It's official -- Pelican Lake (St Michael)

[fishgutz77]

I can see em now fellas

Divers, puddlers, and cans... ohhhh myyy!

Maybe the 2017 season holds some real promise

[Bass4life]

10 years from now when gas is 8 bucks a gallon, the common man won't be able to afford fishing or hunting, so let our wonderful government do what they want with it. Yes, I'm bitter.

[RumRiverRat]

further more I think duck hunting in Mn should be closed for at least 5 years and re assessed from there. The ducks are on the verge of extinction. Close the gall darn season. maybe a for a decade

Do you want this more than you want 75 cents a gallon gas?

You sure seem to have a lot of ideas that have no foundation in reality.

[JackPineGuy]

no

[Markula]

If where the lake is now is "unnatural", wouldn't it go back to it's natural levels eventually- and in turn, bring the ducks back?

The problem is the current state of the lake did not occur naturally. Human influence caused the high water. It will not/can not sort itself out.

As for fish vs. ducks, the fish would likely benefit from a draw down as well. A healthier lake is a good thing.

Drain it!!

[tolle141]

They're dropping water levels 11 feet to kill the fish, then raising it back up 8 feet and running massive pumps to maintain that?

Why don't they just drop it 3 feet, make it a better duck lake while still leaving some type of "un-managed" fishery, and focus efforts on making some of the other shallow lakes easier to access? Lots of big, shallow slough lakes in that Rockford - Buffalo - Monticello triangle that have no fish and provide thousands of acres of ideal duck habitat.

[daylate]

According to the "History of Wright County, Minnesota" published in 1915 and written by Franklyn Curtiss-Wedge Pelican lake was originally much larger than it is today.

On page 5 under "Surface Features" he states that Pelican Lake covers about 6 square miles or 3840 acres. Today the DNR lists the lake size at 2793 or about 1000 (25%) acres smaller than it originally was.

Check it out for yourselves:

http://archive.org/stream/historyofwrightc01curt#page/4/mode/2up

So for those of you who argue that it should be drained to its historic levels I suggest you do a little more research. It has historically been the largest lake in Wright County.

[badfisherman]

I used to be strongly supposed to the draining of pelican lake. Now not as much as ive done some pondering. Honestly I think they should restore the wetlands around pelican lake and it would fix itself. They are trying but on a limited level in my mind. Pelican lake has always been a frequent winter kill lake in the past and most of the fish would dy off every few years naturally. This quit happening and the fish population exploded. Fishing was fantastic and everybody loved it. Since then fishing had gone down hill dramatically. Have u been on the lake lately? Good luck catching a 10" sunny. In not saying they arn't in the lake anymore. But many people took piles of nice sunnies and crappies from the lake. Now the water is turbid and the fishing is ok. If the lake could be restored to its natural balance again it could be great for ducks and fish! In my opinion that lake could use another winter kill. It's got way more stunted sunnies than it can handle. If it were just reset the quality of the fishing and hunting could go back up in the long run.

[bb2323]

I have been fishing the lake since the early 90's, longer than many on here, and have experienced many exceptional days out there. Back then it was great as very few knew about it. The fishing now is a far cry from what it was even just a few years ago. You can still find some decent fishing here and there but not like it once was. One of the reasons for the great fishing in the mid to late 2000's was the lake winter killed in 2001, usually not all the fish die in a winter kill, so it created great growing conditions for the offspring of those that made it. Coupled with the fact that there was very little fishing pressure after the winter kill it created the perfect situation for growth. The lake was very close to winter kill 2 years ago also, spring came early enough and it made it. The other thing that's happening is a combination of runoff and bullheads causing water quality issues. I took my boat out there in late September 2 years ago and in most lakes the wake looks white, not here, it was a bright green color. What that does is doesn't allow the sunlight to penetrate the water restricting many of the benificial plants from growing.

