Too Many Big Fish

[Red Miller]

Just to move this discussion out of the Reports thread,

Quote from BrdHunter01:

I've had a place on the lake for over 20 years so no I won't be moving to another lake. I'm up there every weekend and take work off to head up there during the week. This lake is becoming strickly a trophy lake.

Frankly it gets old catching 4-6 pounders over and over again. Is it fun? Of course. However, I actually enjoy catching a 16 incher I can put in the box over catching a 4-5 pounder that I've caught and released 30 times this year.

I shouldn't be fishing because I want some fish to put in the box? That's laughable!

I could not agree more. Except for one point. I dont consider Mille Lacs a trophy walleye lake because the fish caught in excess of 28" are very very few and far between. I dont think the lake supports them. I put in a lot of hours on the lake and and several thousand walleyes caught and I believe its been over 10 years since Ive seen one. We have a running joke when we hook yet another 4 to 5 pounder, "That one will look good in a gill net"

[BrdHunter01]

Our slogan is "a guy could starve to death fishing this lake"

I called it a trophy lake because that is what I beleive the DNR is trying to do. For many people catching a 25-27 incher would be a personal best and cosidered a trophy. And there is a lot of them in there!

I also don't believe Mille Lacs is the type of lake that will support an abundance of 28+ fish. They grow very slowly once they reach the 24-25 inch range.

[TruthWalleyes]

Yes very hard to catch a limit of eaters, though that is something that has never concerned me on mille lacs...I go up there to catch big fish, well under 28" anyway. I personally like the way that lake is managed with the slot. I wish we would implement a slot on many more lakes to reduce the qty of big fish taken in order to increase the #'s of big fish.

I'm also OK with what we have today, but i enjoy a big fish more than a meal of walleye.

Thoughts on why there are so few over 28"? My buddy practically lives on Mille Lacs, he believes it is the strain of walleye and forage. He does pull multiple 30" fish each year..but he's also known to stay on the lake for two straight days till one bites. Kid's got his priorities straight!!

[mainbutter]

I won't be moving to another lake.

Just remember that having a place on a lake doesn't make it belong to you any more than it belongs to the people who enjoy catching those 24''ers and letting them go.

This is the land of 10,000 lakes, and the thing that I like is that there is a lake for everyone with the species and regulations they like. Unfortunately it seems to be often the case that those particular lakes are not close to home. My "home" lake I fish most often is a snot rocket lake with plenty of angler pressure and too much harvesting (it seems any 24''+ gets taken. I do wish that it would become a protected slot lake, because I think over about 20 years it'd become a very nice pike fishery, but it's just not going to ever happen. I still love fishing it and catching some easy pike on a fly rod, but I wish those 18''ers were 28''ers. Luckily for me, I do take a few trips out every summer to a few lakes where regulations have made a difference and I have been successful at tangling with quite a few of the bigger fish I enjoy catching the most. 10,000 lakes, I find the lakes I like to fish best.

Mille Lacs is going to stay a slot lake for the foreseeable future. The lake's popularity, diverse angler backgrounds, and tribal issues pretty much dictate it being the most regulated lake regarding walleyes.

However, if things progress nicely, I wouldn't be surprised to see a widened slot.

You can't win 'em all, but feel free to take a trip elsewhere on occasion.

[Juan Grande]

Just curious on whether people think this slot will impact the number of smaller fish moving through the ranks? If you can't supplement your catch with a nice 20" or 21" and you're looking for supper, the average walleye fisherman might be more inclined to keep every fish outside the slot including some cigars.

[lindy rig]

I think the DNR is doing a nice job managing all the pressure. I think Mille Lacs is in great shape right now.

The eater fish are there. We didn't have any trouble filling our box a couple weekends ago. Will it be the case every weekend, no. But the bigger fish will still be fun to catch. Plus, all those bigger fish you release are the spawners and will make more little fish.

[DREZLER]

"

I called it a trophy lake because that is what I beleive the DNR is trying to do. For many people catching a 25-27 incher would be a personal best and cosidered a trophy. And there is a lot of them in there!

