Eating River fish?

[JIGSTER]

What is your opinion on eating fish out of the Minnesota.The reason I'm asking is because I've found a place where I'm pullin' very nice saugers threw the ice.The DNR website shows about the same stats on fish consumption for the river as it does most lakes.I also feel the river can't be much more polluted in winter than most of southern Minnesota lakes!They sure are fun to catch and taste fine to me,Just not sure how many I want to eat!! Good fishin' Jigster

[catmaster1557]

I eat a number of fish out of the river and i'm still living. I guess it depends on what part of the river your fishing. Personally I don't think there is anything wrong with it. others will have their own opinion. Seems around here the only place you can get a meal of walleyes is out of the river.

[Dennis Steele]

They taste allright to me.

I will keep a limit every now and again, but keep em under 18" or so.

The older fish in the system have had a lot more time to saok up anything thing that might be bad for you.

So when are we going fishing?

[icecold]

Jigster ,I heard there getting some big saugers up by Steffles on the river , Im sure if you dont eat fish more than 1 time a week you wont drop over. people have eaten lots worse things

[rubber duck]

How much ice are you finding on the river?

[icecold]

Ice thickness is from zero to 6-8 inches

[Lunker]

The thing to remember when talking about fish consumption is this. The heavy metals that people worry about(mercury for example) build up in fish and other predators. They DO NOT ever leave the body. So if you're eating a very old fish, you're going to have much more concentrated amounts of those substances entering your body, and they don't leave your body either. Also, top tier predators(pike, musky, walleye) have more because they get the concentrations that were built up in the prey that they eat.I think some people think that if you only eat a couple meals a week or month or whatever then the "bad stuff" has time to be filtered through your body. Just remember it doesn't. So keep your meals of fish to younger fish, 2nd level predators(crappies, gills, perch, etc) and your meals from "polluted" less than from cleaner waters. There are still levels of these substances in just about all lakes though. Not saying anything bad about eating fish though. Yum Yum

[tims]

They taste like mud. Thats the best I can describe it. Most people i talk to dont seem to mind the taste, but I do. If I can taste mud, they must be bad for me. For that reason alone i dont eat them. Alot of lakes down here have muddy tasting fish too. Unless it comes from a body of water I trust, I wont touch it.

[bdiddy]

They taste like mud because the river is so rich with sediment...

On top of all of the toxic metals that bioaccumulate in fish tissue, nobody seems to be concerned with all of the carcinogenic organic species which can bind to the smallest negetively charged soil particles that travel in the MN river. The amount of erosion associated with the MN river valley is staggering. The increased application rates of fertilizers and other organic compounds to boost productivity losses due to the degredation of soil only means that there is more of a chance of contamination.

Fella's it may not make you sick now... but trust me, in twenty years you will regrete eating fish from this river...

Don't go by what the DNR says because all that has to do with is Mythel Mercury levels, and those levels have been on a prodominant fall anyway...

If you taste mud what you are eating is sediment with organic compounds attached... Yummy...

[JIGSTER]

Glad I gave most'em away!!Oh Well, It was fun catch'em!!Really,Where can you go in Southern Minnesota!Houses,Hog ####,fertilizer,The buffer strips are great for pheasants,but not doing much for water quality when the septic lines and tile lines run below them!!Acid Rain ain't Helpin'Good Fishin Jigster