They shut down the walleye

[kickingfrog]

http://www.fieldandstream.com/blogs/field-notes/popular-minnesota-fishery-shuts-down-walleye-season?src=SOC&dom=tw

 

Popular Minnesota Fishery Shuts Down Walleye Season

 

by Tom Davis

In a move that would have been unimaginable just a few years ago, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has called an abrupt halt to the walleye season on Lake Mille Lacs, one of the state’s most popular—and formerly abundant—walleye fisheries. The order, which took effect August 3, makes it illegal not only to harvest walleyes but also to target them. Any walleye caught incidentally while targeting other species must be immediately released.

For reasons not completely understood—and that continue to be hotly debated—the walleye population on Mille Lacs has gone into free-fall over the past several years. As recently as 2012, the harvest quota—divided between sport fishermen and eight bands of Ojibwe, whose treaty rights allow them to net fish the lake—was 500,000 pounds. In stark contrast, the quota for 2015 was a mere 40,000 pounds, with 28,600 allotted to sport fishermen.

To put this into perspective, a DNR biologist told the Minneapolis Star Tribune that not so long ago anglers on Mille Lacs would routinely harvest that much walleye “on a good weekend.”

With more than 132,000 surface acres, Mille Lacs is the second-largest lake in Minnesota. And one of the factors contributing to the decline seems to be that the models used prior to 2010 to estimate the walleye population on this sprawling body of water were flawed. According to the Star Tribune, biologists “now believe they overestimated by a significant margin how many fish they could take from the lake.”

But to the extent that overharvest is a problem, at least it’s correctible. (The largest of the Ojibwe bands that fish the lake, the Mille Lacs Band, has already stated that they will forego any walleye harvest allotted to them in 2016.) An even bigger and more-troubling problem is fewer and fewer young walleyes are surviving to grow to catchable size. And while, again, the reasons are complex and not completely understood, a myriad of suspects have emerged: Invasive species; climate change; a shifting forage base; a growing population of other predator species, such as muskie, northern pike, and smallmouth bass; and the list goes on.

With area resorts, marinas, and tourism-dependent businesses standing to lose millions if the current trend continues, the Minnesota legislature has convened a special working group to try to sort through the issues and determine what can be done to reverse the walleye decline. There seems to be only one certainty: It won’t be a quick fix.

[solopaddler]

Wish our politicians had the stones to make that kind of decision. Kudos to them for being proactive.

[OhioFisherman]

I saw an article on this earlier this month or late last month, that lake, even in this area was famous for it's walleye fishing. I am sure netting doesn't help the situation, but the problem may be more complex than that?

 

http://www.twincities.com/sports/ci_28534732/mille-lacs-why-there-are-no-easy-answers

 

"

The walleye is also king in Mille Lacs. In fact, if you want one species to "blame" for eating all the young walleyes, blame the other walleyes, which are, bar none, the most prolific predators in the lake.

Right now, the most ravenous killer of baby walleyes, as a group, is probably the 2013 generation. Which is the hope for the future.

You see the dilemma. "

 

http://www.startribune.com/chippewa-bands-proposed-season-long-catch-and-release-for-mille-lacs/321502831/

 

http://www.startribune.com/mille-lacs-sad-fish-story-the-season-that-got-away/321143241/

 

 

http://www.startribune.com/6-accused-of-taking-hundreds-of-fish-over-limit/321401621/

 

Sportsmen?

[kickingfrog]

So there aren't enough walleye because there are too many walleye... eating walleye. Good thing that didn't happen back when there was even more walleye. They would have made themselves extinct long ago and then there'd be no walleye left for the walleye to eat.

[mr blizzard]

That's a lot of walleye

[glen]

Maybe they can stock some small walleye so the big walleye have something to eat.

[grimsbylander]

So there aren't enough walleye because there are too many walleye... eating walleye. Good thing that didn't happen back when there was even more walleye. They would have made themselves extinct long ago and then there'd be no walleye left for the walleye to eat.

 

You just solved that pesky dinosaur mystery.

[jimmer]

I know a few places in Ontario that would have benefited from a decision like that a few years ago.

[AKRISONER]

with all of this walleye talk, it makes me wonder about the pickerel

[John]

Wish our politicians had the stones to make that kind of decision. Kudos to them for being proactive.

x 2

[manitoubass2]

So there aren't enough walleye because there are too many walleye... eating walleye. Good thing that didn't happen back when there was even more walleye. They would have made themselves extinct long ago and then there'd be no walleye left for the walleye to eat.

Brilliant???

[moxie]

Brilliant

Hes brilliant alright. At being a Fool.

[kickingfrog]

Hes brilliant alright. At being a D!@k

 

That could really hurt if your opinion mattered.

[grimsbylander]

Hes brilliant alright. At being a Fool.

His opinion hardly justified a personal attack.

[jtracc]

I know a few places in Ontario that would have benefited from a decision like that a few years ago.

That's a big 10-4. Those poor walleye take a pounding. In feel sorry for them, our cottage lake use to have tons of nice walleye and over harvesting killed them off. The mnr brought them back in early 2000 and had a tight limit. You know what the walleye started to come back in decent numbers, so they allowed more walleye to the angler and changed the slot. Gone.