I don't think the DNR is "trying to make it a trophy lake". What makes you think this? What I think they are trying to do is manage the most frequented walleye lake in the state that lies 80 miles from the city during a time of high fuel prices. Oh yeah the lake also happens to be netted. There is no one else who could do a better job managing the lake, including anyone on this site.

[DREZLER]

The people that complain about the management of fisheries that are in place to protect the lake remind me of the people that want to have nice roads but complain about roadwork.

[Walleyehooker]

Its pretty simple. You have anglers targeting under 17 inch fish and you have the nets takeing fish in the 16-20+ inch range. So what does that leave you? Mille Lacs has never been a trophy walleye lake and doesnt produce many 10+ pound fish when their main diet is perch. You can get a few heavier fish in the fall when they stock up for winter. There isnt much the DNR can do on this lake except adjust the quota to keep it alive. With everyone targeting fish from 14-20+ it is what it is. If you dont like it you need to fish somewhere else because it isnt going to change anytime soon and has signs of getting worse.

[CrappieNight]

Hand some guys a gold brick and they will complain about how heavy it is. Given the pressure the lake gets and the netted fish taken every year, I'd be inclined to assume the DNR has something figured out. I feel a great picture will always last longer than a simple meal.

[goblueM]

The people that complain about the management of fisheries that are in place to protect the lake remind me of the people that want to have nice roads but complain about roadwork.

You left out the part where they want nice roads but complain about roadwork AND taxes. And how they could plan it better and use less money

[ZEEK1223]

Think of all the launches going out 3 times a day harvesting slot fish. Where do you guys think the lake would be if there was no slot at all? I think the launches could single handedly put a hurtin on the lake if there was no slot. Just a hypothetical thought.

[Juan Grande]

For the record, I agree that the DNR is doing a great job managing a lake that gets intense pressure. Can't please everyone I guess.

[Kettle]

Was reading the star trib lately and as of June 1st the was roughly 105,000 pounds of walleye this year harvested by anglers according to the DNR. From past trends they aim to let anglers take about 300,000 lbs a year, I think it is right on track, even with the smaller fish being few and far between the fishing pressure has increased. I have caught a few 10'' fish this year which is nice to see, and have caught a few in the 15''-17'' range have not kept any. Back to the numbers though, There has been roughly 3.5 months of the walleye season to date this year and have harvested the 100,000 lbs, with roughly six months left in this year, I see anglers harvesting the 300,000 lbs. Just my

Kettle

[Kyhl]

I spent four days on the lake a couple weeks ago and can see your point, somewhat. We had the same issue. The third 25" walleye in a half hour and it was uneventfully release. After so many 25's it's nothing special. Kept releasing 21"-25" fish over and over all weekend.

But, 1 in 3 fish was a keeper. Interestingly, Outdoor news had a story on Mille Lacs recently and they quoted the DNR speculating that 1/3 of all walleyes caught so far this year were keepers. And it matched exactly to my experience, so it sounds believable to me.

So I get that catching 25's can get boring but there are plenty of eaters being caught as well.

As a side note, we kept two fish per person over the entire four days. All others were released even if it was keeper sized.

[Red Miller]

I was wondering what you guys (and gals) think about the idea of a 2-fish limit - any size. I have heard this idea bandied about and personally I like it. What would the effect be? Is the lake out of balance now and would this help or hurt?

[Mid-Lake Rock]

I found this thread interesting. I rarely fish Mille Lacs walleyes in the summer, but fish it a lot in the winter. I fished every weekend from Jan. 1 to the end of February. We caught plenty of big fish, but we caught more small fish. Lots of cigars that were too small to eat and plenty of eaters in the 14"-16" range. This also seemed to be the case when speaking with other anglers and resort owners in the winter months.

[Juan Grande]

I don't get how reeling in 20"+ fish can be boring. That basically means the only thrill you get from walleye fishing is throwing a fish in the livewell, even if it's only 15" and fought like a wet rag.

[gloomiseye]

I wish we had a lake that good to complain about down here in Iowa. You guys don't realize how good you have it. Hope to make a trip up there to catch those "boring" 25 inchers sometime this month. A 25" walleye is a huge fish here in Iowa.

