Jump to content
  • GUESTS

    If You  want access  to member only forums on FM, You will need to Sign-in or  Sign-Up now .

    This box will disappear once you are signed in as a member.

Smallmouth Bass


GravelBar

Recommended Posts

I am in favor of earn a walleye... Catch and keep a smallmouth, northern or a musky then you can fish for walleye. Honestly, there is more to this story than just predator to predator interactions. The lake is changing...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am in favor of earn a walleye... Catch and keep a smallmouth, northern or a musky then you can fish for walleye. Honestly, there is more to this story than just predator to predator interactions. The lake is changing...

I can't tell if this is meant as a joke or not. I hope it is.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

How do you propose they have a B.A.S.S. tournament out there when the possession limit is 0?

The DNR has the opportunity to grant any permit they want to, they just do not want to play ball with any of the big tournies be it Walleye Bass or whatever, but they could technically grant them a permit to hold the tourney, would at least show the potential of the lake to a national scene. a 30lb bag of smallies to win would open alot of peoples eyes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thats a can of worms they don't want to open. If they let a corporation like BASS have a tourny there then why can't my club have a tourney there...or any of the many other clubs and bass tours

Link to comment
Share on other sites

if they had any gonads they would tell your bass club to go fly a kite, BASS is allowed there because they bring millions and great exposure to the area, your bass club doesn't. And sadly that is why they wouldn't, because then every tom Dick and harry that runs a crappy little tournament would scream and cry foul and make their lives a living hell.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Quote:
I can whole heatedly disagree with the money statement, the shops and resorts would have to change who they market to, but I can guaranty you that if the smallie was made king on Mille Lacs that bass guys spend about 5 times the money walleye guys do in the pursuit of their sport. Yes live bait sales would dip but tackle sales would go way up, probably ten times what it is now, out of state license sales would quadruple as well as lodging for the out of staters, there would still be eyes in the lake and they would still get that business but letting the word out on a world class smallmouth fishery in a beautiful part of the country would be a good thing for the area. The best thing for that area right now would be to allow a major tournament like bass to hold a tourney there, the area would flood with new revenue and I can tell you from years of experience in the bass fishing industry that bass guys spend money.

yep cha ching...its all about money. Theres a reason the old timers nicknamed them "sewer trout". Lets let the st's over-run the lake and the heck with the walleyes. That kind of thinking is as destructive as the nets. Make no mistake, the smallies are invasives just like the zebs and the milfoil. Mille Lacs is a walleye fishery. Dont make this lake into something its not just to pad your wallets. If you like bass fishing tournaments, move to the south. This is the northland! Ya der hey!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Red that is probably the biggest bunch of $&@! I've ever heard. Stop your crying and whining about your dam walleyes. Anyone that has any common sense knows that the walleye problem on the pond has to do with people! The netting and harvest of eyes is 95% of the problem. Stop trying to blame it on the other species in the lake. You my friend are a joke!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I saw a pack of smallies today. We were in a bad neighborhood so I made sure my wife and kids were safe. We locked the doors on the truck and got outta there as fast as we could. Ya can't be too safe these days around those smallies ya know! wink

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I believe lack of forage for the walleyes on the lake is cyclical. But skinny walleye's are hungry walleye's. I would rather have skinny catchable walleyes than fat healthy and happy walleye's that can't be caught very easily.

Smallmouth, I want those as chunky as possible and on Mille Lacs that doesn't seem to be a problem. Probably because smallmouth love crayfish.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, I agree hungry walleyes are much easier to catch. But if they are always hungry and easy to catch you will always have a lot of harvest.

A lack of forage and skinny fish can't be real healthy either.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

yep cha ching...its all about money. Theres a reason the old timers nicknamed them "sewer trout". Lets let the st's over-run the lake and the heck with the walleyes. That kind of thinking is as destructive as the nets. Make no mistake, the smallies are invasives just like the zebs and the milfoil. Mille Lacs is a walleye fishery. Dont make this lake into something its not just to pad your wallets.

I find this kind of ironic since $ is the biggest reason the walleye population is managed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So Bassfishn24,

Do you believe they should open up the harvest of bass on the lake to regular state limits. If not, then you're kind of hypochrite.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Like I've said previously..I don't mind if people keep a couple fish. I just think 6 is a little ridiculous.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Unless all of you walleye guys have done extensive research on the relation of smallmouth bass to the walleye population, you need to quit acting like you are all fisheries biologists. All fishing is about money so lets get that straight. I just hope that its not a slaughterhouse like you guys make it sound like its gonna be.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Is this potential regulation change supported by solid research or politics. The walleye population changed as a result of special regulations. Keep in mind that one of a small walleye's biggest predators is it's bigger parents.

