Pelican Draining...

[eyeguy 54]

Where do they rest now? Or are their little wings overworked??

[20lbSloughShark]

They go anywhere there is water, and geese seem to love school grounds or anywhere they can't be shot at. I completely support creating waterfowl habitat, but I disagree that pelican is the answer. I don't think destroying good fish justifies making a swamp for ducks to maybe nest in.

[hockeybc69]

Disagree all you want... the drain will happen. Move on. There is nothing you can do now to stop it.

[The Griz]

FYI regarding the topic from the DNR

http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/fish_wildlife/wildlife/areas/saukrapids/pelicanlake.pdf

[eyeguy 54]

Good info Grix. Thanks. Maybe I can go there in a few years and have a blast catching fish like now.

[little chief]

How many of you whinny fisherman have actually read the DNR literature on this? I carried a phamphlet in my blind bag all last fall so I could just hand it over when people started whining about it.

[RumRiverRat]

They go anywhere there is water, and geese seem to love school grounds or anywhere they can't be shot at. I completely support creating waterfowl habitat, but I disagree that pelican is the answer. I don't think destroying good fish justifies making a swamp for ducks to maybe nest in.

It is going to be drained, short of an act of Congress it is going to happen.

The draining will not create a swamp, Pelican is a swamp that has been allowed to get way too deep.

Pelican should never have been allowed to get this way.

It is absolutely tragic the raping and pillaging of wetlands in MN. All in the name of Ethanol and Fishing Opportunities.

The Herons and Pelicans are going to eat well once the draining commences.

[leech~~]

Well you can read the Doug Smith full page report on the last page of the Sports section of the Out Door news as this topic made the Star paper today. It may heat this topic back up.

[GIANT1]

How many of you whinny fisherman have actually read the DNR literature on this?

+1

[GIANT1]

The draining will not create a swamp, Pelican is a swamp that has been allowed to get way too deep.

Pelican should never have been allowed to get this way.

+1

[nate larson]

Glad to see the lake finally get lowered. I would love to see the lake become an electric only lake. Who wants to start the petition?

[jbell1981]

Where do they rest now? Or are their little wings overworked??

I assume this was a joke, but from the article Griz posted:

"Traveling thousands of miles each way, waterfowl need com-fortable accommodations on their spring and fall migratory flights, wetlands and shallow lakes where they can rest and feed and breed. But Minnesota has lost more than 90 percent of its wetlands and native grasslands. As habitat has disap-peared, migration patterns have shifted westward over more favorable accommodations in the Dakotas."

[fowldreams]

What about the 30000+ acre federal grassy swamp land known as the sherburne county wildlife refuge. These birds have what they need. The numbers just aren't here.

[20lbSloughShark]

Don't try reasoning, its clear they don't know what they are supporting. Yes waterfowl need more habitat, but not if it means destroying something already good. Every call I've made has made it clear it is very difficult to stop this project now. I'm just going to fish it, let it drain, and move on. No there is not another pike lake like it in the area, I'll just have to move areas.

[Juan Grande]

How many people can realistically hunt Pelican at one time? I'm not a hunter so I have no idea. Just wondering...

I do know that Pelican takes a lot of angling pressure off of other local lakes, especially during the winter months. Once it's drained, all the locals who fished Pelican regularly will need to find a new home lake.

[daylate]

"The draining will not create a swamp, Pelican is a swamp that has been allowed to get way too deep."-RRR

Pelican has always been the largest lake in wright county, we didn't allow it to get that way. It historically has been considered a lake and not a swamp.

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

[RumRiverRat]

Glad to see the lake finally get lowered. I would love to see the lake become an electric only lake. Who wants to start the petition?

I want it closed to all human activity for at least 20 years.

[jbell1981]

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

I would question the means and methods used to get that figure in 1915 and would not hold that as gospel. Recorded water levels and the first aerial photos from the 40's do not support this. Not to mention that if it got much higher than it did in 2011 it would breach the watershed.