[Juan Grande]

Amen gloomiseye!

[Hory]

+1 Juan

I know plenty of other lakes anglers can go to...looking for 15-17 inch eyes throughout the state. The armchair biologists on this site will complain about nearly anything. I made it to the pond this year, and we caught plenty of fish under the slot (and threw them back).

I commend the DNR on their ability to manage such a large lake, with excessive pressure and netting year round.

[Mid-Lake Rock]

+2.

I like catching big fish. Taking fish home is secondary to the actual challenge of finding and catching walleyes. In my experience, during the last few years, there is a good variety of sizes in the lake. As far as eating fish, I prefer perch, pike and panfish over walleye.

[BrdHunter01]

I was wondering what you guys (and gals) think about the idea of a 2-fish limit - any size. I have heard this idea bandied about and personally I like it. What would the effect be? Is the lake out of balance now and would this help or hurt?

I would be more in favor of a inch rule over a 2 fish limit. Say u can keep 55-60" of fish per person. So I can keep a couple 20 inchers and a 15 incher, or three 18 inchers ect... I would support something like that. I know that's been throwin around....

[BrdHunter01]

I wish we had a lake that good to complain about down here in Iowa. You guys don't realize how good you have it. Hope to make a trip up there to catch those "boring" 25 inchers sometime this month. A 25" walleye is a huge fish here in Iowa.

A 25" walleye is a big fish up here to. When u catch them over and over year after year it's not a big deal anymore. And with the lack of eater sized fish in Mille lacs could be cause for concern if u ask me.

Just a side note. With the hooking mortality figured into the harevest. Since big fish are being caught and released nearly 4-1 how does that figure into angling harvest? Big fish weigh more than keepers....

[John Mickish]

I personally think that the reason 28" and bigger fish are so scarce is that once it's caught, most people will keep it instead of letting it go. WAY to many people have the old world mentality that if it's legal it's being kept.

Just my

[BrdHunter01]

I personally think that the reason 28" and bigger fish are so scarce is that once it's caught, most people will keep it instead of letting it go. WAY to many people have the old world mentality that if it's legal it's being kept.

Just my

I'm going to have to disagree. Many people in my area that frequent the lake every weekend and/or live there (incouding me) release 28+ fish. The fish just dont grow very fast after reaching 24-25"

A bigger factor (in my eyes) is the tournament or 2 or 3 EVERY single weekend! They are all chasing and keeping 28+ fish.... That's my opinion

Didn't the mwc tournament get some 15 or more 28" fish? I heard they had 12 or so 28" fish after the 1st day! That's just one of the many many tournaments throughout the year.

[Kyhl]

Didn't the mwc tournament get some 15 or more 28" fish? I heard they had 12 or so 28" fish after the 1st day! That's just one of the many many tournaments throughout the year.

MWC like most if not all big tournaments are catch and release. The fish are kept alive in the live well then surrendered to the judge who releases them after being weighed.

Being catch and release also means that you cannot weigh a dead fish since it can't be released. This gives anglers a reason to keep those fish alive.

[BrdHunter01]

I know the MWC was catch and release. You really think those fish made it in a livewell all day and then up on stage to be weighed and then released? Really?

I watched the weight-in at the NTC which was part of the MWC and I did not see that judge who weighted the fish making sure each fish was alive before posting there weight. Nor did he make sure they swam away... On the website it said there would be a weight reduction for fish that didn't swim away. They posted the weights and determined the tournament winner before those fish were released?

[DREZLER]

Just a side note. With the hooking mortality figured into the harevest. Since big fish are being caught and released nearly 4-1 how does that figure into angling harvest? Big fish weigh more than keepers....

Last I read they were figuring out released fish average to be 4.1 pounds!! It seemed like a lot to me but it may very well be accurate.

[Walleyehooker]

There is only one reason we have all of the special regulations on Mille Lacs. If it werent for that there wouldnt be quotas,night bans and reduced slot limits and it would be like any other lake. I wont mention what that one thing is!!!