Let's not turn this into a Green Lake situation where we have people slitting SMB throats and throwing them back. Mille Lacs is considered one of the finest multi-species trophy fisheries in the midwest and one of the best SMB fisheries in the world.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's interesting that we hear about possible changes in limits or slots for smallies with limited apparent input from any Bass factions, and then to propose a 6 fish limit, rediculous and it smacks of placating the walleye whiners that have eaten their way to the current problem....I'd like to hear about some science to back up this pending rule change.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

According to DNR test nets the two most common fish preadtors are perch and walleyes, by a wide margin. Granted test nets dont measure bass and muskies very well, but both fish dont thrive in most of the lake (basin/mudflats). If preadation is a problem for yoy walleyes it is pretty logical most of it is happening in most of the lake (basin/mudflats), where the two most numerous preadtors (perch/walleyes) rule. I think liberizing bass harvest would only result in poorer max bass size and more smaller bass to fill the void. End result weaker trophy bass fishery and little to no gain for walleyes.

Just my 2 cents, and love to fish for both.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Red For your info smallies are not an invasive in the Mississippi river basin, which last time I checked Mille Lacs has a direct connection to the Miss., so I would argue that they are not invasive and would have made their way in there eventually anyway, the same can be said for muskies.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Green Lake Spicer had smalley regs (C&R except 1 over 20")for several years. Walleye fishing went down. Took off the special regs back to state wide rules walleye fishing got better.

Although Green is a different type of lake than Mille Lacs it's still a premier smalley lake. Smalley fishing is still fantastic you need a limit of all 18"+ to even cash a check in tournaments. 20-40 fish days not uncommon. Just food for thought.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Smallmouth are natural to Mille Lacs. They have been there since records exist.

The reason they came on so big in recent years are two fold. One being, obviously, they were protected from any harvest.( but harvest was never a factor before the size limits were put on them)The main factor why they have come on strong is that the walleye numbers got to a point where another fish species could grow in numbers. A fish that produces in big numbers naturally,fast, if given the right conditions. Those conditions? Every lake has the ability to carry a certain amount of life per acre. That amount is not based on fish numbers, but in pounds per acre. Combined among all species in the lake. Generally, one is always dominant in numbers over the rest. Mille Lacs was always that in the form of walleyes. But then walleye numbers went down. And down, And down. (in pounds per acre and obviously numbers) And another species, that can produce fast, took off and took up the extra room, left by the lack of, historically low numbers of walleyes. Can you say crappies at Red Lake when the walleye went down?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes so maybe the smallies filled a niche, not caused a decline. The decline was caused by over harvest.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes so maybe the smallies filled a niche, not caused a decline. The decline was caused by over harvest.

Right....but by filling that niche,they become a bigger factor in low forage base supply that is now there to start with. So, all young of the year, walleyes perch and all, are now eaten by what is still a prominent walleye population that is huge in size and appetite, along with the added smallmouth numbers, big in both numbers and size of appetite. Right now, possibly, both species is large enough in numbers and pounds per acre, to curtail any decent amount young of the year walleyes and perch making past editble size. This whole thign wil lnot be fixed in 1-2 years. Think Red Lake again?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The same could be said for what happened on Red with the Crappie Boom. They have always been there, but a few years of successful spawning coupled with the fact there were so few walleyes to compete with they thrived.

No protection for them by harvest limits and the fact that intensive stocking efforts for walleyes have occurred the population has dropped significantly.

The same could hold true if smallmouth are removed from the "protected" list.

I dont want them to get rid of smallies because there is obviously room for them to be there, but reducing the numbers would surely aid in helping the walleye population rebound. Other things need to also be done to bring the walleyes back, but allowing the harvest of smallmouth is one thing that would help.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Northender speaks the truth. I can sense a fishery science background in his posts. The large predators in the lake need to be reduced to allow the forage base to rebound. The main large predators are all the big walleyes that have been protected for years. Smallies, Muskies, and Pike fall in line behind the large walleyes as far as population numbers go but they all play a role. They all are just another mouth to feed and the forage base can only support a finite predator population. I suspect the DNR will try to knock off some smallies, muskies, and pike since their hands are tied because of the "harvest quota" on walleyes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Makes sense Superduty, but if they truly want to sustain the walleye resource then they're going to have to keep quota limits down, even after the population rebounds. Otherwise, we're going to be right back in this situation again.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have to admit that I was wrong about Smallies being invasives. Mille Lacs is on the northern edge of their natural range and they have been in there to some extent all along. Warmer water temps and the protected slots have dramatically increased their numbers. My point is, watch out! Letting them get out of hand is a Pandora's box that they my not be able to close.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

The fisherman inside of me hates to see an amazing thing like Mille Lac's world class smallmouth fishery be put in any type of danger. That said, the realist in me understands that the Mille Lacs lake area thrives off an economy driven by the walleye.

