Spearing on Mille Lacs next winter

[walleye18]

Is that whats going to be required from fisherman if they are fortunate enough to catch/harvest 10 pike from the lake?

All I can say to that is...WOW!

[GravelBar]

That's been in the regs for years.

[jentz]

WHY?? Why take that many notherns anyway? I eat them and like them better than eyes,Sunnies my fav.What would a person do with 10 nords?Stick them in a freezer till they are freezerburnt,Then toss them?

[walleye18]

Guys....my point is the 10 fish limit will create a mess for enforcement.

I dont keep gators...ever. But like I mentioned - with the 10 fish limit people could abuse the law and go else whare to catch those 10 fish and say they caught them on Mille Lacs.

Having a receipt from a local business....I dont think that would hold up in court.

When I was fishing Mille Lacs a bunch we would drive thru Brainerd, get gas and bait and that was all the $$ we spent for the day. We launched at public locations.

Now "if" someone goes there and keeps a bunch of snakes/scissor bills, they need to have receipts to prove they were in the Mille Lacs general area?.....sounds very tough for a fine to stick if it were taken to court and contested

[Search Function]

WHY?? Why take that many notherns anyway? I eat them and like them better than eyes,Sunnies my fav.What would a person do with 10 nords?Stick them in a freezer till they are freezerburnt,Then toss them?

Lots of people like to pickle their northerns.

[Kyhl]

The Night ban will not benefit the lake in any way as it was originally set in place to protected the big females which is done with the slots.

It may however bring profit to the resort owners that have a good beverage selection which in turn may provide a bit more income for the counties of the surrounding area due to DUI's.

I disagree. The night ban has pushed me off the lake and I have chosen to go elsewhere this year. I will still do a trip or two to visit a friend up there but I will not be doing other solo trips where I used to stay at a resort and eat at restaurants. Those are dollars lost to the community because of the night ban.

I was more than happy to C&R the lake from afternoon through the night. Most of the allure for me was the evening fishing then returning late for a beer after midnight or later. Without that, I plan to go somewhere else this year.

[JBMasterAngler]

Keeping 10 pike on a different lake, then telling the DNR you caught them on mille lacs is no different that keeping 6 walleyes on mille lacs, but telling the DNR you caught them somewhere else. Lawbreakers are going to break the law regardless.

[Kyhl]

Keeping 10 pike on a different lake, then telling the DNR you caught them on mille lacs is no different that keeping 6 walleyes on mille lacs, but telling the DNR you caught them somewhere else. Lawbreakers are going to break the law regardless.

Where you replying to me?

[tat2jonnie]

I disagree. The night ban has pushed me off the lake and I have chosen to go elsewhere this year. I will still do a trip or two to visit a friend up there but I will not be doing other solo trips where I used to stay at a resort and eat at restaurants. Those are dollars lost to the community because of the night ban.

I was more than happy to C&R the lake from afternoon through the night. Most of the allure for me was the evening fishing then returning late for a beer after midnight or later. Without that, I plan to go somewhere else this year.

Do me a favor, will ya,buddy? Take a few minutes and call or drop an e-mail to the local State Rep. Sondra Erickson and say what you just posted on here?

It proves our case.

Representative Sondra Erickson ® District: 15A* 209 State Office Building

100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

Saint Paul, Minnesota 55155

Phone: 651-296-6746 or 800-709-0578

Or E-mail: [email protected]

[JBMasterAngler]

Kyhl, no, it was more so to what walleye18 said.

[Orlip]

You could use the same argument with walleye.

[mallardnwalleye]

It is a no brainer to allow spearing. It is a walleyecentric lake. The resorts and 80% of the fishing is based on the walleyes. Pike eat walleye and compete for forage. Remove slots on the pike and get rid of them.

I will be up there to spear some if they do.

I can't wait!

[fishuhalik]

Here's a crazy idea. Turn the slots, limits, night bans etc etc back to exactly what they were when the fishing was good. Obviously that was working. As soon as slots & different limits were introduced, the lake went to pot. Apparently, the lake can handle its own without our interference. Go figure...

[JBMasterAngler]

Anyone catch a limit of pike this weekend?

[Stick in Mud]

I got one!!!

[merkman]

If you look at the survey numbers from recent assessments, the numbers of small pike are off the charts compared to what the lake has had historically. Someone earlier in this thread mentioned ML becoming another hammerhandle factory if they open up spearing. That's happening already. I think increasing the pike harvest (spearing or otherwise...regardless of method, harvest is harvest) is one of the few ways the DNR can do something to counter that.

Thank you Robb for actually admitting what many have been saying all along...

Neither Slot limits or darkhouse spearing bans are the magic bullet for "hammerhandle" lakes.

I fully agree that more and more restrictions on harvest are not necessarily going to get a better fishery.

Good to hear people like you coming out and stating the obvious rather than "towing the summer time only catch and release line"

Kudos to you!!!

-Merk

[pitchn]

I think we are all missing the root of the problem of to few walleyes. Human Beings are taking to many fish at the wrong time of the year. We can blame pike, zebs, water fleas, slip bobbers, climate change and just about everything else, and now they will divide fishermen by coming up with knee jerk reactions buy the DNR. Hoping to pass the blame on to another species of fish..They know whats wrong, just can't fix it and can't say so..