[porkpie]

The problem with pickerel is that everyone wants them for dinner. I certainly harvest a share of them, but I put more back way more than I keep. Our cottage lake has a decent population if you know where and how to target them, but if myself and the others who are on them where to keep limits every time out, how long would that last? They are bar none my favorite fish to catch followed closely by fall steelhead. I make sure that we keep enough each summer for just a few fish frys, and the rest get put back, or tanked for a little bit until we get a picture, then released. I will sometimes keep 2lb smallies in place of picks if we want a fry up . They taste pretty good and are pretty prolific most places. I wish more people would stop looking at bass as a catch and release fish, and treat them as a food source. The picks could use a break. It's nice to see the government take a firm stance somewhere . They won't do it here!

[OhioFisherman]

I rarely kept fish after I hit 20 years old or so, my experience my last few years of fishing with the few I kept? Walleye and Steelhead in Lake Erie had a diet mostly of Emerald Shiners and Shad, occasionally a small Perch our two in their bellies.

 

No idea what the baitfish population is like in that lake, but if you have thousands of fisherman coming to the lake and catching baitfish on their own too? The population could also get depleted? Then the Walleye have to depend on a more available food source?

 

Fish eat fish?

[manitoubass2]

The problem with pickerel is that everyone wants them for dinner. I certainly harvest a share of them, but I put more back way more than I keep. Our cottage lake has a decent population if you know where and how to target them, but if myself and the others who are on them where to keep limits every time out, how long would that last? They are bar none my favorite fish to catch followed closely by fall steelhead. I make sure that we keep enough each summer for just a few fish frys, and the rest get put back, or tanked for a little bit until we get a picture, then released. I will sometimes keep 2lb smallies in place of picks if we want a fry up . They taste pretty good and are pretty prolific most places. I wish more people would stop looking at bass as a catch and release fish, and treat them as a food source. The picks could use a break. It's nice to see the government take a firm stance somewhere . They won't do it here!

Funny you mention eating more bass.

 

The first one I ate was horrible(deep hooked 4lber), tasted like mud and had very soft flesh.

 

About a week ago we kept a few limits of bass at about the 2lb range, some a lil smaller. Fried some up and it was really good! Hardly a difference. Tried some in a boil and that was good too!

 

I keep a few limits per year of walleye, but I eat mostly pike and crappie.

 

Crappie numbers up here are unreal, well same with walleye pike and bass.

 

But if I wanna good fry, crappie is better then walleye IMO anyhow.

 

But I think Ill be keeping a few more bass in the future.

[netminder]

Bass are alright eating too, smallies better than largemouth though. And around 2lb seems about right.

 

I've been guilty of this too, but I firmly believe it's the tourist anglers that do the most damage to the pickerel population - only visit for a week at a time but harvest as much as they can. Repeat this for everyone who visits and you can see where all the fish are going. I think the overharvesting comes down to not the total number of fishing trips made to the lake, it's the total number of different anglers who fish the lake throughout the year. Think about it - if you fish there every day you won't need to take your limit every time.

[rufus]

Crappie is excellent. Equal to walleye if not better. I eat a few bass and pike every year too. They need to be fresh however. Walleye will keep for a while in the freezer but pike and bass lose a lot once frozen. Crappie never makes it the freezer

 

Funny you mention eating more bass.

The first one I ate was horrible(deep hooked 4lber), tasted like mud and had very soft flesh.

About a week ago we kept a few limits of bass at about the 2lb range, some a lil smaller. Fried some up and it was really good! Hardly a difference. Tried some in a boil and that was good too!

I keep a few limits per year of walleye, but I eat mostly pike and crappie.

Crappie numbers up here are unreal, well same with walleye pike and bass.

But if I wanna good fry, crappie is better then walleye IMO anyhow.

But I think Ill be keeping a few more bass in the future.

[jimmer]

The lower number of walleye has resulted in people keeping more bass on the lake I live on. People are a lot more fishing educated now and this is going to have a lasting impact on all species. Eat pan fish and save the game fish for the sport on the lakes that are suffering from over harvesting. Those in the north probably don't see this ever happening, but........

[Dabluz]

Walleye.....not much of a sport fish except for the fact that to catch them consistently takes a lot of experience. Pike are more sporting. I only keep about 1 or 2 pike per year to eat and even then, they are usually only about 30 inches long. Walleye regulations in my region are a bit strange however. The limit is 6 walleyes, 32 to 47 cm. Walleye are quite rare in my region. The only large population of walleye is in Lac St-Jean. However, they are trying to reduce the number of walleyes in Lac St-Jean in order to help the landlocked salmon population by allowing a limit of 10 walleye of any size. No crappie, sunfish, bass in my region. This is brook trout territory.

[Fisherman]

Each area of the country has it's abundant species and other areas completely different. For the more southerly areas, walleye are the favourite for consuming, while the bass, pike and musky for water thrashing excitement. Anglers are starting to consume more bass and pike just to give the others a chance to rebound. I know my father in law loves the trout, Chicoutimi resident, right across the road on the Saguenay, just before St Jean Eudes. My brother in law runs a Pourvoirie up in Mont Valin, outstanding area for fishing the trout.