St. Louis River Fishing Reports

[jwmiller33]

great looking fish biff! 12.5 lbs, wow is all i can say... that thing would definitely be up on my wall, either a replica or a skin mount... that is the fish of the season right there! any details on how fight was?

[Northlander]

Ya Biff can you give us the story? What did you catch it on etc.?

As you can tel I cant get enough Big Fish Stories.

[PiedmontAngler]

WOW Biff that's a beaut! Congrats man!

[Washing Lures]

I would second Artistic Angler for doing replica mounts. I had my 32" and 31" replicas done by him. His prices are very reasonable, makes it almost not worth killing the fish for a painted skin.

[lotalota]

I'll give a shout for Artistic Anglers too. Two reasons for this. First they do really incredible work. I've had the opportunity to look at their process and their finished product. No skin mount can come close in accuracy and durability.

Second, you can snap a few pics of that big girl and put her back down the hole. The river has received A LOT of publicity in the last few years. This year there are big fish in the system earlier than usual and they are getting hammered. The more that go back in, the more that go upstream to do their thing and keep this fishery strong.

I'm not trying to beat anybody over the head on this, I'm just sayin'...go with Artistic Anglers. It'll make you AND the fish happy!

lota lota...

[chaffmj]

Biff beautiful fish. Who are you hiding from? I hope she was worth it!

[Northlander]

LOL!

[Washing Lures]

Great post lota, I also feel that with all of the pressure the river has been recieving the last couple of years it won't take long for it to be overharvested by taking out the large females. I would love to see the DNR propose to have a 15-20" slot on the river and CPR of all the fish larger than 20". Would it not be great to still have this great walleye fishery available for the next generation, instead of our generation pillaging the river now. Just my thoughts

You may not like my opinon, but that is your opinion

[Northlander]

2 fish limit already really helps but I would like a 15-19" slot with a 1 over 28" trophy. Only on the river not the big lake.

[Washing Lures]

Is there really a need for a 1 over 28" trophy?

[lotalota]

I'd go for something similar to what they do on Winnie. Maybe 19" to 28" for immediate release with one over 28" (I like 30" better but might not fly).

Most of the big fish in the river are really Lake Superior fish. That's significant for a couple reasons. Superior fish grow SLOWLY. A 24" walleye is probably 20 years old (maybe 28" more accurately but either way). So every time a fish that big is iced it'll take 20 years to replace. Also, because the fish are old relative to inland relatives of the same size, there is a lot of bioaccumulation per individual fish. Take a look at the MN DoH site for the STL. Walleyes over 20" get a tough rating for both PCBs and Mercury.

Anyway, each of us will do what we want but, if you feel like the regs should be reviewed give a call to the local DNR offices for both states and let them know.

lota lota...

[shogun]

A 24" walleye is probably 20 years old.

I'm gonna call B-S on this one.

Also, a 12lb 31" walleye - how much longer do you think that fish would live? There is a good chance it would have died before it ever made it to spawn again anyway. She's been spreading her good genes for years already (probably 40-50 some years according to some opinions on fish growth rates).

[Northlander]

Is there really a need for a 1 over 28" trophy?

Yes. Some people think a 28" is a trophy and want to keep it. I have no problem with that.

Also there are too many people that keep the 20" plus inch fish now. Those are our prime spawners. The bigger older 28-30 plus inch fish dont spawn as efficiently as the 20 plus ones do but there are very few in the system because Lake Superior eyes grow so slow. Protecting them "Trophies" is a must in my eyes.

[Northlander]

Originally Posted By: lotalota

A 24" walleye is probably 20 years old.

I'm gonna call B-S on this one.

Also, a 12lb 31" walleye - how much longer do you think that fish would live? There is a good chance it would have died before it ever made it to spawn again anyway. She's been spreading her good genes for years already (probably 40-50 some years according to some opinions on fish growth rates).

So Shogun tel me how old do you think a 24" Lake Superior walleye is on average? How about a 32"er? Im guessing Lota is fairly close. Maybe a couple years heavy but close.

Ill have to ask Dennis Pratt this question because I get asked it about half a dozen times a year if not more. It would be nice to see if the Wi. DNR hasa chart on their growth rate on the big pond.

[Jim Almquist]

From the Mn. DNR website and this is how long it take to get to 1 pound so 20 years is probable not that far off.

