Q and A...

[warrior2090]

just a quick question. i kind of would like to know. i grew up fishing norway lake. i remember catching many large crappies with my dad. but i also remember throwing a LOT back. 3 years ago, i was out there during the hard water. i kept 2 @ 11.5". as i was loading my gear into the back of my truck, a fellow came up and asked how my luck was. i told him all i got was 2. he snickered and proceded to brag about his limit. as i looked into his pail i about fell over. there were nothing but 7 and 8" crappies in it and he was gloating. i have never gone back. what a shame. so now, years later, i was wondering... i have been having a blast catching walleyes and crappies in the same spot on my favorite lake all this week. i don't keep crappies under 10". is anybody else with me on trying to increase the number of QUALITY fish in our local lakes?, or am i just too picky.

[J'sBait&Sport]

HEY WARRIOR2090,

DID YOU TRY TO TELL HIM THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEEN THE REAL KEEPER SIZE CRAPPIES AND THE BABY CRAPPIES THAT HE HAD HIS BUCKET FULL OFF AND WAS 'GLOATING' ABOUT.

WHAT A SHAME......AND PEOPLE THAN ASK AND WONDER WHERE ALL THE BIG CRAPPIES GO...........DUH...........IF YOU KEEP ALL THE SMALL ONE WHERE DO YOU THINK THE BIG ONE GROWS OUT OFF..........(OFFCOURSE FROM THE SMALL ONES.....)

I DONNO WHAT THE BEST WAY IS, TO BE ABLE TO PRESERVE OUR FISHHING FOR OUR KIDS TO ENJOY IN THE FUTURE?... MAYBE PUT A SLOT LIMIT ON EVERY DARN FISH THERE IS SO THE SMALL FISHES GET A CHANCE TO GROW UP TO A DESCENT SIZE BEFORE THEY ARE HARVESTED............

WELL THAT'S MY TWO CENTS.......(SORRY ABOUT ALL CAPS)

LATER.

[walleyeking#8]

Warrior i am with ya 100%. When will the DNR do something to protect the small and large fish? Slot limits need to be put on all game fish as far as i am concerned. Not just in our area, but the entire state. For someone like myself that spends a lot of hours on the water every year, it would be nice to go out and catch 20-30 walleyes or crappies for that matter that were world class. I know there are a few lakes and rivers in minnesota that do posess this, but they are so far away, that one can only make it there once or twice a year. Hope something will happen sometime soon, maybe then in my lifetime the fishing will be what i'd like it to be.

[mr d]

A: their is a fine line between ignorence and stupidity.

I guess there needs to be, in print, a size guidline in print. Even at that people will push the envelope ,,,,and that's stupid. ie the DNR supposedly is challenging several home owners on Mille Lacs. They follow them to their docks and search, walley counts with the reg changes. locals pushing the envelope.

[Sartell Angler]

the worst is ice fishing...most guys think that because they dressed all warm, invested thousands in atvs, houses, rods, electronics, sleds, etc, they are automatically entitled to multiple dinners of fried fish.

People- you don't need to keep everything you catch through the ice! Last year we were fishing a spot where the walleyes were really biting...you wouldn't believe the guys around me flipping out when I was sending 'em back down the hole! Every one of 'em asked me why I wasn't keeping them and still didn't understand when I said that I had already kept enough for a meal earlier in the week and didn't need to go nuts w/ 'em.

[mr d]

"they are automatically entitled to multiple dinners of fried fish."

"People- you don't need to keep everything you catch"

entitled.... well said.

[settymn]

it would be great to see a minium slot limited, but if you don't have the enforcement officers to keep people with in the law it won't do any good.

[Eye_Hammer]

Norway has some nice crappies in it. I agree if they are left to grow it will make the lake better. The fish tend to grow fairly quickly in Norway. An 8" crappie isn't much

at all. 3+" is tail and head.

LET 'EM GROW UP!

[slurpie]

i agree we should have some kind of slot limit. every time i go fishing i see people keeping smmall fish. latest was on diamond saw two guys fill the bottom of their boat, know they had over their limit and they were all small crappie 1/2 # or smaller to bad. And ive seen alot of small walleyes taken out there too. So i agree if the DNR wanted to i would be all for a slot limit on all fish species, or some kind of plan to get more bigger fish in the area lakes.

[walleyeking#8]

State wide regs say you are only allowed one walleye over 20" then I personally think they should add another reg saying you are allowed only one under 15", how does that sound? Apply this to all game fish and then people wouldn't be taking out the big ones or the small ones. Just my thinking.

[Juneau4]

What size should you keep to eat? Some say keep the small and others say the larger. Keep what you want to eat. Why do we fish? Most of us fish to catch a good meal of fresh water fish ,no matter of the species. STAY IN THE LIMIT AND NO ONE SHOULD CARE.

