Someone with strong knowledge of Bowstring

[bigeyes]

I have been opening on Bowstring for about 10 years now, it is an exceptional lake in many way and one of my very favorites, but I have 1 question has always burned. Why does this lake not produce large walleye? it has great numbers of smaller eyes and plenty of baitfish in perch? My group and I have never seen a eye bigger than 6.5 pounds come out of that lake and we have caught several hundred and probably seen over a thousand caught over the years? I have heard they are all netted out at the river??? Also talked to other oldtimers that say they do not exist in that lake? Is this the case? Seems like there are soooo many good 3-4lb spawners in the lake?

Thanks

[weekendjunkie]

to me there are two factors that effect the size of eye' s on bowstring. First is that there is such an abundance of small northern and other preditor fish that the fish become stunted as a result. question to you what is the biggest northern you have caught? mine is 10 1/2 but was nearly forty inches! secondary is the netting... i feel that bowstring would be greatly helped if there was a l;imit of 6 northern imposed on the lake. thin out the snakes and the walleye will grow larger.

[snowfighter]

bigeyes there are bigger eyes in bowstring. have caught some 8 plus and heard of a 11plus caught on a opening weekend 5 or so years back. In mid 80's I took a 14 pd northen in the fall.If you check the DNR test netting they show there is a above average walleye number compared to state wide average. that may have something to do with size.

[kupcho]

I agree with you snowfighter. I have seen many groups of people this spring on opener catching many fish over 23 inches long. One of my friends was out there with 3 people in his boat and they caught 18 walleyes with the smallest being 22 inches. There biggest was a 9.5#. But you are right, there are a lot of the spawning size fish in there. It probably does have to do with all the small northerns in the lake too. If the eyes aren't biting, the small northerns usually are.

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Kupcho's Guide Service
Upper Red, Winnie, Blackduck Area
http://fishingminnesota.com/blackduck/
Phone:(651) 426-1545
E-mail: [email protected]

[bigeyes]

Thanks all who responded. My largest northern has been about 7 pounds and only a couple at that size. Does anybody know when and where the netting takes place on the lake or approximately how many pounds are taken? Why would an abundance of hammer handles effect the 3-4 pound eye's in the lake? There seems to be more than enough perch for both? The walleye dynamics appear to be very good for the first 2-5 years of their life, why would it just get stunted?
Thanks

[snowfighter]

bigeyes there is no commercial fishing of the lake for netting. The only netting I see taking place has been in the fall, october I've seen nets set in the Inger river mouth and up the river, thats on the west side of the lake. I think bowstring has a good population of walleyes, we've caught fish in the 3 to 8 pd range quite regulaly in the winter months as well as the summer. I live on the lake and it doesn't have the pressure it has had in the past. When you look at winni for the number of fisherman, how may 10's do you here of being caught there

[bigeyes]

thanks Snowfighter,

So in your opinion it is the fishing pressure that mainly is the cause of this fishery not producing a lot of trophy fish.

[Guest]

When you think about Bowstring you need to think of the great chili and ice incidents of years past. Also watching the Tri-hull get beached up on the rock pile and last but not least, the white deer head at the Bowstring lodge. Even with all this, you still can catch all the 16" - 20" walleyes you want. Until openner...

Peace out