Walleyes vs Smallies

[RodNGun]

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Walleyes are definitely overrated! They taste good sure, but reeling them in is like reeling in a wet sock. Smallies fight hard, they're alot easier to catch, and in my opinion they taste better. So to all you walleye fisherman out there...if you want to do something about the bass "problem", switch your diet over to smallie fillets. That's about the only thing that can be done. My prediction...at least 5 more lakes in the grand marais area will have smallies "stocked" in them by 2010.

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You must be fishing where you only catch 14 in. walleyes. Yes a 14 in. walleye will be brought in like a wet sock. But try relling in nice fish all day. I'm talking averages of 20 in. all day long. And in cold water that hold strong fish that don't want to leave the bottom, and give you head shakes every third rotation of the reel. Then tell me they don't fight. But I can see what you are saying especially if your fishing near the cities. And your right SMB are easier to catch. Mow Ron. And if five more lakes have SMB in them I know where to send T.I.P. The only thing us "walleye fisherman" can do is do what the Canadians do.

[Flatlander]

"And I will tell you that no fish pound-4-pound fights harder than a smallie caught out of the upper mississippi!"

I must respectfully disagree with this statement. When you hook into a 2 lb. bonefish(sm. bone), you will have a pound for pound arguement. Then throw in a 3' cuda chasing that 2 lb. bone while you're hooked up to him.....that's a fight. I have never had a 2lb. smallie take me into the backing on my 8 wt. I've had numerous bonefish do it pretty much at will.

[analyzer]

I was just watching these guys catch some kind of "golden dorado?" in argentina. HOLY COW!!! One fish and their lure was toast.

Personally, I like variety. I think it is fun to go fishing in the bwca, and ask my son "ok, what do you want to fish for today?" and have 3 or 4 good choices. Sometimes we fish for walleyes, other times we go after bass or northerns. They each have their appeals. While the walleye is challenging, and very satisfying to pull in a nice 5 or 6 lber, it's also a ton of fun to watch smallies destroying my floating rapala or other surface bait.

It's all good.

I am dissappointed by the downward trend of walleyes in some of my favorite destinations. I'm hoping it's just a cycle, like grouse or whatever.

[JBMasterAngler]

RodNGun, if your refering to the "catch, stab & release" for bass to help the walleyes, you might as well kill all the northerns too for eating too many walleyes. While your at it you better get rid of the lake trout too, they eat too many ciscos so the walleye's can't grow big! Maybe you should start shooting all the loons and mergansers for eating the young walleyes also.

Variety is a good thing. It's not the bass' fault that they are able to outcompete walleyes, especially since walleyes are such a sought after fish. Should the DNR research this? Sure. They'll be the best to decide what to do about it, if anything needs to be done. As far as the anglers are concerned though, the only thing they can do is start keeping some bass for supper.

I was being sarcastic when I started listing off ways of "helping" the walleyes by killing everything else. But it is a fact that smallies because of their speed have less predators than a walleye does. And because they're apparently less desirable by anglers as opposed to walleyes, of course they're gonna take over. They have nothing to stop them!

[fishane]

It is also my understanding that global warming, which all but a few now agree is happening (we don't need to go into the causes) also favors members of the sunfish family, to which smallies belong. This may in some cases be to the detriment of walleyes, we don't really know. Crappies (also sunfish) have also been doing better in some places where there have not been many before. My point is that changes are happening for better or worse and we may just need to get used to it. I am glad that I like to fish for all fish.

[Bassboy1645]

I belive that todays angler fails much more often in finding and catching walleye. I love both fish and often I catch a mixed bag of both smallies and walleye when throwing cranks. What about down southern MN?? You catch more largemouth then walleye half the time you fish for them. that dosent mean they are in decline. Last holiday break we slayed the 17-23 inch walleyes in that same lake for about 2 weeks through ice. Couldnt keep your lure in the water long enough. So that must mean the bass are in decline if thats what im getting out of this disscusion. Its rediculous. People make walleye fishing harder than it really is. I take a tournament style attitude after eye's everytime I go out contest or not and If you fish walleyes with no "rules" in mind you broaden the horizion. Its all really trial and error. Too many smallies? go somehwere else or try somthign else?? keep at it!! Ive caught some dandy eyes back home on cattail egdges right in with carp. that only proves that your species of choice is often the last place you look. Point is try something new if your not happy even if youve never fishd there or never with that technique.