[walleyeking#8]

I personally like to keep crappies in the 11-12" range for eating. The little guys don't have enough meat to make it worth cleaning and the large ones are nice to catch the next time i go out. I guess everyone has there own preferences when it comes to cleaning fish. The only thing i disagree with you on, is there are lots of us out there that just fish to catch fish and watch them swim away and hope we will catch them again another day. Don't get me wrong, i do like a meal of fish once every two weeks or so. My favorite meat is fish, so you know i'd be keeping just enough for the wife and i on occasion.

[warrior2090]

thanks for your responses guys! 7 out of 8 people in this question would like to catch better quality fish and are trying to make it happen. it's simple really and here is a good analogy. it works kind of like deer hunting. you will not get the trophy wall hanger if you keep shooting little bucks!

[BRULEDRIFTER]

Quote:

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State wide regs say you are only allowed one walleye over 20" then I personally think they should add another reg saying you are allowed only one under 15", how does that sound? Apply this to all game fish and then people wouldn't be taking out the big ones or the small ones. Just my thinking.

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OK, here's another way to look at it. In a fishery, the highest proportion of fish are the smaller ones and so on up to the seldom found lunkers. By removing the smaller fish, you are actually helping the remaining fish in the system. By removing the smaller fish, say the 13-15in walleye, or 10in crappies, you are eliminating competition. By eliminating the competition between these year classes that make up the biggest population in the system, your allowing the remaining fish a better chance at success. They will have more food and cover to help them grow larger and quicker.

However, every lake is as unique as you and I, therefore, each lake should be managed accordingly.

Just thought i'd through a little biology into the mix and present a different view point

[sparcebag]

Quote:

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Quote:

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State wide regs say you are only allowed one walleye over 20" then I personally think they should add another reg saying you are allowed only one under 15", how does that sound? Apply this to all game fish and then people wouldn't be taking out the big ones or the small ones. Just my thinking.

---

OK, here's another way to look at it. In a fishery, the highest proportion of fish are the smaller ones and so on up to the seldom found lunkers. By removing the smaller fish, you are actually helping the remaining fish in the system. By removing the smaller fish, say the 13-15in walleye, or 10in crappies, you are eliminating competition. By eliminating the competition between these year classes that make up the biggest population in the system, your allowing the remaining fish a better chance at success. They will have more food and cover to help them grow larger and quicker.

However, every lake is as unique as you and I, therefore, each lake should be managed accordingly.

Just thought i'd through a little biology into the mix and present a different view point

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According to my research you are correct! I once posted a simular clip from the DNR and got chastised,From many slot believers!

[PISCATOR]

From another FM forum: http://www.fishingminnesota.com/forum/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=UBB50&Number=1152513&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=&fpart=all

[Carp-fisher]

Quote:

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just a quick question. i kind of would like to know. i grew up fishing norway lake. i remember catching many large crappies with my dad. but i also remember throwing a LOT back. 3 years ago, i was out there during the hard water. i kept 2 @ 11.5". as i was loading my gear into the back of my truck, a fellow came up and asked how my luck was. i told him all i got was 2. he snickered and proceded to brag about his limit. as i looked into his pail i about fell over. there were nothing but 7 and 8" crappies in it and he was gloating. i have never gone back. what a shame. so now, years later, i was wondering... i have been having a blast catching walleyes and crappies in the same spot on my favorite lake all this week. i don't keep crappies under 10". is anybody else with me on trying to increase the number of QUALITY fish in our local lakes?, or am i just too picky.

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I'm not criticizing your decision to keep 11.5" crappies; they are mighty fine fish. But if you practice a selective harvest system, you keep the smaller more abundant fish to eat and release the larger ones. On highly pressured bodies of water, an 11.5" crappie is fairly large fish...

[slurpie]

i believe selective harvest is a good option. But i dont think the size of the fish makes a diffrence. If your good enough at fishing that you can find big crappies you should keep some, i dont mean a limit everyday but enough for a meal and to brag about. If you go out and hammer a bunch of smaller ones like they did on diamond all year, you need to throw some back so they can get bigger {selective harvest}. I heard and saw alot of people catching them and nobody said much of releasing them, so how are they supposed to get bigger if everyone eats them at 10" or smaller? Yes they bit good but dont mean you have to keep them. So i feel you should practice c&r no matter what size of fish, to ensure there is good fishing in the future.

[RoosterRedneck]

Find a lake with a slot limit and you find a lake with a good fishery almost every time. Which can't be said for most other lakes.

[castindad]

j maybe stocking at a modern day rate would help.seems our stocking went out with the nickek beer? castindad