Too much pressure!?!

[gunner55]

^^^^^^ this ^^^^^ + 1000

[traveler]

I'm more of a sports fan than a debate team judge, but if I was both, I'd say KellyP just KO'd the competition in this debate. His knowledge and experience in this area is respected by the experts and professionals who are paid to manage this fishery. I know this for a fact because I've talked to several of them. Anyone who criticizes this man's opinions on what he sees as a disturbing trend, or anything else related to the demographics of fishing on Upper Red, is ignorant. Period. Sometimes it's better to listen than spout off.

I'd agree...if there WAS any debate. I think it's painfully obvious to MOST people that know anything about Red that the numbers speak for themselves. We have to take the hard measures needed to keep the lake healthy, and put our own agendas aside.

[Xplorer]

Amen to that ^^^^^

I had planned on making one more trip up to URL for "closing" weekend, but will be drilling holes for a Kiwanis fundraiser now instead.

However, I do plan on being back on April 11 to chase crappies, good ice willing

[00Buckshot]

I have never fished Red Lake, but enjoyed reading this thread. My guess in why there was so much more fishing pressure on Red this year is because LOTW has been very slow by their standards. My group was planning our annual trip to LOTW earlier this winter and in reading (that technology thingy) about the slow fishing on LOTW some of our group mentioned "should we go to Red instead?" If we thought that way, how many other groups thought that way and went there instead? Maybe next year the pressure will taper back off? If not, the DNR will have some tough decisions to make. Do they lower the limit to 1, or none? Do they close the lake down? Maybe they shouldn't allow plowing roads on the lake? The outfitters/resorts could still take guests out in track vehicles. Snowmobiles could still access the lake. There just wouldn't be all of the wheel houses out there. That would certainly take the pressure off the lake. The barbed hook vs barbless hook debate is completely off base on why there are so many fish being taken. The only reason so many fish are being taken is because there are a lot of people fishing the lake. Cutting the limits or limiting the pressure is the only thing that will keep the lake from being over-fished.

[pushbutton]

Another thing would be to have the resorts actually work together with each having their own areas, staying within them, and possibly limiting the amount of people they give access to. You don't need a law for that and don't know why any would not agree to it

[Getanet]

My guess in why there was so much more fishing pressure on Red this year is because LOTW has been very slow by their standards. My group was planning our annual trip to LOTW earlier this winter and in reading (that technology thingy) about the slow fishing on LOTW some of our group mentioned "should we go to Red instead?" If we thought that way, how many other groups thought that way and went there instead?

That's basically what happened with my buddy and I. We hit LOW for the first time in our lives last year and had pretty poor luck. We went to URL this year for the first time in our lives, and also had pretty poor luck (noticing a pattern here). We both have young kids at home so we really only get to take one "big trip" a winter and have already decided next year we're going to save our money and just stay at his family's cabin and fish the lakes around there.

But, regarding the Internet, that gets overblown to a certain extent. Everyone was talking about the "crappie boom" on URL way before Facebook was around. Fisherman gossip, word gets out, it's what we do. And newspapers have been publishing fishing reports every since I can remember - and they all come from local bait shops who make it sound like limits are almost certain on whatever lakes they name.

I remember about 25 years ago sitting in a lawn chair in the back of my uncle's work van because he and my dad had a hot tip on a crappie bite on a lake four hours from where we lived. We probably caught about 10 crappies for four of us that night and everyone said "Man, you should have been here last night." I guess I learned at a young age not to chase the hot report.

[Reedo7]

I've gotta respectfully disagree. I'm fine making it c+r only, dropping the limit, bar bless hooks,or closing the season when necessary. However, in Minnesota our water is Public. No outfitter owns or has control over any area of the lake. This year was obviously perfect storm of exceptionally heavy fishing pressure and hopefully it survives as the great lake I've come to spend my winter weekends on and a few spring weekends on over the last twelve years. I have seen a serious drop-off in traffic on the lake since the limit dropped to two, and have had a lot of people at work make the comment that they won't drive all that way for two fish. That's fine by me. Most of the time I could care less if I get to keep any, unless I'm bringing someone with who thinks it's neat to have a meal of fresh fish now and then.

[Down Deep]

I disagree with you about discounting the outfitter. While they might not get much say in a desperate emergency, which is hardly the state Red is in, they deserve the seasons they were promised and based their investments on. The outfitters have built the infrastructure that almost all of us depend on. They are there to plow the roads, provide places to stay, places to eat and get a beer, bait and tackle, docks and camping in the spring and summer, gas, propane and above all they answer the call for help when needed. While this year has been a snap for everyone, last year was downer for just about everyone who fished and tried to provide the resources fisherman need. Shut the seasons down or cut the number of fishable days and the outfitters and resort owners will start to close. Then see what happens when the roads aren't there, the resorts are closed and Red becomes accessible by only those with a snowmobile or for a couple of weeks at the beginning of the season before the snow flies. Temporary tweaks to the limits might be OK on a temporary basis, but going to C&R only should be a last resort action. Most people like to eat few walleyes while they are on their trip and take a few home for the family.

[Reedo7]

I'm not anti outfitter. I totally agree, they make the lake accessible to us all and introduce a lot of people to fishing every year. I just don't agree with carving up the lake into separate states or letting a private entity completely control a public resource, that's all. I do agree that they should get a say in the matter, just not the only say.

[pushbutton]

LOL....ok, my comment was really not that serious, more of a jab at a select few. These outfitters and resorts are needed and appreciated.......it is a private /public give and take thing with unwritten rules. A big part of those unofficial rules are that for these entities to exercise responsibility....for the good of all and in this case, given it's recent history.... the lake. It should not take a rocket scientist to understand 3 year old cookie jar management. There are only so many cookies(fish) that we can take. If the jar lid is left open unabated with unfettered access, the kids will take them all in short order with no future implications being complicated.....just what can I get for myself, now. No the lake is not crashing, but sheesh, with a year like this, the adults have to step up. Thanks to the ones that have.......

