[outdoorsman al]

Just read on Pembina valley online this morning that they banned gas motors on the lake minnewasta.
I saw this coming since it can be such a busy spot from my past experiences

really Not the end of the world in my eyes, but it is fishing related.
cheers

 

[Daysoff]

Just read on Pembina valley online this morning that they banned gas motors on the lake minnewasta.
I saw this coming since it can be such a busy spot from my past experiences

really Not the end of the world in my eyes, but it is fishing related.
cheers

Was just headed here to post this. Very good for the lake. My 14ft with my terrova will get some use this year.

Morden bans the use of any gas-powered watercraft on Lake Minnewasta - PembinaValleyOnline.com

PembinaValleyOnline.com is the only source for community news and information such as weather and classifieds for Winkler, Altona, Morden, Carman and the Pembina Valley.

pembinavalleyonline.com

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[volksdriver]

Thanks for posting this outdoorsman al! That lake is too small for all the fishing, skiing, canoeing, kayaking, jet skiing use it was getting and it was only time before another accident were to happen out there. Not to mention the shoreline erosion being caused by the constant wakes of the power boats. I applaud the City of Morden Council for making this decision. (side note: the same should be done for Mary Jane Reservoir, it is getting the power boats use that Minnewasta was getting and that reservoir is also too small for that much activity)

 

[danger]

Very suspired to see the amount of people on the crappie FB page upset over this.

 

[BIGGAMEFISHER]

Very suspired to see the amount of people on the crappie FB page upset over this.

Probably because there are no electric trolling motors to be had.......supply shortages since last spring! And to use a paddle is just plain.....................crappie! LOL I couldn't understand why they allowed all that boat traffic on that pond in the first place..........many times seen accidents just waiting to happen!

 

[hemps]

Does this mean no gas augers in the winter? 🤣

 

[outdoorsman al]

Thanks for posting this outdoorsman al! That lake is too small for all the fishing, skiing, canoeing, kayaking, jet skiing use it was getting and it was only time before another accident were to happen out there. Not to mention the shoreline erosion being caused by the constant wakes of the power boats. I applaud the City of Morden Council for making this decision. (side note: the same should be done for Mary Jane Reservoir, it is getting the power boats use that Minnewasta was getting and that reservoir is also too small for that much activity)

I have mixed feelings about the idea of Mary Jane following suit and being electric only.

It is such a narrow body of water and I’ve been buzzed many times by wake board boats out there while trying to fish from a smaller Craft and it’s super frustrating.

I feel bad for responsible wake board and ski boaters because there are likely just a small few giving them a bad reputation
Another thing, unlike minnewasta where they have the park gate before the launch, there wouldn’t be the same kind of accountability on MJ.
Curious to see if the banning of gas motors on lakes will be a trend we see continue

 

[660catman]

Considering its Morden’s main water supply, all they’re doing is protecting it. Not sure if it’s been a long time coming or last years drought brought it on.

 

[Stevie B]

Considering its Morden’s main water supply, all they’re doing is protecting it. Not sure if it’s been a long time coming or last years drought brought it on.

I've been fishing Minne since I was 5 or 6 years old (so 40ish years)...and have seen the evolution of the lake.

The writing was on the wall for a number of years, before the drought years.

Already 15-20 years ago they had started implementing "No motor nights" for the canoe and kayak club.

They also roped off both the bay the beach was in and the inlet area to the back. Years ago you were still ok to use a gas motor past the buoy lines, but it was an unwritten rule that you didn't cause a wake. Then, sometime within the last few years, they outright banned gas motor use past the buoy lines.

Over the years, they had tried implementing all sorts of rules, boating routes for pulling skiers and tubes, etc. They had increased RCMP presence on the lake and launch. And still had many close calls and several minor incidents. If things had been allowed to keep going on without interference, it was only a matter of time before someone got killed. The population of the Winkler/Morden area has probably doubled in the last 20-25 years. And as a return, so has the boat traffic on Minne.

Then the droughts of the last couple years, and the potential for serious shoreline erosion and infrastructure damage.

This was really the last step in the evolution of the lake.

I am curious as to what affects this will have on 2 fronts...

1. The crappie population on Minnewasta. It has been on a decline for the last 15ish years. And has never rebounded to what is was in the early 2000's. Back then you could literally put a boat in for 2 or 3 hours in the evening, and catch 200-300 crappies, and 10 of them over 13-14". It was absurd! With no gas motors, it will be interesting to see if that takes enough harvesting off the lake for it to come back.

2. The future of Mary Jane Reservoir. MJ is only 30min past Minnewasta, and has no gate fee or launch fee. Its a small prairie reservoir, just like Minnewasta. Even a bit on the smaller side. Its longer, but much more narrow. With many more narrow and blind corners. And even recently I have started seeing many many more boats on the lake than in years past. Let's hope that gas at $2/L keeps a few boats at home...