New Regs?

[Sportland_Bait]

The more that I read about this disaster, the more it looks like the way the DNR has fumbled through the deer management. By that I mean they are trying too hard. I think it needs to be simplified. Smallmouth and pike management will not save the walleyes. It does let anglers keep a few more fish to eat. Maybe that pleases a few? I believe the lake is changing a little. Maybe it will not support a gigantic population of walleyes anymore. Maybe it is more suited for a balanced population of walleyes, pike, and smallies. In my opinion they should open up the limit. Let anglers keep a few fish in the 20s. I am no biologist but I think this would reduce the competition for baitfish. Maybe the younger year classes have a better chance of survival. Treaty management makes this situation impossible to take care of.

Jason Erlandson

[Chris Barlage]

I think that their is a few things that we can all agree on.

1. The amount of male walleyes to female walleyes is very lob sided.

2. Their is a good population of 20+ inch walleyes in the lake putting a strain on the limited amount of food in the lake.

3. Their is a lot of competition from big fish for the same forage base.

4. Drastic change needs to happen if the true goal is to rebound the walleye population.

5. The netting is not helping the situation.

I would encourage all of you reading this and posting to this to enact your own drastic change. If you are fishing for walleyes make it c&r only for yourself. Don't keep 1 walleye. Because we can also agree that the hook mortality of the fish is not having a negative impact on the amount of small walleyes. You can point all the fingers you want, I have done my far share of pointing but the fact remains that their are a lot of big fish eating the same things in that lake. The lake will only handle so many big fish. Why are we not talking about adding more food to the system as a solution. How about protecting the food that is in that lake already. I know in years past we had great perch fishing not its not so great. Don't walleyes eat perch. Maybe we should have protected them better. 2 big sources of food in that lake are also targeted fish. Perch and tullies. So I say again if you want to enact change to the lake to try and save the walleyes enact your own change. Don't take the food for the fish out of the lake. Don't take the walleyes out of the lake. A little decrease in that competition of the big fish for all that food cant be a bad thing. Maybe a little decrease in big fish would not be a bad thing either. How many trophy fish can one lake handle. I think that we have proven that that number has been passed by in this lake.

[CaptainMusky]

I would encourage all of you reading this and posting to this to enact your own drastic change. If you are fishing for walleyes make it c&r only for yourself. Don't keep 1 walleye.

No, if you really want to help the walleyes do not fish for them period. C&R isnt helping. It is adding to the mortality. You want to help the walleyes, dont fish there period. Based on the changes they made, this is really the only thing that will make any difference. Increasing the limits of pike and bass will not make any difference because so few are kept. Maybe they should net some of them out like they net rough fish out of some lakes if they are really concerned about it. Then use them to restock some of the lakes that had complete winter kills??

[mrklean]

Because we can also agree that the hook mortality of the fish is not having a negative impact on the amount of small walleyes.

So only big fish die from hooking mortality the small gut hooked fish, fish dragged from 25+ feet in the heat of the summer don't die? Glad you were able to clear that up. When hooking mortality is 2-3 times the actual harvest rate that is an issue

[Michael L]

If they opened up the slot and let you keep any two fish, the lake is toast. Look how much fish those launches would smash out of there. It could,in theory, be helpful to take out some larger fish but it would be used and abused by all and now you don't have any good amounts of any size fish.

[Chris Barlage]

So only big fish die from hooking mortality the small gut hooked fish, fish dragged from 25+ feet in the heat of the summer don't die? Glad you were able to clear that up. When hooking mortality is 2-3 times the actual harvest rate that is an issue

I guess I have made to broad of a statement for your liking. As I have fished the lake in the past and have never once seen a small fish floating on the surface I made a statement without considering all aspects of hook mortality. From my own observations I see most of the hook mortality taking larger fish. I also made the statement off the fact that the DNR keeps saying that they cant get a strong year class of smaller walleyes to take hold I did not attribute that to people gut hooking those fish. But thanks for the input I can see that you have greatly added to this discussion.

[CaptainMusky]

If they opened up the slot and let you keep any two fish, the lake is toast. Look how much fish those launches would smash out of there. It could,in theory, be helpful to take out some larger fish but it would be used and abused by all and now you don't have any good amounts of any size fish.

the fatal flaw in your argument is that once the quota is reached the walleye harvest is done. It doesn't matter if you have 10,000 4# walleyes or 40,000 1# walleyes harvested its closed. You won't kill the lake by harvesting more adult walleyes. They have already said there is an overabundance of them.

You don't see small fish floating because they go home in someone's live well if they are lucky enough to catch one.

[Fowlmouth]

Maybe a dumb question, but how does the DNR determine when the quota is reached?

[maxpower17]

Must read:

http://www.perm.org/pdfs/TreatyManagement.pdf

Anyone read it?

[laker1]

It was a report that had some good points but some of the statements were will say lacking the facts or mis-statements which when hired that was some of his objective. Don't get me wrong he made some good points,but you check into it some things were wrong or streched a little bit.

[maxpower17]

Quota shmota. Name one benefit the "quota" has provided for the lake over the past 10 years.

Ok, so the smallies, muskies and pike have benefitted.

[Chris Barlage]

So here is a question. Whats the better way to measure a safe harvest limit. Weight of fish or numbers of fish. Sounds like maybe numbers is a better way to figure harvest limits?

[maxpower17]

It was a report that had some good points but some of the statements were will say lacking the facts or mis-statements which when hired that was some of his objective. Don't get me wrong he made some good points,but you check into it some things were wrong or streched a little bit.