Also, when was the 2793 figure taken or is it based on the ohw? I just did a quick area check with some imagining software I have and come up with 4300 acres (including islands). This is a very rough number and is based on 2011 imagery.

[Hester]

I like turtles!

[little chief]

I like turtles!

+1

[GIANT1]

Pelican has always been the largest lake in wright county, we didn't allow it to get that way. It historically has been considered a lake and not a swamp.

IMO pelican is a swamp you can put lake behind the name but its still a swamp

just like swartouts or henshaw or white and a lot of other wright county bodys of water call them what you like but they are swamps !!!!!

[eyeguy 54]

MN,,, the land of 5000 lakes and 5000 swamps.

[Dylan33]

maybe this is a stupid question, but wouldn't "nature" take care of returning the lake to its "natural" level?

If not, maybe this is the new normal and we should leave the lake alone.

Humans built farms around the lake, and roads through it, and then humans complain that the road and fields get flooded?

Can someone please tell me what I am missing?

[daylate]

Jbell, Excellent point. It would appear that Pelican is at its historical natural high water level.

Hey Eyeguy nice comment. If every lake similar to Pelican were drained we would loose most of our prairie lakes! But duck hunting would be awesome!

[jigginjim]

FOR RRR) Hey Jim stay classy! ANWSER: Always am.

You must be a real pleasure to pay to share a boat with. ANWSER:My clients have a great time. Plus What other guide, offers a NO FISH, NO FEE?

Pelican needs to be drained. Allowing the lake to become what it has is an absolute tragedy. ANWSER: A typical lake way over fished in winter. Meat hogs only keeping the largest fishing the lake. Complaining about small fish while catching 8-9inch Crappies, 7-8inch gills and the lack of 32plus inch pike. Sounds like UPPER RED LAKE, just saying.

When a tip up tournament with 72 people results in one 5 pound Pike I would say that is an awesome Pike fishery. ANWSER: Who really knows where they were fishing. I'm sure there are a lot of people the set out a large group of tip-up and not get a hit. I do know if your fishing suckers less than 8" your success is going to be limited. PLus this year the ice being much thicker, I have seen so many people fishing parts of the lake that is only 6-71/2 ft. there are few fish in those areas. If you find the small deeper holes you have just found mini gold mines.

Last winter, I fished the pond west of 117, 9-10ft of water, I was all alone nobody even stopped to ask if I was catching anything? I limited out on very large crappies. I don't have luck posting pic on here, or I would post numbers of pictures.

RRR< I'm offering you a trip to fish the Mississippi R. in Red Wing this Spring, if your willing. Staying Classy

[20lbSloughShark]

No lack of pike under 32" it is the best lake in the area, that is a fact. My favorite spot on the lake, the majority of holes are about 5' deep, maybe a little less now that the ice is thicker. Not very many panfish come through, probably because the pike seem to just patrol the area and take anything. I agree, they had to be way off the fish to only get one pike for that many people. Maybe in a bay that is now cut off from the rest of the lake because of thick ice? I agree there are much better crappie lakes. Not much choice for sunfish or perch, you just have to pick through them. I was just on a lake in the area that had I think 7 houses on it. I went out, I wan't even by the houses (off the plowed road) and limited for crappie. I also released a bunch of smaller ones, as well as plenty of sunfish and perch. I even got 33" pike. It will be a sad day to see pelican go. Hopefully it serves its purpose well.

[jigginjim]

20lb were you in Horseshoe lake about two week ago Saturday? I was talking with two guys Brainard, that drove down to fish the catfish but didn't have much luck.

[GIANT1]

STOP THE MADNESS AND WHINNING !!!!!

[creepworm]

20lb were you in Horseshoe lake about two week ago Saturday? I was talking with two guys Brainard, that drove down to fish the catfish but didn't have much luck.

Why would 20lb be on Horseshoe? Pelican is the best lake. That is a fact.

[jigginjim]

CATFISH..