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New Regs?


Red Miller

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

Started a little late, but not much. Except for fishing the mud most resort roads were still up and running. I will agree that 2012/2013 season ice conditions were better than average though and travel was pretty much wide open anywhere even with wheelhouses.

The poor fishing is what kept a lot of anglers off the lake for the entire season...

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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.

So if you live two three hours from the lake you go out get lucky and find them right away. You catch two walleyes in the first half hour your done and drive back home who wants to do that?
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So if you live two three hours from the lake you go out get lucky and find them right away. You catch two walleyes in the first half hour your done and drive back home who wants to do that?

A) people that want to see the lake come back for Walleyes.

and

B) people that can figure out how to fish for more than just Walleyes in a single day.

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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!

WE LOVE Dick!

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Reply to Bandersnarch:

I never said anything about not wanting to see walleyes make a comeback. If that rule was in place a lot more walleyes would actually be taken from the lake. And the poundage quota would be hit by the end of june if not earlier. Which would mean you couldn't even go fishing for walleyes the rest of the year since c&r wouldn't be allowed. And the reason the dnr didn't change walleye regs is because there are hardly any 18" to 20" fish left pretty safe move for them in my opinion. And as far as targeting other fish just not a fan plus every lake has bass and pike if wanted to catch them I can drive ten minutes and do it. I just don't want to be told what to fish for its like telling the guy who has liked ford mustangs all his life that ford isn't going to make as many mustangs next year so you should start to drive camaros. With that said I don't care if I keep fish or not on mille lacs. I will still go up there spend money in the area and fish. C&r is fine with me whatever helps the lake.

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eyechoholic,

That is the point of 2 fish and you are done.

Look at the hooking mortality numbers.

Under straight C&R the HM numbers are 3X the "allowable safe harvest".

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I'm just thinking the season would be pretty short if people were keeping 4 -5# fish the quota would be met pretty fast. And I have a hard time believing the dnrs hook mortality rates or any numbers they come up with. Just my opinion.

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I think everyone will be surprised in a few years. I fish many lakes for walleyes, including mille lacs, and its still in my top 5. Many many 24-26 inchers, quit a few 28+ and yes, you'll break that 30" mark on this lake. As for keepers, u should have no problem getting a limit plus, in a good days worth. The only problem, which the DNR should be focusing on are the perch.

They should have, Instead of the night band, closed down perch fishing (or at least keeping perch) for a few years. The more bait fish, the better for all species. With more perch, the less yearlings will get eaten. Even though people like to target perch, typically march, most people and businesses would be less effected by a no perch limit.

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And as far as targeting other fish just not a fan plus every lake has bass and pike if wanted to catch them I can drive ten minutes and do it.
The same can be said about walleye. The thing is Mille Lacs has numbers the and size that no other area lake can match for smallies, pike, and walleye's. That is why the big water is such a draw for those seeking all three.
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Mille lacs will come back in time,the 1960's they said Mille lacs is dead and done for.

Remember when the flats were too far out to fish in boats because they were not big enough. Quite a fish refuge back than.

Yes smallmouth bass were present back 50 years ago,but in very small numbers. It is interesting you look across much of the state in the last decade smallmouth bass population has exploded in areas found and numbers. Look at northeastern Minnesota.

It is time to slacken restrictions on some species in Mille lacs. Northern pike and smallmouth should be the same as statewide.

Tribal netting is a problem that is hard to adjust for and it is a headache most DNR employees never thought they would have to deal with when going into this field.

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Reply to Bandersnarch:

And as far as targeting other fish just not a fan plus every lake has bass and pike if wanted to catch them I can drive ten minutes and do it. I just don't want to be told what to fish for its like telling the guy who has liked ford mustangs all his life that ford isn't going to make as many mustangs next year so you should start to drive camaros. With that said I don't care if I keep fish or not on mille lacs. I will still go up there spend money in the area and fish. C&r is fine with me whatever helps the lake.

I am quite sure there are also plenty of lakes with walleye in them you pass by on your way to the pond as well.

People act like this is the only lake in the state were one can fish eyes! Spend some time on the pond fishing trophy smallmouths, skis, pike etc. Fish the perch, hit the spring crappie bite etc. if your intent on patronizing area businesses.

Catch and keep your walleyes off another lake. Really that tough??

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Mille lacs will come back in time,the 1960's they said Mille lacs is dead and done for.

You cannot in any capacity compare 1960's Mille lacs to current day Mille lacs.

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I am quite sure there are also plenty of lakes with walleye in them you pass by on your way to the pond as well.

People act like this is the only lake in the state were one can fish eyes! Spend some time on the pond fishing trophy smallmouths, skis, pike etc. Fish the perch, hit the spring crappie bite etc. if your intent on patronizing area businesses.

Catch and keep your walleyes off another lake. Really that tough??

