bare with me..

[Deitz Dittrich]

just want your opinions on this..

So, we have a couple really good threads going here in the bass forum.. Totally unrelated, but yet related in my opinion..

I hear how many people talk about our great bass fishery we have here in MN.. which I cant argue.. We really do have a great fishery here. Yet you also see posts about wanting to open up a catch and release season like other states.

Do you feel that there is a connection between our great fishing and having a closed season.. or is it more a matter of us having more water and less pressure than other states.. .

Personally I think its a combination of the two.. but would like to hear others opinions.

[Larson15]

More water and less pressure for sure. If we had a catch and release season I don't think the fishery would be effected at all. I do a good bit of fishing on the Wisconsin side and I cant tell any difference in the quality of fishing and they have an earlier opener.

[Craigums]

or is it more a matter of us having more water and less pressure than other states.. .

Thats my opinion, but im not a biologist.

Also I think MN bass probably get less pressure because we have so many other fishing opportunities including pike, walleye, trout, muskie, panfish.. Were down south bass fishing is way bigger and thus gets more attention. couple that with less lakes. In MN we are truly blessed you can pretty much reach a good fishing lake with a 15min drive or less. some states you literally have to drive hours to get to the lake

[JP Z]

I think the majority of it has to do with the shear amount of water we have to fish. Lakes are less pressured so you can catch a few fish. I don't think if they would open a catch and release season that it would really negatively affect the fishery. It's not like the season is closed to protect the spawn.......generally not at least. Many times it opens up right as the spawn is getting heavy. I would like to see the season opened up for a C&R season earlier maybe May 1 or even before then turn into a keep season Memorial day weekend like we have now that way you have an extra month or more for bass fishing. Would be pretty nice actually.

[Cecil]

I agree, a lot of water and not a ton of bass fisherman. We can thank the walleye for that. And there is no way a 2-4 week earlier season would change that.

[Daze Off]

LOL - not going to comment about going "bare" with you but certainly willing to "bear" with you on this issue...

[Juan Grande]

I agree with Cecil, walleye rules in this state and fortunately for us they keep a lot of pressure off the bass.

Regarding the late season, I think it's more of a case of "that's the way it's always been and we're not changing it now." Kind of like the early season up north and the reply Ike got from the conservation officer. Didn't sound like they had a real scientific reason to have two different bass openers, it was just tradition and it's harder to change things than to leave them the same.

Judging by some of the "catching bass out of season" reports I've read, sounds like quite a few people target them illegally anyway. That combined with accidental catches when people are fishing the shallows for crappie and sunnies and I'm guessing quite a few of these bedding fish are caught and released anyway. At least with a catch-n-release season we honest bass fisherman could have some fun before Memorial Day.

[bassfshin24]

i do think its the amount of water we have and less pressure. but the DNR i think has done a great job keeping this one of the top fishing states in the nation. i just always look at it that i live in one of the best fishing states in the nation and i can wait a few extra weeks til bass season opens. i can always just got to pool 2

[Doufish2]

I do agree we have a lot of water to fish in this great state of Minnesota, but I disagree about this fishing pressure. There are quite a few lakes that get an enormous amout of pressure from us bass guys, from both tourney guys and weekend anglers. Although with that being said, I would love to see a catch and release season coinsiding with the walleye opener. Our fishing season in Minnesota is limited, but starting May 29th is rediculous.

[chief]

(I'm with Daze Off. I'll certainly "bear" with you, but I refuse to "bare" with you....................I have body image issues.)

Minnesota does have terrific bass fishing, but it's illogical to say a longer fishing season wouldn't be harmful. If we've always had short bass seasons here, and if the fishing is and has been so wonderful, why change them? Why does it follow that an already good fishery needs more fishing? Haven't we been doing the right things to reach this point?

[Cecil]

I don't think there would be an effect on the fish if you opened the season the same time as walleye at all. The vast majority of the fisherman would still be targeting walleye and 2 more weeks of fishing wouldn't be noticeable.

[Juan Grande]

Point well taken chief, but I don't think it's illogical to say that a early catch-n-release season wouldn't have a negative impact on the fishery. Unless there is concrete scientific evidence that shows a correlation between catching/releasing spawners and poor spawning success.

I know studies have been done, but the results have been mixed.

[Larson15]

The strong majority of results show that a catch and release season does not effect a fishery, reason why you can bass fish right now in the the other 49 states.

[EBass]

Only way to find out is to open it up to C&R and in 5 years have a study. I thought I heard on a bassmaster that a female will spwan with 5-6 different males on different nests.

[Irish]

I don't think an early catch and release season would hurt the fishery at all.

[shiltsy]

The least they could do is a little research over a five year period of CPR. I deer hunt in WI every year and they tweak the rifle seasons almost annually these days to help manage the herd. A little creativity and science might be what's needed.

Having lived and fished in Missouri for three years, I can tell you we are absolutely blessed with some great fishing opportunities up here.

[mabr]

GUYs we do have a closed season even if the DNR opens it to C&R early.

Its called Ice. That right there is giving the bass one of the biggest breaks there is. Yeah the occasional bass is caught during the winter but id bet not on a J&P, plastic or crankbait. Thats 4 months without them seeing any bass baits. And IMO they've become dumb all over again. I say that jokingly as I was the guy who couldnt believe how good the fishing was in MN until id been here a while. Footballs was all i could say the first year here. And they bit anything thrown at them.

