Creel Cenus

[CC Rocks]

Totally agree with the minimum size limit. Can't tell you how many time I have watched 11 and 12" eyes come off Winnie.

[jigginjim]

Would be better to go after the perch.

[magnum mike]

The same guys are keeping 6" perch...I've seen it for years

[laker1]

Well if you don't want to participate in a creel,the DNR will have to estimate harvest more with more error involved,thus maybe more conservative limit than what you want or what we need.

My opinion if you don't have time to stop you shouldn't have time to go fishing at all.

I do think they count the cars that don't stop and add that into the estimate by expansion.

[brianh]

I pulled up, she came out of the shack, talked for a few minutes, then on my way. Quite painless.

[cookie129]

They figure everything.. during the summer she will be up here when you can not get on lake. They record the days when no ones fishing also. If there is no one getting checked then by all means stop and let her know how your doing .She may also no where there biting and on what.

[kelly-p]

lunker-1967, Everything you say I have heard before. That was the general train of thought in the 1980’s. I felt the same way once but I learned that I was wrong. It makes no real difference to me what you believe but there are statements in your post that I feel need to be clarified for the other readers of this Forum.

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They want the info--they need to put forth the effort for collection of data, not me.

The DNR made an effort to get the info by having the creel census clerk there. You put forth no effort.

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I have a hard time believing that fishing on only 1/3 of the lake is going to "fish it out".

The Red Lake Band has 82% of the Upper and Lower Red Lakes, The State waters are the other 18%.

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Theoretically 2/3 of fish don't even see a lure much less get caught.

The Band members fish and are very good at it. A few years ago I had a chance to visit with 2 Band members fishing along the “Line” towards the north shore of URL. It was a cold windy day so they parked their truck sideways to the wind and each one squatted down in the wind break made by the tires and fished. No worrying about houses or heaters or generators or TV channels or drinking. Just drill a hole and concentrate on fishing. The Bands “Safe allowable harvest” of their waters is figured out the same as the State waters. 3.5 pounds of walleyes per acre is the top of their “Safe allowable harvest". For both sides of the “Line” if harvest hits 5 pounds of walleye per acre all walleye fishing is stopped immediately. At the end of the 2014 harvest year in November the State waters were only 9,000 pounds of walleyes under that hard top of 5 pounds harvested per acre when all walleye fishing stops for that harvest year.

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I believe that over harvest of the breeder Walleyes and wanton waste during all times of the year on the other side is more of an issue, but we will never hear anything about that.

That the State Waters of URL had over 25% of all the over limit tickets for the entire State prior to the collapse had nothing to do with the walleye collapse? Also the Red Lake Band closes walleye fishing during the spawning run.

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One thing is for sure, if the MN DNR (Do Nothing Right) or other Govt agencies get to involved it will get completely messed up (i.e. Mille Lacs).

Isn’t the Mille Lac’s situation and the past collapse of the Red Lake walleyes the reason the DNR is attempting to get as much information as they can through the Creel Census? If fishermen refuse to provide that information through the Creel Census what can the DNR do? I have never fished Mille Lac’s or lived there so I really have no understanding of the entire situation there but as far as URL I feel that we have a very good and fair agreement with the Red Lake Band. By the way for the 2014 harvest year, (Dec. 2013 to Nov. 2014) the Red Lake Band was about 130,000 pounds or 18% UNDER the top of their Safe harvest for their waters while the sportfishermen on the State waters ended up about 63,000 pounds or 36% OVER the top of our safe harvest.

I feel that the DNR did the right thing by dropping the limits from 4 to 3 and the protected slot from 20 inches to 17 inches on Dec. 1st. 4 average 19.5 inch walleyes weigh 10.8 pounds while 3 average 16.5 inch walleyes weigh 4.8 pounds. The change cut the harvest by more than 1/2 of the pounds per acre. But even with the reduced limit and increased protected slots sportfishermen harvested over 70,000 pounds of walleyes in Dec. from the State waters. If the old 4 fish limit with a protected slot of 20 to 26 had been in place we could have harvested over 150,000 pounds in Dec. . 89% of our yearly safe harvest!!!! If the change’s had not taken place right now we could be deciding whether to cancel the rest of walleye season this winter so that we could have one or two months of walleye fishing this summer or continue walleye fishing this winter and cancel the summer walleye fishing completely .

So lunker 1967 a lot of people are putting in a lot of effort the keep the walleye fishery healthy here in URL. You can participate or not, it is your choice. But if you do not participate and things go wrong do not point fingers or blame someone else.

[gunner55]

You made many good points kelly-p, I especially like the last 1.I remember the days when a 16.5" eye would have been big fish back in the 70's. Fished URL a lot with grandparents & parents back then & all most always stopped at WMS for our bait. Most here haven't seen the huge swings in the fishery like we have.

[bturck]

great info kelly. when its all put in perspective along with the facts the decisions make a lot more sense. we certainly don't need another fiasco that everone worked so hard to correct. hope to see you again on the 23rd.

[Juan Grande]

Good post Kelly-P!