Netting on Cutfoot Sioux

[tcroz]

Is there any netting action on Cutfoot yet? Heading up to open up the shack this weekend, was hoping to go take a look. Looking at the Williams Narrows web cam it looks as though the ice is getting awful black! Still got a ways to go though.

[Deet]

Nothing happening as of Saturday. Other than the 46 bridge narrows and Williams narrows, Big/Little Cutfoot are still totally iced up.

[bmc]

The DNR won't set up the nets until the ice is out.

They don't want an iceberg to destroy the docks or the nets.

Brian

[muskielaw]

Anyone been by Cutfoot in the last day or two to see if netting has begun? I heard the trucks and equipment was parked there earlier this week. Would love to bring my son over there this weekend if they are netting.

Thx

muskielaw

[gunner55]

Was by there about 4 yesterday afternoon & the sign was up along side the road for where to enter.Seen some more equiptment over by the trailer they use & it looked like 3 guys maybe just finishing up putting in the nets,docks with everything else they use.I'd bet you would be good to go for the weekend.It's pretty cool to see & don't be afraid to ask some questions.They are more than willing to take the time to answer them all if they can.

[lakejumper]

Just left there a couple of hours ago. They have started stripping this morning, and are holding both males and females in the nets. If you want to see the stripping operation, try to arrive between eight and ten in the morning. If you arrive later, you still can look at the fish in the nets. According to Chris K, this will be a short run this year so try to visit within the next week. Very educational. At this time there is still ice on Cutfoot, but he believes Winnie will be ice free for opener.

[gunner55]

I thunk I'm going to have agree with Chris K about ice free by opener.The rain this morning must have doubled,at least,the amount of open water along our shoreline(Sand).

[OLE77]

As of this morning about 1100 walleye sorted and the (ripe) stripped Fri. 120 quarts of 1200 quarts quota collected.

[bmc]

Staff today said they will be done this Tuesday or Wednsday at the latest.

With the late ice out, the walleyes are already running when they do get the nets in, so they harvest their egg quota in a hurry.

Brian

[hugonian1]

Is this something they do in other lakes also?

As good a lake as Winnie is I wonder how different it would be in this did not take place. Not against it, just wondering.

[Jim Almquist]

Is this something they do in other lakes also?

As good a lake as Winnie is I wonder how different it would be in this did not take place. Not against it, just wondering.

It would not change things all that much. When they hatch eggs in a controlled environment they are very successful but out on the lake it is very limited. They have been stripping eggs on Winnie for as long as I can remember and it is still a great fishery. The eggs they strip help keep the area lakes stocked which in turn helps to take the pressure off Winnie as well. There are other places that they strip eggs at in Mn.

[gunner55]

I stopped & visited with them last year,they said the ones stocked in Sand came from Pine River hatchery they thought.I think there's another 1 over by Vermillon too.I believe I read somewhere that the Cutfoot hatchery is the second oldest in the state that still being used.

[Crappieflop54]

A percentage of the hatch gets put back into Winnie every year also. It has been going on since the 1920's I believe. This sight has a great description of what they do there.

http://www.lakewinnie.net/walleyestripping.htm

[InTheSchool]

The majority of Winnie's walleyes spawn in the lake itself. Little Cutfoot has about the worst conditions for survival of walleye of all the inlets. Also, they return a significant portion of the young to the lake while stocking the others in nearby lakes. Stop by and talk to the fisheries people either at the stripping site or the hatchery in Grand Rapids. They should be able address all your concerns.

[hugonian1]

Absolutely no concerns from me.

Winnie is my favorite lake.

Just interested in learning about what they do and how it works and how it affects the lake.

Got some great info.

Thanks to those in the know.

[delcecchi]

On Vermilion (only one "l") they put a percentage of the fry that they hatch from the eggs they take back in the lake to compensate for taking the eggs. Typically it is several tens of millions of fry. The hatchery gets 80% or so to hatch compared to nature's few percent.

They take between 500 and 1000 quarts of eggs each year at Pike Bay/Pike River on Vermilion. Going on now. Vermilion fry were used to rehabilitate Red Lake.

[gunner55]

Thanks for straightening out my spelling Del. Yeah no comparison between the #'s they get to hatch & naturally.I know a couple of the last times they have stocked some on our lake they have used fingerlings & not fry.That too is supposed to really up thier chanches,3 or 4 times,of making it.We went by Cutfoot yesterday about noon & they were very busy.

[gunner55]

Went by there yesterday & it's open to where they put their nets.Little Cutfoot stiil had ice though & the forcast after today through early next week doesn't look like they will be netting before it warms again.

[gunner55]

Returning from Bemidji around 2 yesterday there was 4 vehicles parked along the highway where they go back to the netting station.Little Cutfoot looked to still be 80% ice covered with no actual activity where they set the nets.

[laportian]

The walleyes aren't ready yet. A lot has to do with the amount of light that they get as each day gets a little longer. That is the main trigger. Temp plays an important role but the amount of daylight they get is the bigger factor. Maybe in two weeks. I was in there fishing on opener last year and it was lights out. The DNR had just finished in there a few days before opener. It was absolutely loaded with eater size walleye. Opener was on the 10th and by the 13th the bulk of them were gone.

[searching4slabs]

Im surprised you found eaters last opener, we could only find post spawn females. Didnt look to hard though we were having fun. Never have I seen so many 20" plus walleyes. Anywhere in twelve ft and you were on the fish. Think our group only kept six eaters all weekend. Funniest thing was a pontoon anchored off a point and two little girls casting bobbers and hauling in big skinny walleyes left and right, an expensive ranger wouldnt give them any space and kept bugging them, "what are you using?" And they couldnt catch a thing it was hilarious.

[tcroz]

They say the males will stick around the spawning grounds hoping to get one last "shot" in. So it does not surprise me. We did the same thing caught the skinny tube sock females .... But it was fun! Would like to go back up to see the netting it is a sight to behold love,it!!!!!

[searching4slabs]

Good to know, That is where one of the guys we know up there was catching keepers, towards the river. Always have fun fishing that lake early season. Have yet to see them spawning maybe ill make it up early this year

[tcroz]

They say the nets are up and ready for action. Hoping to head up this weekend to check things out!!!!!

[bmc]

The DNR put the nets in today around noon.

I was there at 6pm and there were a few walleyes starting to show up.

The caretaker Pat figured there'd be a big run this week with the weather that's forecasted.

He also told me about 50% of the fry raised from this operation are returned to the Cutfoot/Winnie chain.

Brian

[gunner55]

Thanks Brian,with it being so nice yesterday I was wondering if they had started.Pretty cool to see too as we've stopped by there a couple of times in the last 3-4 years.We have a place in the area & are usually up there at this time

[InTheSchool]

The first pull of the nets was today. They are saying they will be done by next Wednesday.

[gunner55]

Just wondering how the netting is going? I'm sure the big change in the weather slow them down,25-30mph NW winds here this morning.

[gunner55]

A lot of ice left on the lake here yet but we went into GR yesterday & there was at least 50 yds. of open water by the bridge at Cutfoot on Hwy 46. So I thought I would get this thread back up & going.

[tcroz]

Any word as of late on the nets?  I like to plan on a weekend to watch this.