I say open it up to C&R until the walleye opener. I dont like C&R all the time for 2 reasons. 1 I like tourney's, 2 harvest is a tool to control populations. I like most dont keep bass to eat but there are some who do and again IMO some lakes need it.

[grab the net]

More water and less pressure. C+R season prior to the normal opener would be great. Tournaments before that, like on the walleye opener would plug landings, cause some unnecessary hate and discontent. Although the river is open for bass fishing, it is a long drive from central MN and probably a bigger learning curve than I am willing to spend my time and money on. Would be more likely to go to SD and fish Waubay, Roy area. Unless the State could figure out how to make some money on it, I don't see it happening any time soon.

[Ray Esboldt]

I think Minnesota has better overall habitat that is condusive to bass recruitment than that of the other states. That, in my opinion, makes bass fishing overall better than elsewhere.

As far as a continuous season, C&R only, or the season as it exists now, I could care less. For me, there are too many other things to do this time of year to dedicate too much time to bass fishing (turkeys, walleyes, panfish, mushrooms, etc.). Change it or leave it the same is fine with me. I think lots of other guys see things the same way. Let's just not do what Wisconsin did and put that ridiculous 14" minimum in place. That's a great way to create a bunch of lakes with 13 and 7/8ths inch fish.

[chief]

Gentlemen,

I believe the current thinking among fisheries scientists is that fishing bass during the spawn has no meaningful negative effects on bass populations. Therefore, these same scientists will tell you there are no sound reasons to restrict angling during the spawn.

I agree with these people. After all, they oughta know.

However, since we're the species with the bigger brains, we still have the option of doing the responsible thing. We don't have to make every decision based on hard data. We can make decsions because they're the right thing to do. Sometimes the ethical question is the important question.

In any given year, there's a stretch of approximately twelve weeks in which we're restricted from bass fishing (late Feb. through late May). Realistically, this is shortened to a stretch of about six weeks (since we have to wait for ice out for any meaningful access to bass waters). So, are we going to cite science for our own selfish end of adding a measly few extra weeks of fishing? Are our lives enriched by a couple of additional fishing trips? If we're not hurting the resource, is that the same as saying we're acting responsibly?

We got a very good thing here with Minnesota bass fishing. The bass are entitled to a few weeks of protection.

[Duffman]

A C&R season will still kill some bass, there's no way around that fact, it's part of the game. And if it's pre-walleye opener, you will draw folks away from panfishing at that time, even some walleye and muskie guys would probably then chase bass, leading to more pressure on the resource.

The grass isn't always greener on the other side, I see more and more folks from southern states complimenting on the size structure of MN bass every year. You guys watch the same bass shows on TV that I do, so you also see what I see.....yes, an occasional true hawg or two, but the rest are really not that impressive. Especially for a region where the bass are not hanging out beneath the ice for half the year.

Pressure is pressure, it all adds up. We all kill bass by accident, it doesn't happen every time out, but it happens. We've got a great thing going with bass in MN, why do some of you guys want to mess with it? Well....besides the personal instant gratification aspect of it.

[TurnUpTheFishing]

I agree with the last three or so responses and echo what they say. I wont lie I would take advantage of the catch and release season if it were to be put into effect but as it is now Im fine staying busy with other activities for a couple months and chasing other species to get my fishing fix in.

Heck those muskie guys have to wait longer than us but they get by some how. I dont hear (maybe I just dont pay enough attention) them talking about a catch and release season every year. They seem to do everything they can to protect their spcecies of choice.

[Jig Master]

The MN DNR is ignorant on a lot of issues and definately has an agenda against change and listening to those it was put in place to work for. Having bass season start two weeks after walleye season is stupid. Some guy put this into place years ago and it stuck. It has no real impact on the fishery whatsoever. We need to be able to go bass fishing once the ice is gone. If you ever have a chance to travel to other states and bass fish you'll see what I mean.

[grab the net]

If you put the ice issue into the equation, it is most years, a 6 month closed season. December 1st to 2 weeks after the walleye opener. Ethics? wow, that opens a whole new discussion, things that might be legal, but not be ethical in someone elses eyes, and vice versa. Again, if there were an open C+R season, the vast majority would take advantage of it, leaving their ethics at the dock, humans are very good at rationalizing things out to their own advantage.

[cjac]

A C&R season will still kill some bass, there's no way around that fact, it's part of the game. And if it's pre-walleye opener, you will draw folks away from panfishing at that time, even some walleye and muskie guys would probably then chase bass, leading to more pressure on the resource.

The grass isn't always greener on the other side, I see more and more folks from southern states complimenting on the size structure of MN bass every year. You guys watch the same bass shows on TV that I do, so you also see what I see.....yes, an occasional true hawg or two, but the rest are really not that impressive. Especially for a region where the bass are not hanging out beneath the ice for half the year.

Pressure is pressure, it all adds up. We all kill bass by accident, it doesn't happen every time out, but it happens. We've got a great thing going with bass in MN, why do some of you guys want to mess with it? Well....besides the personal instant gratification aspect of it.

This may be a first, and an earth-moving one at that....but I agree with Duffman 100%.

Do as you wish, but take into consideration why "Minnesota" is the resource that it is. Simple as that. If you feel inclined to lean on the resource, legal or not, that's you own choice. I like to take the stance of Ray Esboldt and do so many other things that are flourishing at this time of year instead of trying to add a week or two or three of fishing a particular species to my recreational "to do" list.

To each his/her own, but in slang terminology...."If it ain't broke don't fix it."

My $.02 worth......