The above makes for a tough situation in itself... throw in the tribal stuff on top of it all and you really have yourself a complex problem. Nothing is ever simple with Lake Mille Lacs. All of the politics constantly surrounding it tarnish the lake's appeal IMO... it's a shame really.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.



  • Your Responses - Share & Have Fun :)

    • Brianf.
      I'm not there, so I can't tell exactly what's going on but it looks like a large area of open water developed in the last day with all of the heavy snow on the east side of wake em up Narrows. These two photos are from my Ring Camera facing north towards Niles Point.  You can see what happened with all of snow that fell in the last three days, though the open water could have been wind driven. Hard to say. .  
    • SkunkedAgain
      Black Bay had great ice before but a few spots near rockpiles where there were spots of open water. It looks like the weight of the snow has created a little lake in the middle of the bay.  
    • LakeofthewoodsMN
      On the south end...   Thanks to some cold spring weather, ice fishing continues strong for those still ice fishing.  The bite remains very good.  Most resorts have pulled their fish houses off for the year, however, some still have fish houses out and others are allowing ATV and side by sides.  Check social media or call ahead to your favorite resort for specifics. Reports this week for walleyes and saugers remain excellent.   A nice mix of jumbo perch, pike, eelpout, and an occasional crappie, tullibee or sturgeon being reported by anglers. Jigging one line and using a live minnow on the second line is the way to go.  Green, glow red, pink and gold were good colors this week.     Monster pike are on a tear!  Good number of pike, some reaching over 45 inches long, being caught using tip ups with live suckers or dead bait such as smelt and herring in 8 - 14' of water.   As always, work through a resort or outfitter for ice road conditions.  Safety first always. Fish houses are allowed on the ice through March 31st, the walleye / sauger season goes through April 14th and the pike season never ends. On the Rainy River...  The river is opened up along the Nelson Park boat ramp in Birchdale, the Frontier boat ramp and Vidas boat ramp.  This past week, much of the open water skimmed over with the single digit overnight temps.   Areas of the river have popped open again and with temps getting warmer, things are shaping up for the last stretch through the rest of the spring season, which continues through April 14th.   Very good numbers of walleyes are in the river.  Reports this week, even with fewer anglers, have been good.  When temps warm up and the sun shines, things will fire up again.   Jigs with brightly colored plastics or jigs with a frozen emerald shiner have been the desired bait on the river.  Don't overlook slow trolling crankbaits upstream as well.   Good reports of sturgeon being caught on the river as well.  Sturgeon put the feed bag on in the spring.  The bite has been very good.  Most are using a sturgeon rig with a circle hook loaded with crawlers or crawlers / frozen emerald shiners. Up at the NW Angle...  Ice fishing is winding down up at the Angle.  Walleyes, saugers, and a number of various species in the mix again this week.  The bite is still very good with good numbers of fish.  The one two punch of jigging one line and deadsticking the second line is working well.   Check with Angle resorts on transport options from Young's Bay.  Call ahead for ice road guidelines.  
    • CigarGuy
      With the drifting, kind of hard to tell for sure, but I'm guessing about a foot and still lightly snowing. Cook end!
    • PSU
      How much snow did you get on Vermilion? 
    • Mike89
      lake here refroze too...  started opening again yesterday with the wet snow and wind...  very little ice left today...
    • Hookmaster
      A friend who has a cabin between Alex and Fergus said the lake he's on refroze. He texted me a pic from March 12th when it was open and one from 23rd when it wasn't. 🤯
    • SkunkedAgain
      I don't think that there has been any ice melt in the past few weeks on Vermilion. Things looked like a record and then Mother Nature swept in again.   I'll give my revised guess of April 21st
    • leech~~
      As I get older it's really not just about sending bullets down range.  Some of it's just the workmanship of the gun and the wow factor. The other two guns I have really wanted which I'll never have now because of their price, is a 8mm Jap Nambu and 9mm German Luger.   Just thought they always looked cool!  
    • jim curlee
      I had a guy hit me with a lightly used 1969 BAR, he wanted $1650 with an older Leupold scope. More than I think they are worth, I made an offer, he declined end of story.   You know if you look at the old brochures, a grade II BAR sold for $250 in the late 60s, $1650 would be a good return on your investment.    Why would anybody want a 50 year old gun, they are heavy, have wood stocks, and blued metal.  I guess mainly to keep their gun safes glued to the floor. lol   You can probably buy a stainless rifle that you never have to clean, with a synthetic stock you never have to refinish, is as light as a feather, and for half as much money, perfect.   I'm too old for a youth gun, although I've shrunk enough that it would probably fit. lol   No Ruger 10/44s.   Jim      
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.