Wait what? You mean there are OTHER lakes with walleye in them?!

I haven't met very many walleye fishermen who aren't meat hunters. "Fill the freezer, fill the freezer, fill the freezer" It's time to start looking in the mirror and blaming yourself for the decline of a fishery. That limit of fish you and everyone in your boat just kept aren't going to be reproducing next year. Those fish you gut hooked, ripped out the hook to save twenty cents and threw back most likely aren't going to be reproducing next year. And when you have hundreds, even thousands of folks just like you it's no wonder there are no walleye remaining in Mille Lacs.

It's funny talking to people when I tell them I rarely keep a fish. They're like "how come you even bother, it's no fun if you can't keep what you catch". The funnest time in my fishing life has been catching eight 20"+ bass on a small weed clump in about 20 minutes. Watching them all swim away from my hand and knowing I can possibly catch them again next time I'm out is the greatest feeling.

If I just wanted to eat a fish it sure as heck would be a lot cheaper to just run to the grocery store and buy a couple fresh fillets. And I'm sure I could find a better way to spend the thousands of dollars I have invested in fishing gear.

For those of you worrying about the resorts if you shut down walleye fishing, look at Red, the walleye were shut down for 4 years and look how many resorts are still around. They had a crappie boom which supported them for those years. There will be other fish and activities to support the ML resorts for the time. But the longer you let this go on without making dramatic changes to the walleye fishing the longer it will take to fix the lake.

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Reply to Bandersnarch:

I just don't want to be told what to fish for its like telling the guy who has liked ford mustangs all his life that ford isn't going to make as many mustangs next year so you should start to drive camaros.

Difference is guys don't drive mustangs.

People who make comments about "I don't want someone to tell me what to fish for" are much of the problem on mille lacs.

Like it or not mortality IS something we have to deal with and while folks go out there to "chest thump" because they can catch 40 20 to 27 inch walleyes in a day are a major contributor.

THIS is why catch and keep needs to be part of the plan. The same 18 to 20 slot and all the other pike or bass regs will not fix the lake.

Folks need to fix their attitude. I didn't fish there once last year. Hoping others follow suit because this will be one step in the right direction.

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I'm 66 years old. Fished that lake on an average of 6 summer trips/year over the last 30 years. For the last 10-12 years I'll bet we haven't caught 10 fish in the slot while catching 40 - 70/per trip 20" - 30" fish. No males...IT'S BECAUSE OF THE NETS !!! WAKE UP. Ya'll can P & M at each other all you want but until those nets are gone, ML isn't coming back anytime soon.

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Like it or not mortality IS something we have to deal with and while folks go out there to "chest thump" because they can catch 40 20 to 27 inch walleyes in a day are a major contributor.

THIS is why catch and keep needs to be part of the plan. The same 18 to 20 slot and all the other pike or bass regs will not fix the lake.

Folks need to fix their attitude. I didn't fish there once last year. Hoping others follow suit because this will be one step in the right direction.

So why would C&R work for every species except walleye?

Bass are mostly catch and release (self imposed) and now ML has an abundance of bass.

Musky are mostly catch and release (self imposed) and musky fishing is probably better than it ever has been all over the state.

Pike fishing is mostly C&R and pike don't seem to be in danger around the state.

What makes walleye so different?

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YOu dont jerk bass, muskies, or pike out of 30+ feet of water with 78 degree water temps and attempt to release them.

Throw a pike, bass and a a walleye in the livewell on an 80 degree day and report which one lives the longest.

Most times the walleyes are belly up before you even through them in the livewell.

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YOu dont jerk bass, muskies, or pike out of 30+ feet of water with 78 degree water temps and attempt to release them.

Throw a pike, bass and a a walleye in the livewell on an 80 degree day and report which one lives the longest.

Most times the walleyes are belly up before you even through them in the livewell.

Agree,also live bait and swallowing deeper on the walleye leads to more mortality.

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WOW there's many heated posts on this thread. First off, I'm a Mille Lacs lifer, regardless of regs or drama I will love the lake until I'm dead, even while it's easily one of the most abused resources in our state. It always amazes me the sense of entitlement our society has. For simply purchasing a fishing license you're just entitled to abuse the lake year after year and give back nothnig except your $20 piece of paper. Then have the audacity to come on a forum and pretend like you have all the answers to a complex problem.... If that's you, think how ridiculous your logic is. Volunteer your time, money, whatever to help the resource or drastically change your behavior of take, take, take if you expect any specific natural resource to sustain. Fishing is a priviledge not a right. Stop acting like the world owes you a limit of walleyes and that you're entitled to come on here and be the self proclaimed expert of everything.

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YOu dont jerk bass, muskies, or pike out of 30+ feet of water with 78 degree water temps and attempt to release them.

