For limit change!!! Against slot!!!

[gotbigone]

Well I figure I'll give my five cents worth. I sit here and have read almost all the messages about the limit change, for and against. What I really like about people is all the bashing the quick jabs at one or the other. I'm a charter captain on lotw since 1980, and fought to get rid of the commercial fishermen, and also one of the first to experiment and use downriggers, and use them well I do. All the quick jabs at rigging has got me going or the"money hungry resorts". First rigging is a very successful way of fishing. It has by using it brought a lot older cliental that can't hold a rod all day, or dissable clients to enjoy thier right to experience a fishing trip. I take little children who have a frill of alife time. Instead of being board and whining cause they have had enough with holding a pole for hours,and I let them drive the boat a little while rigging.I'm very successful, and I'm not the one who "skips the fish on top of the water" or "pitches those big ones out like they don"t care" I have had the priviledge to teach alot of guides on this lake, and don"t know of any that I taught that skips fish or pitches fish. First thing is to take the boat out of gear,Second if the wind is blowing(which it does all the time) I put it in reverse it holds you in one spot and you can play the big fish and gethim in successfully and release. Last year I had the enjoyment of watch and helping my 5 year old boy catch his first 10 plus pound walleye,what a blast. The following day same spot I landed a 34.5 inch walleye and released it.(believe it or not I don't care)What I'm trying to say is don't bash something that you don't really know anything about, exept for what you seen ROOKIES and other TOURIST do. I'm out there every day and I can say 90% of all the boats are doing it right. It would like me coming on this chat and saying I don't like livewell fishermen which I don't. Enough said about that. I'm in favor of a limit change because of the increased winter pressure. I'm not in favor of the size limit. Because A trophy walleye is a trophy to the eye of the beholder. Some people might mount an 8 or a 9 pounder why take that priveledge away from them. My boat rule is nothing over 25 inches gets boxed unless it gets mounted. and it does get mounted not like "those people fishing with the resorts throw them fish away or they get forgotten". I have quite afew clientes that come and eat fish and don't want to box anything to take home, so there is some people that come here to just relax and enjoy fishing. I just believe that you could make any slot smaller or just lower the limit with still 1 over 19.5. Like I said I support the lower limit, I did not support the sturgeon change. In the past three years I have seen an explosoin in the amount that I seen and caught along with the different areas on the lake that I have seen. We've caught them riggging with rapalas by the mouth (bottom feeder I don't know). Please don't knock the Downriggers or resorts there the ones who made this lake to what it is today. I wonder if I'll get another chance at that big girl, and if she has grown any. Anyways good luck fishing, and just enjoy the sport no matter if enjoy plugs or bait.

[Kaz]

Well said! I like the fishing too, and some times I like catching. I too landed a "BIG GIRL" last year while down rigging. She was 34.5 and over 13#. We brought she in slow and took her measurments and weight, several pictures and put her back. She was out only about 2 minutes and didn't take much revival before she swam off, one hook in the lip was no harm to her. I have a place at Wheelers, Sportcraft, and fish with the charters, I'm on 82 most of the time. After being on LOTW for more years than I can remember, started back in '57, I've seen the changes over the years. Yes I like a meal and do take home a few for later, but your're right, we need to preserve this wonderful lake or it won't last for ever. I know this is a controversy, but if we don't do some type of control, maybe just for the winter, all of the investments made by not only the resorts, but private too, will go down the tubes. My two six year old grandsons have been up there, and the looks on their faces, even when they bring in a 15/17 incher, is worth it all. I guess I don't know the answers, but we need to manage it for the future....Kaz <p>[This message has been edited by Kaz (edited 06-17-2004).]

[Walleye Wacker]

A-Men! Lower limits not slots!

[fishnut2]

To all<P>I have seen what the slot does to a lake like Rainy. Slots are not a bad thing. I have seen too many people bring in walleyes under 12 inches, especially in the winter. I support both a lower limit and a lower slot limit. I do not see a need for an upper slot change with one over 19.5 like we have now. Although I do not think a 19.5-25 inch protected slot would be bad on the lake.<P>For those against downrigging, let's take a look at Mille Lacs and what deep water fishing with live bait does for catch and release. Read the papers and see how many fish are wasted because they must release fish that have been gut hooked. IF anything, they should ban live bait fishing in deep water and force people to down rig with cranks. Fish rarely get gut hooked and can be returned unharmed.<P>Enough my two cents.