Was it an accurate prediction? It called out exactly what would lead to a crash.

It makes much more sense than anything the DNR has ever provided us.

[Redlineracer12]

You won't kill the lake by harvesting more adult walleyes. They have already said there is an overabundance of them.

You don't see small fish floating because they go home in someone's live well if they are lucky enough to catch one.

Strongly disagree. There is no overabundance of them, it's just that's all that is left in the lake. 2012/2013 seasons you could catch them easily because there was a shortage of bait fish. That is not to be confused with a high number of fish, they were just hungry. If there were truly a lot of big fish left in the lake the fall/winter bites would have been MUCH better.

I released several unders last year, and GASP even some keeper sized fish. I'll be out again this summer; C&R only if I manage to drag in a walleye. I saw a few dead eyes last summer and they were all in the 23-26" range.

[H2O Milfoil]

Dick Sternberg is a professional fisheries biologist and a heckuva fisherman. He used to work for the DNR, then In-Fisherman, but as an independent voice out there, not obligated to voice the DNR parrotmouth lines, he gives probably the best, most objective, most analytical presentation to date. I've been watching him for many years and he is straight on! I stand with him. Go for it Dick!

[CaptainMusky]

Yeah no overabundance at all I trust ONE fisherman's observations over what dnr test nettings show. SMH

Why do you suppose there is nothing to eat? Only fish of similar size compete for the same forage base.

[walleye18]

posted about it in the past and its all coming true.

The issues with the lake started when the netting and spearing began - data from the DNR and changes in limits/slots all really started back then. That cannot be disputed!

RIP Mille Lacs. It will never be the same. Sad, Sad deal.

Good job DNR and Native Tribes that participated in the demise of the lake. You proved again that you cannot take care of the resource and manage it wisely....just like what happened on Red Lake - until "Joe Public" restocked it with taxpayer dollars.

Prayers for the business that will lose everything in the area around the lake.

[river rat316]

That is the same data the DNR used to convince the resort owners to stock the lake in the first place, now they are showing us smoke and mirrors and they wonder why the public is losing faith in them.

Smallies have always been in Mille Lacs, there never has been a "stocking"

[Red Miller]

IMO, and I have said it in the past, a two fish, any size limit. But I have another twist. Two fish and you are done. No culling, no C&R, no hooking mortality. The first two is what you get. The you put the walleye gear away. (remove all terminal tackle that is obvious walleye) It would be enforceable with a quick check of the livewell and what the fishermem have tied on any rod when stopped.

Reach safe harvest and then close the lake for walleye.

[castmaster]

IMO, and I have said it in the past, a two fish, any size limit. But I have another twist. Two fish and you are done. No culling, no C&R, no hooking mortality. The first two is what you get. The you put the walleye gear away. (remove all terminal tackle that is obvious walleye) It would be enforceable with a quick check of the livewell and what the fishermem have tied on any rod when stopped.

Reach safe harvest and then close the lake for walleye.

Ok, so I have a jig and plastics on the end of my line....bass or walleye? I have a crankbait on the end of my line...bass or walleye. I have a slip bobber and leech set up...bass or walleye?

Should I continue?? Talk about an enforcement nightmare. No different than the unethical early season "pike" anglers that we all know are bass fishing. Thing is a spinnerbait is also an effective pike lure, so how is a CO to prove what the intent of those anglers is?

[Red Miller]

True, its about as enforceable as 90% of the other laws. Anywhere there is a law, there is someone who will successfully break it. It would be tough in some situations but other situations not. Drifting the sand in the spring? Deep gravel with a leech and slip-gig, mud flats, etc? I have fished these areas for 30 years and only caught walleyes.

[JP Z]

Here is some interesting info I found in an article by the Bemidji Pioneer.

This past winter season, which ended Feb. 22, anglers harvested an estimated 470 pounds of walleyes, down from 18,000 pounds the winter before. The winter harvest often foretells the summer walleye harvest. DNR officials expect anglers to harvest about 35,000 pounds of walleyes this summer, well below the safe allotment limit.

Here is the article.

http://www.bemidjipioneer.com/content/mi...n-night-fishing

[pushbutton]

Unless all the small perch that hatched two years ago have been eaten, resulting in people catching more, resulting in people actually fishing more.....am sure the "formula" for determining the state's catch quota will work out just fine

[JP Z]

The number that STUCK for me was the 470lb estimate for this last winter....I was just hoping that was a typo. But from the folks I've talked to who fished this winter I don't think it is.

[pushbutton]

Remenber that number is used in part to determine this years number. Wish they could do my taxes....the numbers always seem to work out

[MahtowaDave]

Agree with Kyhl,

A wound has to bleed to clot and eventually heal. Lets get the healing going and not half butt it.

[pushbutton]

While I would think many of us fisherman agree, political reality is that they are slowly going to peel away the local economy band aid....

[MahtowaDave]

Good point.

[Mike #1]

Smallies have always been in Mille Lacs, there never has been a "stocking"

[Bandersnatch]

"This past winter season, which ended Feb. 22, anglers harvested an estimated 470 pounds of walleyes, down from 18,000 pounds the winter before. The winter harvest often foretells the summer walleye harvest. DNR officials expect anglers to harvest about 35,000 pounds of walleyes this summer, well below the safe allotment limit."

Well.

Isn't that special.

Not a word about the crappy conditions this winter that kept many anglers off of the lake for the entire season.

I guess this is a Poster Child article for just how you can make numbers appear just about any way you wish to.

"There are lies, damned lies and statistics."-Mark Twain