Throw a pike, bass and a a walleye in the livewell on an 80 degree day and report which one lives the longest.

Most times the walleyes are belly up before you even through them in the livewell.

I don't think I've ever fished ML walleyes that deep. Other lakes, sure, and have released them to watch them swim away. Might take a little while but they almost always do swim back down.

I would think most walleye fishing on ML is less than 30', probably less than 25'. That is my experience anyway. And I find smallies in the same locations, right next to waldos. They swim away too.

As for the gut hooking, then ban bobber and lindy rig fishing. Make it artificial only. Plastics with long tails seem to have other issues and should be limited to biodegradable only. Go barbless. There are lots of options that they could add. I wish they would start adding them before the lake ends up shut down for four years.

One of my favorite fisheries, and probably where I fish/catch the most, is catch an release only for walleye and they are abundant. Granted, different circumstances all around, mainly a huge amount of bait fish, but it works, all summer long. And it's a blast. I recommend everyone try C&R walleyes.

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I would think most walleye fishing on ML is less than 30', probably less than 25'. That is my experience anyway. And I find smallies in the same locations, right next to waldos. They swim away too.

Not to be confrontational, but during the entire summer the vast majority of Mille lacs walleyes are caught from 25-34 FOW. Yes there's certainly fish that never leave the rocks or never leave the shallow weeds, but you're in the smallest minority if you think that 30+ ft is too deep to be fishing on the pond.

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...or drastically change your behavior of take, take, take if you expect any specific natural resource to sustain. Fishing is a priviledge not a right. Stop acting like the world owes you a limit of walleyes....

There is the answer for both natives and non-natives. I recognize the treaty implications here but just because something is a right does not mean it needs to be acted on. We have a right to bear arms. Doesn't mean we have too bear arms.

Last spring I ran into a guy in a hurry at the landing of a south metro lake. It was my first trip out of the year. Went for a boat ride and caught and release probably 60 crappies in two hours, by myself. No big deal. Everyone was catch a boat load of fish. I was not doing anything special. At the end of the trip I'm idling back to the landing. About 60' out from the landing a newer rig zooms past me to beat me to the dock.

I park the boat on shore and walk past as he's loading his boat. Ask him how he did and he was super excited. He limited out within 45 minutes and was headed home. I walked away puzzled and shaking my head. Why?

Why spend $35,000 on a boat and speed fish for a limit to bring home. I can say that I felt like I had way more fun catching twice as many fish and soaking up some rays, plus enjoying a boat ride and good tunes out on the water for a couple hours.

I will never understand this mentality where joy comes from filling the livewell in the least amount of time.

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I recommend everyone try C&R walleyes.
I release over 90% of the walleyes or any fish that I catch (Pike 100%, Muskies 100%, Bass 100%). I am not in it for the meals or filling the freezer, but once in a while its nice to take a few home.

Walleyes are a fish that are managed to harvest via stocking. It just happens that Mille Lacs isnt stocked and has had a terrible recruitment from young fish the last several years. Perhaps one of the solutions would be to integrate some stocking of walleyes, perhaps older fish (fingerlings, etc) to see if that has any impact.

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Mille lacs hatches will come back on theirs own,probably part of the problem is were trying to maintain a very high walleye always,smallmouth and northern pike population over many years. You have to have some ups and down so the forage food year after year doesn't get hammered.

Also if you just harvest one fish species,you give a potential advantage for other species to get too abundant.

Mille lacs has plenty of spawner's, warmup.

Hard to believe but there has been various studies like yellow perch have controlled abundance of northern pike etc.. When northern pike first hatch if you have a high perch population they will eat many of the northern pike fry.

There is a lot of variables in a fish ecosystem and it can be thrown of course from many angles.

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I'm 66 years old. Fished that lake on an average of 6 summer trips/year over the last 30 years. For the last 10-12 years I'll bet we haven't caught 10 fish in the slot while catching 40 - 70/per trip 20" - 30" fish. No males...IT'S BECAUSE OF THE NETS !!! WAKE UP. Ya'll can P & M at each other all you want but until those nets are gone, ML isn't coming back anytime soon.

Its because everyone if fighting for the same size fish period. All those slot fish are bigger now the fish are not in the slot. The nets dip the same fish the hooks are looking for and vice versa only the hook and line catch is at a greater amount than the nets and yet the nets are blamed for the collapse of the fishing of the lake. Look at how many fish that you can't keep because of the slots. Personally I think the slots is what crashed this lake its being managed as a all BIG fish lake and that will destroy the lake also.

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Fishing is a priviledge not a right. Stop acting like the world owes you a limit of walleyes and that you're entitled to come on here and be the self proclaimed expert of everything.

Best thing I have read yet!

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Looks like its time to start keeping some muskies to pickle. mmm pickled musky
troll alert
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  • 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. .  
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