I also hunt the lake and I still do decent out there and shoot ducks but it's not what it was even 5 years ago. To those of you that say there's no flyway here definitely don't understand waterfowl migration. Ducks don't just migrate straight north and south. In fact many diver species like canvasbacks migrate to the east coast area. Look at a map and draw a line from northern ND and southern Manitoba to Lake Cristina, Pelican, the pools on the Mississippi, to Cheasapeke Bay area on the east coast. Many other ducks also migrate through here but don't stay long. The 2 main reasons are lack of food because of degraded wetlands and too much hunting pressure. Just last year I shot green winged teal, ringnecks, gadwall, widgeon, buffleheads, bluebills, canvasbacks, a pintail, and saw redheads and goldeneyes although I didn't shoot any last year. I don't bring this up to brag, anyone can do the same if they put in the time, the reason I do is because these ducks have 1 thing in common, none of them nest around here, they all come from somewhere else. The thing I've noticed the last few years is that the flocks of ducks would come in and would leave right away, and no one was bothering them. Normally they would loaf out in the middle but the food just isn't there anymore. What the drawdown will do is kill off the fish, especially need the bullheads killed off but will kill off the gamefish also, and will alow plants to grow on the exposed lake bed. After this happens and the lake is brought back up all those plants are flooded and the ducks have the food they need, I've seen this happen 1st hand as they do this every 4 years or so in the Sherburne refuge just north of here and when they do the hunting is exceptional for several years, the ducks definitely show up. With that said they need to control the hunting pressure also but I don't think the DNR has what it takes to do that. Ideally there would be no hunting after noon or 1pm all year, giving the ducks time to rest. They use the excuse that it would keep some kids from hunting but I say it would actually keep more kids hunting as there would actually be more opportunities for them to get some shooting when they do go out. Refuge part of the lake, limit the number of hunters per day, etc. could also work. The more important reason for doing this is for the ducks migrating back through in the spring. What the USFWS is finding in studies they're doing with scaup is that they're getting to the nesting grounds in poor shape which is affecting egg laying. The main reason for this is the lack of quality food in the wetlands. Even more than in the fall the lake will be covered with ducks in the spring as they're migrating through.

Now obviously by now you know my position on the draw down which I fully support. The DNR has also said they're not opposed to stocking panfish, bass, and northerns back in when they bring it back up, think of the fast growth that happened before. There'll be some years of outstanding fishing and some busts. For those of you that don't know it yet, there are MANY good fishing lakes in both Wright and Sherburne counties. Many are right under your nose and don't even know it. I've caught crappies over 15" with many in the 11" - 12" range on a lake right in Big Lake, we'll keep it quiet, but yes Hwy 10 runs right by it and another lake connects to it, good luck in the summer with the pleasure boaters though. I was on another Sherburne county lake a week and half ago and caught well over 150 sunfish, many in the 9" range and a few approaching 10", I kept 10 and released the rest. The 2 16" crappies I have on the wall came from a different Sherburne county lake. A big lake in Wright county is going great for both crappies and sunnies right now. Point being is there are plenty of fishing lakes close by. As far as money goes it's not about $$. Most businesses won't be affected and believe it or not Monticello, Buffalo, and St. Michael will continue to exist after the draw down. It'll hurt the hardware store in St. Michael a bit but I'm sure they'll just adjust their inventory to a bit more hardware related stuff. The bait shop in Monti may have to cater a bit more to the river fishermen and those going west of town but if I were them I would be more worried about the rumors of Fleet Farm coming to Monti. And to all you fishermen out there that fish Pelican.....who do you think purchased all those public lands you access the lake from...yep you may want to thank a duck hunter the next time you see one! Happy fishing everyone!!

[dfv87]

Enough of this fisherman vs. duck hunters riff raff! Drain the lake and turn one half into a fancy golf course, and the other half into a housing development!

Yeah now those 2 options have done well the past 5 years... LOL.

Fair enough I am out of the argument, this is a fair compromise...

[jigginjim]

I really wonder when the lake last winter killed? for the size of the fish that were caught even 5 to 7yrs ago shows the lakes has not had a winter kill for several years. 10 plus lb Northerns don't grow that big in just 5 years. Since the lake is not a managed fishery who really knows when it last died to completely? Normally the last fish to die would be bullheads. If the water is drawn down like they say, it will be weedy as all h#ll. have fun even trying to move around.

[GIANT1]

Drain Baby Drain!

+1

[WallyGader]

Could care less what they do with the lake, just wish they would spend the money elsewhere(DNR or DU). I agree with rrr, if they feel the need to waste the money than make it a refuge, NO hunting, than maybe you will see some more birds out there.

[gp13581]

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[jigginjim]

If draining and killing the fish is going to help clear the water, I really don't see it happening for the size and depth of this lake. Maybe it could help if all the small sloughs around the lake were not being drained into the lake.

If the bee bee brains, would really think, they could lower the lake 4ft, which would get more weeds for ducks. To kill off the fish do it same as DNR does to reclaim other lakes. Spray the with poison that only kills the fish. The bait dealers would do this to clear fish off minnow ponds.

A whole lot cheaper, then they need to get freshwater shrimp added back into the lake for the divers, as several of these ducks do eat shrimp.

That could be why the fish got really small and ducks don't stop very long the prime food is gone. Also having a better access to lake just add to the problem. I have only duck hunted once on Pelican, but fished it alot. I see areas that I'm sure ducks would decoy into, but nobody sits there. Everyone said "you have to hunt the south end of the lake", why?

