90,000 + Hooking Mortality

[james_walleye]

Mother nature will fix any baitfish shortages if there is one just as it did in 02'. No reason too open up a harvest on the prime spawning females.

[Walleye71]

When we were fishing the Red Door Tourney last weekend it looked like a walleye cemetery out there. Fish floating everywhere we went. We saw what had to be a 45'' plus muskie floating on one of the flats. It is sad to see but that's a side affect of fishing. If people are handling fish for 2 minutes or 30 seconds, I don't think it much matters. We aren't critizing anglers in May when guys are waiting for Everyone and God to take a picture of their 24''. It all depends on the fish and in that hot water right now, to each their own as far as which will make it back to the bottom and which will not.

I hope the DNR dumps 1million perch fry back into the lake again. I say that because one year you couldn't find a perch in that lake and the next year there is this incredible population of perch. Suspicious to me. If they do, Hopefully it will get the 50 26'' to 27'' walleyes we've caught this year to 28''.

I would agree with most to leave the lake alone until October or so. Go pick on Winne or Leech. Go fish Minnetonka, at least the eye candy is nice, if you know what I'm saying .

[MOBY RICHARD*]

This is a prime example of the 40% DNR estimated Mortality from Tournaments on Mille Lacs... that no one wants to believe!

[magnumthunder]

So Walleye 71 you are saying that someone who comes up once a year should leave the lake alone because your tournament killed a lot of fish? You caught your 50+ good fish and no one else should fish it! What maybe it should be a tourney fish kill only? Yeah that's it, owners and tournament fishing only for the lake. SORRY BUT I DON’T AGREE!!

[Schnauzer]

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If people are handling fish for 2 minutes or 30 seconds, I don't think it much matters.

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I very much disagree with that statement. I believe proper and quick release methods make a big difference when the water is warm. When it is cool, it doesn't matter nearly as much.

Also, to my knowledge, perch fry have NEVER been released in Mille Lacs. Correct me if I'm wrong on that. Booms tend to follow busts in these situations because an absence of tiny baitfish (young perch) means a boom in the types of things they eat. When baby perch food is plentiful, that sets the stage for a perch boom the following year... just as we saw after the '01 down year. By the end of summer '02, the lake was full of little perch. The bite was better than this year up until August of 02' when those perch got to the size where walleyes could eat them.

[123fish]

To dump a million perch fry the DNR would have to have a hatchery that hatched them out. Do they even do that?

[Harmonica Bear]

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I hope the DNR dumps 1million perch fry back into the lake again. I say that because one year you couldn't find a perch in that lake and the next year there is this incredible population of perch. Suspicious to me.

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From the DNR Web site on Mille Lacs

Fish Stocked by Species for the Last Five Years

Year Species Age Number

2004 Muskellunge Fingerling 3,000

No perch

[DinkADunk]

If you're in a situation where you're likely to release fish often then go barbless. I fish from a boat as well as fly fish and often when going after trout I have to use barbless hooks. After awhile you get use to going barbless so for fly fishing I've gone totaly barbless which makes it very easy to release a fish and hopefully improves survival rates. I've recently started using some barbless hooks while regular fishing. Since I don't keep bass I've crimped the barbs down on my bass lures which makes it simple to release. If I were fishing Mille Lacs and that narrow slot I would consider pinching the barbs on some of my hooks.

[papabear]

is it me or are there actually some people out here thinking of ways to improve the lake? I do believe so and I hope the DNR is reading and may consider some of these ideas. But then some of the great experienced fishermen will complain about having to change. They are perfect fisherman and do no harm to the lake ever.

Keep up with the brain storming and maybe the DNR will join in and have some more tools to use other than slot limits.