Q: How long does it take a stocked fish to reach catchable size?

A: It takes several years for the tiny walleyes stocked each spring or fall to reach 1 pound, or about 14 inches. Warmer, southern lakes have longer growing seasons, so walleyes grow more quickly there than in the north.

Lake Region Time to Reach 1 lb.

South 3-4 years

North 4-5 years

Northern border 5-6 years

[BEAST]

Pratt quoted

"walleyes are very slow growing due to the fact they spend most their lives in Lake Superior. The walleye requires 60 degree water to achieve significant growth. A recent sconie study on tagged spawning walleyes in the Fond du lac area showed mean length of a 3 year old male at 15.2 inches or 1.2 lbs. The same walleye will typically reach about 20 inches or 3 lbs when it is 10 years old. A 10 lb female will often be 20 years old or more."

--SPORTMANS CONNECTION

A 15"-19" slot would be great - I'm not going to comment on the trophy fish

[Poacher's pariah]

Quoting John Lindgren of the MN DNR in Sam Cook's outdoor blog today, " "The population of large walleyes that comes from the western arm of the lake up into the St. Louis River estuary is very vulnerable because they're so slow-growing," Lindgren said. "To kill a 28-inch fish could take over 20 years to replace."

[fishinfey8]

Anyone ever caught a tagged walleye in Superior? If you have, did you turn the info into the dnr? I would be very curious to hear the info.

[lotalota]

Thanks for the reference there Beast. I was going to suggest that he bring his bone saw along next time to count the annuli on the spines of the next fish sacrificed to the pan. Your quote was probably more helpful...

Like I said, people are gonna do what they want but the research is out there if you're interested in how we impact the resource.

lota lota...

[Northlander]

Anyone ever caught a tagged walleye in Superior? If you have, did you turn the info into the dnr? I would be very curious to hear the info.

Never caught a tagged fish of any sort on the big lake or the river in all my life. At least that I can remember. Most tagged fish I have caught were in Fish or island Lakes.

[redryder]

How many of you that were out tonight thought your portable was going to fly off across they bay at one point or another, I thought I was sitting in a hurricane...

[Northlander]

I had the Otter anchored with snow around the tub, set up all the support poles and then put the snakors on the apron and I was ok. I also used the truck to block the wind. I always put my back to the wind that way the wind pushes on the house and the support poles keep it in place. As long as you dont set up on bare ice and find a good patch of snow you should be ok.

Another trick is to wrap the pull rope from your house around the reciever or bumper of your truck, pull tight and then set up.

Your right though it was a bit windy at times. Chilly after dark as well.

[fisherslanding]

Did you do any good last night?

[Northlander]

6 or 7 fish caught. Biggest 26. It was slow with a very small window.

[biff]

Hey guys thanks for the congrats. Yes I did keep her, having her mounted. I never keep fish over 20" but I'll probably never catch one like that again. I'd be all for some kind of slot protecting those prime females 20-28" but anywho...

Some details...she hit at about 10 am things had gotten slow and was going to leave but stuck it out a little longer and obviously paid off. She hit really light, just felt slight pressure. Put up a decent fight but not spectacular. Did not want to come into the hole though. Kept shaking her big head back and forth at the bottom, very nerveracking! Came out of about 6' of water. I know there are 32"s out there. Can only imagine one longer with that girth. Anybody heard of a 33" from the superior system?

[Northlander]

I personally have never seen a 33" walleye out of the lake or river. I have caught a 32" and thats my biggest. I did see a 32.5" caught out of Lake Superior in a dumpster that some fool cut up to eat.

Outdooor Ran got a big one a while back but I cant remember how big it was. Randy what was that sppoon fed eye anyways?

There are 33"ers and bigger that the DNR reports seeing in the traps up river but I have never heard of one being caught.

[hound32]

Awesome! Thanks for the details! Congrats, that's a sweet fish!

[gritsnham]

Nothing tastes like aged 25inch plus walleyes!!

With all the fishing pressure I would love to see slots like that on most of the state. The 1 over 20in rule is a good start but fish that size are critical to a sustainable system. Unless I cant release a larger fish they always get put back to swim...as far as trophys I would much rather have a replica that will last longer and know that the replica on your wall has a twin still swimming!

[catchsomefish]

I am entirely sick of getting skunked.

[hound32]

haha dont feel too bad, tonight was tough for alot of people.