Maybe if fishermen would be willing clean and eat the bullheads, (some will run 12-14"long) it would help also.

[leech~~]

I can see em now fellas

Divers, puddlers, and cans... ohhhh myyy!

Maybe the 2017 season holds some real promise

Wow all that from one little swamp? At the cost of a millon or more good fish! I wish all the other Duck projects they have going on and have spent so much on all over the USA and Canada would have the effect that this one little pond will have!

[stretch]

but you have to remember pelican lake is a designated waterfowl lake. besides there are better lakes in the area with less pressure.

[jigginjim]

but you have to remember pelican lake is a designated waterfowl lake. besides there are better lakes in the area with less pressure.

I don't understand better lakes in the area. for what? hunting /fishing As a waterfowl lake there should a max. motor size and travel speed. Lake Lillian is a designated waterfowl lake, resting area. Why not go the same route here? Its because the guys that push this project the most, don't want to be limited on how they can hunt. 18ft boat, 75hp motor on a duck boat. During the nesting season, the whole lake could be no wake area within 300ft of any shoreline.

This could help the nesting, plus slow some of the traffic, but after mid June not that many people fish the lake. the lake weeds get so thick it can be tough to get around.

[RumRiverRat]

Drain Baby Drain!

[fishuhalik]

I'm with the "drain it and turn it into a refuge" crowd. Well, kind of. Close it til the last 4 weekends of the season, then make it no motorized travel with a limited number of hunters. Just spitballing here, but make it a lottery. Open it to 5-10 groups per day. The lottery happens the week prior. Pay $5, if your name gets drawn you get an email with a code on it that you show to an officer at the landing in the morning. Might help pay for some of the draw down costs...thoughts?

[jigginjim]

I like that idea, could even just make the lake 5hp motors and below, or no wake zone for everybody. If really shallow areas could have a little more fill in them the cattails and other grasses could grow.

Would rather see wild rice planted in waters less than 3ft. Think how many more ducks would come to the lake. Slot size the panfish for 5 years, all 7 ½to 9" sunfish or 8 to 11" crappie release/NO KILL. Every body wins!

[Huntin&Fishin]

I'm with Jim!

[JBMasterAngler]

WHOA! WHOA! WHOA! WHOA! You guys are starting to make too much sense now You guys better take it down a couple notches, otherwise this thread will get locked up!

[fishuhalik]

If they want it to be a waterfowl stopping area, they need to shut it down to motorized boats completely. It's simple. Ducks won't build up on lakes that have traffic. Itd be even better if they made people stay close to the shoreline so they don't spook any rafts.

[RumRiverRat]

Drain Baby Drain!

[Igor Drackenwolf]

I think they should dam it up, stock it with crappies, bluegills, northerns, largemouth, and muskies, build two new nice double concrete ramps at each end of the lake, drop a couple crappie-cribs, put a 300HP limit on boats, and spend a few thousand on a public relations campaign to encourage fishing.

Ducks taste yukky.

[bassfisher123]

They should leave the lake alone water levels will drop in droughts we just have had semi wet year they are having the same problem in devils lake, but there situation is much worse. DNR should add a nice ramp, fishing pier stock pike bass crappie, Muskie and leave the lake alone. The DNR has done this to other lakes, they just take most of water out of the lake, but if carp or bullhead get into that they have to do it all over, in my mine leave it alone or your going to have spend a lot money for a duck lake, which there are plenty of those out west, they should lower water levels 1-3 feet but besides that they should nothing.

[jigginjim]

All you should have been writing state officials 2-3yrs ago. The state just elected to spend a couple million to drain it for the duckies. Just hope the duck boys are correct in their saying it will bring back lots of duck.

I need something to kill.... at least I can almost eat duck..

[jentz]

All the WPAs in Kandiyohi I have tried to hunt are DEAD! These fellows come in drain,dam and create life less waters rimed with invasive species.These ponds are dead muck filled with fertilizers,herbicides,pesticides from run off.I walk them spring and summer, few have hen ducks with broods!! Seems the ducks avoid these man helped along waters.They destroyed all the Pheasant,song bird,deer habitat amd manage for ducks that dont use the waters!!

[jigginjim]

BUT they say they know what ducks should want? Lots and lots of weeds and a spot (100 ft circle of water) to be shot at by hunters...

If lowering the water is an issue, dam up the drainage ditches going into the lake. Go to Flash Earth zoom in to the lake to see all the ditches. GEEE why does the lake rise up so much DUH! Next the state will tax sportsmen for adding a drain pipe. That would make more scense, OH thats right can't have that.. it's a goverment project..