[JBMasterAngler]

fishane and bassboy, I couldn't agree with you guys more! It's very true global warming is happening. I read in the outdoor news about a month ago that some of the lakes in northeastern MN could be too warm for lakers by 2050! And yeah, I've caught lot's of walleyes (including my biggest) while fishing for bass in the shallows. I normally always catch my biggest fish while I'm fishing for something else. I'd be upset and concerned with the fisheries too if the lakes up there were being taken over by carp or bullheads, but it's smallmouth bass! They're good to eat and fun to catch!

[gunflint]

I'm sorry guys but if your saying that myself, Northlander, and the dozens and dozens of true walleye fisherman that have either lived here or fished here for many years aren't catching walleyes because all of the sudden we don't know what we're doing, I can't take your input seriously.

[Great Outdoors]

The thing that I have noticed in Burntside Lake (in which the smelt change all the rules) is that the walleyes bite up until about the 10th-15th of July is good. Then I don't catch another all summer. I do not fish at night, which may be the problem, but an underwater camera will show walleyes in great numbers in 12+ feet of water, even when the temperature is 75 degrees at the 12 foot mark. The numbers are NOT dropping, the catching is. Anyway, I have also found that pulling up an 8-10 lb walleye is more of a thrill than catching bass. JBMasterAngler, please get the psychiatric help you so seriously need

[Northlander]

Gunflint I just thought it was your pink fireline all those times we stunk it up.

I know Im getting older but I dont think my skills die in only a few lakes that just happen to be overflowing with smallies the past few years. I seem to do ok around here.

[JBMasterAngler]

Hey great outdoors, I tried getting help, but when I told the doc I like bass over walleyes he kicked me out!

[Northlander]

Smart doctor. Did he recomend a good shrink?

[Wanderer]

Hey! Nice heated debate! It was, uh, enlightening??catching up on this thread!

Walleyes do seem to be the Holy Grail of Northern Minnesota, prized even by those who don't fish for em much. And Smallmouth bass? Just a sport fish.... To be played with, photographed and tossed back.

It was beat into my skull by B.A.S.S. and other Societies' ethics to C&R bass for all the years I was involved with them. I even witnessed members quit clubs if they found out another member intentionally killed a bass. Stupid.

Stupid because we're all smarter about management now and know SOME harvest is good for everything. And after I tasted my first BW smallie, I intentionally killed another, then another. But I still see dozens of filletted walleye carcasses littering the bottom and shore by BW campsites all year - but nary a smallie body....

Just some thoughts.

[JBMasterAngler]

Northlander, he did recommend someone...what was his name? Oh yeah, "mr. walleye" gary roach! The doc told me he'd be able to cure me of my smallie fix.

[Great Outdoors]

JBMasterAngler,

When you told the Doc you liked Bass over Walleyes, instead of tossing you out and allowing you to move among the innocent & unsuspecting public-he should have strapped you to the couch and called in three All Pro Exorcists direct from the Vatican to see if you could be helped!

[Bassboy1645]

Gunflint, IM srry If you took my opinion that way. Im sure you know a great deal about these lakes up here and what your doing.I was Merely suggesting that it might be time to try something new. Generally speaking many walleye anglers are average joes who fish 10 times a yr or at least alot of ppl I know. They follow the crowds and talk the talk and have all the gear but they dont seem to walk the walk so to speak. Then they complain that theres no walleyes and that other fish are destroying the fishieres. No offense intended just staing my opinion from what Iv'e seen.

[JBMasterAngler]

No, there's no hope for me, it's bass all the way. Although I had been contemplating trying some new (well, new to me) strategies for walleyes the next time I'm up there. But in june daylight lasts for like 23 hours in grand marais, so I'm gonna have plenty of time to fish for everything.