[fishnut2]

To all<P>I have seen what the slot does to a lake like Rainy. Slots are not a bad thing. I have seen too many people bring in walleyes under 12 inches, especially in the winter. I support both a lower limit and a lower slot limit. I do not see a need for an upper slot change with one over 19.5 like we have now. Although I do not think a 19.5-25 inch protected slot would be bad on the lake.<P>For those against downrigging, let's take a look at Mille Lacs and what deep water fishing with live bait does for catch and release. Read the papers and see how many fish are wasted because they must release fish that have been gut hooked. IF anything, they should ban live bait fishing in deep water and force people to down rig with cranks. Fish rarely get gut hooked and can be returned unharmed.<P>Enough my two cents.

[walleyehawk]

GotBigOne<P>I agree. Downrigging has it's place and works well. I have gone out 5-6 times on launch boats and enjoy this type of fishing. It is great to just sit back and talk, then get ready when it is your turn. I think the crankbaits do get larger fish and make it easier to catch and release and have the fish survive.<P>If people don't want to downrig, they don't have to. I understand sometimes the captain gets a request from his passengers to try a different means and they accomodate them.<P>I agree on the winter fishing. I have been up a few times also and we take way to many small ones home. It is OK to get some of those saugers out of the system, but the walleyes are a different story. And the fishing has exploded the past five years.

[Guest]

<BR>Here is my ?<P>Why is everyone keeping 9-13" fish? I don't even want to think about how many fish leave that lake everyday in that range. My father and I get up there about 6-10 times per year, both summer and winter. With out fail everytime we see tons of people (charters and regular folks) keeping little fish. WHY?<P>Scott <BR>

[fishermatt]

Why keep little fish: they're easy to clean and they taste GREAT! I personally don't think it harms the lake to take that size of fish. The DNR says that in most lakes walleyes reach 14-15" in length at 4 years of age, so these fish are only 2 or 3 years old. When LOTW has an explosive spawn like 1999 and 2001 (DNR lake finder survey info.) , there's going to be tons of this size fish around, and they need to have their numbers thinned, or they might eat up all the bait and die anyway. Also check the recent MN Conservation Volunteer Magazine article about slot limits.<BR>Minimum slots don't work. If I can catch and clean a limit of 11-12 inch walleyes, I should not be deprived of my meal.

[AaronM]

To thin the 11" and 12" walleye? I doubt they could damage the lake baitfish population to that point where they would die off in numbers, but maybe I'm wrong. Thats great if you take them home to eat, I'm just not too happy with the people who keep these fish just to fill their limits. Anyways where are the DNR? I have been out around 14 times and have not been checked once. I havn't even seen anybody get checked on the water. Reason to be concerned? <p>[This message has been edited by fishingfrenzy (edited 06-21-2004).]

[Piker]

I think that we should focus more on educating people rather than regulating them. Without the education I've received on this site, I wouldn't know about fishing eticate. I think people will listen, they just might not have thought about what they are doing. Eat the saugers in the winter, they're abundant and eater sized. Throw back the larger walleyes. Reel up the little ones slowly. Use larger jigs when you can't keep the little ones off. These are all things I've learned from knowledgeable people. They say rules are only for people that play by the rules. Keep educating people and limit restrictions is my opinion. We're doing a good job already! Great original post, well written.

[Hines R]

I've been checked once this year so far. It was memorial weekend and fishing was pretty poor so they didn't ask to check the livewell. We told them what we had, and it sounded like we were doing a little better right then than anyone else. They checked all the life vests and the throwables. They pretty much checked everyone that was out their. Obviously they checked the fishing licenses.<P>They pretty much checked everyone they could as the boats kind of moved around. I'm sure they missed a few though.<P>I myself enjoy the downrigger fishing when it's time, and if your going to catch some fish regularly in August you pretty much have to in my opinion. I love to livebait fish as well. Their is nothing quite like feeling a hit, feeding some line, and then setting the hook.<P>I'm a little confused about what a "livewell" fisherman is though? I fished with a charter one day a few years ago when the boat we had went down. I wanted to see what this downrigger fishing was all about, and that was the best way to learn. I was told then that everybody else on the lake was referred to as a "Pork and Beaner's." I thought that was kind of funny though like when I was a ski bum in Colorado and we called all of the tourist's Gaper's. <P>Ryan