you know that even with “Catch and Release” taking a bass off his nest will likely result in the death of his brood? Bass spawning sanctuaries have proven successful in ensuring the survival of young by preventing all fishing in sensitive areas while fish are spawning. The Fisheries Conservation Foundation is exploring Innovative Solutions for Large mouth and Smallmouth…
RLEF President Hansen Downer was interviewed on 88.1 myFM (previously Lake 88.1) about Bass Spawning Sanctuaries. Listen to the recording.
The expansion of Bass Spawning Sanctuaries (BaSS) will help regenerate the declining bass populations in our lakes. BaSSs are areas of the lake in which all fishing is prohibited but only until the first week of July. Angling in BaSSs is permitted during the rest of the year. The Fisheries Conservation Foundation is leading a local effort to expand BaSSs…
The Fisheries Conservation Foundation (FCF) has results from their RLEF-funded research into the Large Mouth Bass (LMb) and Small Mouth Bass (SMB) population in local lakes, that included input from both Queen’s University and Carleton University. The study focused on the reproductive ecology of black bass and the impacts of (illegal) fishing during the reproductive period The FCF surveyed 7…
Bass fishing tournaments are a fixture on Ontario lakes every summer — but what actually happens to the fish after weigh-in? An RLEF-supported study published in the North American Journal of Fisheries Management tracked largemouth and smallmouth bass on Big Rideau Lake across three tournaments in 2017, and the findings are worth understanding for anyone who fishes, cottages, or cares about the health of these lakes.