[RodNGun]

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[andrew chadwick]

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JBAngler you can keep your limit on SMB for yourself I'll keep mine for the bald eagles. And Bassboy the walleye anglers up here aren't like the ones in the cities we fish 10 times in two weeks. Partly because we don't sit in traffic for 2 hours to get to the lake

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Yea,only if you are single...

[JBMasterAngler]

Post deleted by JBMasterAngler

[hawgeye]

JB the self proclaimed MASTER ANGLER,

We know you are a MASTER ANGLER, but I am getting sick of hearing your opinion on everything. I hope this forum remains a source for good fishing information, not the master anglers personal opinion on everything. Thanks and if you ever want to know how a 10lb walleye fights look me up.

[Northlander]

Lets play nice guys. No need to call people idiots JB. Please take the name calling out of your post or this thread may get zapped.

I also dont like the idea of just killing fish because we dont like them. Lets not post that here either and for those who did please get rid of that as well.

Breaking the law isnt the answer to this situation and either is name calling. No need to make anything personel. Of course some friendly ribbing is ok.

[JBMasterAngler]

Kudos to northlander for being the peacemaker. Your absolutely right. There's nothing more that can be said on this topic anyway. To all you guys that love walleyes, there's plenty out there so have at it and have some fun along the way! To everyone that likes bass, there's plenty of them too. Have fun this open water season, catch lot's of fish, and be safe!

[gunflint]

Actually I think that there's plenty more to be said on the original topic but this kind of discussion almost always gets sidetracked.

[RodNGun]

Thanks Steve.

[earth]

Here is a statement from the Wisconsin DNR about walleye and smallmouth comptetition.

"Many visioning session participants came to the meeting believing that smallmouth bass are responsible for repressing walleye production. Fishery researchers have found no significant negative interactions between walleye and smallmouth bass. Walleye occupy a wide variety of habitat types and prefer yellow perch, white suckers and other fish as prey. Smallmouth bass feed heavily upon crayfish that live in the abundant rocky and woody

substrates. Discussion seemed to convince most participants that walleye and smallmouth bass can coexist very well. "

This comes from the following link on the Turtle Flambeau Flowage fisheries management.

http://basineducation.uwex.edu/upperchip/docs/Turtle-FlambeauFMP3-07.pdf

[Northlander]

Thats Wisconsin and way different than the Northern Lakes Gunflint speaks of. I dont think the smallmouth are eating walleye young or the main forage base of the walleyes.

I think there are just so many smallies and they are so agressive compared to a walleye that when your bait gets there and there is 4or 6 smallies to every 1 walleye you dont have much of a chance to catch that walleye.

I also do think they may be driving walleyes off of some key structure just because of the numbers of them.

Im no scientist or biologist but this is from my personel experiences.

[earth]

I know the lakes are different. I thought I would just post because it was info. directly related to the topic. This same topic is hot in other areas besides the Gunflint area. Maybe Sag/Northern Lights have just had poor spawning for eyes in the last few years.

What do you think about no more live bait or barbs in Quetico? Is that coming to the BWCA in the future? Fishing might only get tougher.

[gunflint]

I always say that I'm not going to bother with a Canadian License because of all the bait restrictions on the Canadian side. No leeches, no minnows, but I always end up getting one. I think that Northlander is on to something with the aggressiveness and shear numbers of smallies pushing the walleyes of structure, at least during daylight. I was hoping that they would do something with the 2-line idea. Trolling large expanses of open water trying to get walleyes that are suspended using one line is a monumental waste of fishing time.

[Northlander]

I dont buy the arguement that its the bait buckets that are poluting the lakes. Look at boats/canoes/trailers etc. that go from 1 body of water to the next and drag all the garbage with them. Yes you can get things in minnows at the bait store but I would be more worried about all the boats/canoes that go from 1 body of water to the next sometimes within the same day.

As far as Quiteco and BWCA and a artificial only law Im betting we will see this in our lifetimes. Do I like it or agree with it? Probably not.