[cookie129]

I disagree with you about discounting the outfitter. While they might not get much say in a desperate emergency, which is hardly the state Red is in, they deserve the seasons they were promised and based their investments on. The outfitters have built the infrastructure that almost all of us depend on. They are there to plow the roads, provide places to stay, places to eat and get a beer, bait and tackle, docks and camping in the spring and summer, gas, propane and above all they answer the call for help when needed. While this year has been a snap for everyone, last year was downer for just about everyone who fished and tried to provide the resources fisherman need. Shut the seasons down or cut the number of fishable days and the outfitters and resort owners will start to close. Then see what happens when the roads aren't there, the resorts are closed and Red becomes accessible by only those with a snowmobile or for a couple of weeks at the beginning of the season before the snow flies. Temporary tweaks to the limits might be OK on a temporary basis, but going to C&R only should be a last resort action. Most people like to eat few walleyes while they are on their trip and take a few home for the family.

A snap for everyone. Not sure I would agree there. Last year was a fiasco for sure. The trucks still take a beating out there. Every outfitter/resort has broken more then one thing this year or wore something out. I know of trannys, wheel bearings ,broken plows and welds etc. just to name a few

[kelly-p]

Quote:

However, in Minnesota our water is Public. No outfitter owns or has control over any area of the lake.

Very true but if each road and the outfitters on those roads decide before hand where each road is going to go and what areas of the lake each will be fishing it spreads the fishermen and the harvest out. Each road then has the choice of promoting the early fishing hard but then runs the chance of running out of unfished areas by February. Or a road can decide to pass up a lot of the early income with smaller crowds to be sure that they have unfished/fresh ice to move to in February. That is the way it is done here on the Waskish side of the lake. Red Lake Adventures has an area they go as does Westwind's, Hillman's and Beacon's. If Westwind's is having good fishing Hillman's does not go over there or if Hillman's is on the fish Beacon's does not go there. It keeps the fishermen spread out better and spreads the harvest out over the entire year. If you follow the URL fishing reports year after year a trend develops that later in the year the fishing reports remain better towards the north side of URL. That is not because the fishing is better there but because the roads there have held back so that there are unfished areas to move to for late in the season. The situation the past few weeks where JR’s road and outfitters are all the way across the lake and now between Hillman’s and Beacon’s roads is bizarre to me to say the least. I do not know the people that run JR’s road or the outfitters on that road so I have no idea what the reasoning is. In the short term, (this fishing season) it hurts Beacon’s and Hillman’s because the areas that they planned on moving to in February are now already filled with fishermen. But to have a road going out from the south side of URL telling its customers that they have to go all the way across the lake and fish by Hillman’s and Beacon’s customers to get fish is advertising that Hillman’s and Beacon’s couldn’t buy.

[bturck]

The gentle mans agreement on territory worked pretty well on LOW. I fished there for 12 or13 years and it seemed that one resort was respectfull of the resorts piece of the pie. They worked together and respected another's space.

[crestliner61]

The above Sounds like there are some politics between resorts on the north and south shores of URL. How this is part of the pressure, not sure??? But, While I don't think it would not be good for the resorts/outfitters of URL to get along and be in agreement of the management of the lake. I do think that we have enough segregation in this country and URl already.

[Down Deep]

Resort systems are developed to enhance their own business interst. This system is not exclusive to Red its been the way its been for years like Winnie, Mille Lacs and LOW. The resorts don't receive State money from a taxes and fee funds like they do for snowmobiles and cross-country skiing. Thats why there is no unified road system on any of the lakes. Personally I like the system that is in place now.

[Boreas]

If you follow the URL fishing reports year after year a trend develops that later in the year the fishing reports remain better towards the north side of URL. That is not because the fishing is better there but because the roads there have held back so that there are unfished areas to move to for late in the season. The situation the past few weeks where JR’s road and outfitters are all the way across the lake and now between Hillman’s and Beacon’s roads is bizarre to me to say the least.

What surprised me is very few fishermen within five or six miles of the east/southeast and south shore when we rode around the lake. I think I saw a dozen houses and a thousand acres of open ice. It seemed like every road on the lake was trying to cram into the northwest corner of the lake/reservation line. The rest was empty like a ghost town. Is that area of lake that is fished out from the pressure or is it unfishable from roads and fishouse banks or was it just skipped over? Looked like a lot of good fishing area people are driving across just to go way out to me.

[Xplorer]

What surprised me is very few fishermen within five or six miles of the east/southeast and south shore when we rode around the lake. I think I saw a dozen houses and a thousand acres of open ice. It seemed like every road on the lake was trying to cram into the northwest corner of the lake/reservation line. The rest was empty like a ghost town. Is that area of lake that is fished out from the pressure or is it unfishable from roads and fishouse banks or was it just skipped over? Looked like a lot of good fishing area people are driving across just to go way out to me.

Those areas were swiss cheesed from before Thanksgiving on thru December. When I was up the friday morning after thanksgiving I setup west and deeper (12') than most everyone else out of Rogers. I was about a mile out. By the time we left at noon Saturday there were folks already much farther out and thousands were filing evey spot in between. It would be kinda cool to see a daily time lapse ariel view of the state waters this year, from Nov. 15 to March 1. I think it would be pretty shocking.

As fisherman we always want to be on "fresh ice" LOL. Its why Adrians road on LOTW goes out 23 miles right now, all the way to Starren shoals off of Garden island. It has been the "perfect storm" on most lakes where the only thing that has limited lake travel of about any sort has been pressure ridges.