Thoughts on Pike regulations (40"+)

[Spike76]

The mentality that there isn't a healthy pike population is someones personal interest. The DNR listed the lakes as experimental, with slots to increase the size of northern pike. Most of the slot lakes are experimental, implemented because they said, there was considerable input, lake associations, and resort owners. The majority of fishermen or women, don't sit on the computer and be heard. Most of them don't even hear of the town meetings or attend them. A 40 inch fish should be a dream, not something you can catch every time out. Go and work for them if you want,but don't deprive the others who are satisfied with a meal of five and six pounders.

[Shawn Kellett]

Spike, where can you get a 40"er every time out? I fish big baits on lakes with reg's and can count the number of 40"+ fish on one hand. In fact I've got several times more 50" muskies then 40" pike and I've been fishing for pike since I was 6.

What these reg's are for is giving people the opportunity to catch 28-32"ers in place of 100's of 20"ers.

[OnAFly]

So no one should have a legitimate chance at a 40"? It should just be a dream that we give our grandchildren

Grandpa: "Yeah, I remember back in the day, we used hear of a 40" fish caught now and then."

Grandson: "Wow, Grandpa. Can I catch one of those?"

Grandpa: "No Billy, we killed them all so you could have this dream of catching one instead. Isn't it great! Look now, you've caught another 20" northern."

[Nick Kuhn]

Go and work for them if you want,but don't deprive the others who are satisfied with a meal of five and six pounders.

3000+ other lakes that are untouched so you can have your meal of 5-6 pounders. You instead are depriving the growing number of fisherman who like to catch and release big fish of their enjoyment. And in most of those "big pike" lakes nothing is stopping you from keeping 3 pounders for the table...

[SmellEsox]

The mentality that there isn't a healthy pike population is someones personal interest. The DNR listed the lakes as experimental, with slots to increase the size of northern pike. Most of the slot lakes are experimental, implemented because they said, there was considerable input, lake associations, and resort owners. The majority of fishermen or women, don't sit on the computer and be heard. Most of them don't even hear of the town meetings or attend them. A 40 inch fish should be a dream, not something you can catch every time out. Go and work for them if you want,but don't deprive the others who are satisfied with a meal of five and six pounders.

In all honesty, 5 and 6 pound fish are quite rare in most waters in our area. These are today's trophies in most lakes. On the other hand, the numbers of 5-6 pound pike in our regulated waters has gone way up.

[OnAFly]

Trust me, that has nothing to do with regulation

[Shawn Kellett]

Ouch!

Although you may be right...

[john skarie]

So I guess with the mentality that 40" pike should be a dream, so should being able to catch a limit of walleyes.

Maybe we should quit stocking them and take away all regs that allow the majority of anglers to catch "the dream".

Lakes with 40" fish in them are healthy, normal, the way nature intended them to be.

The "dream" (or maybe for most the nightmare) is what we have now.

Lakes with stunted pike and a screwed up ecosystem because people have been brainwashed to think that is how it's supposed to be.

JS

[Muskiefool]

How many Pike over 40 inches are you catching Spike?, lets see the pictures..

[Spike76]

This thread is about having slots to 40 inch pike, is why I've mentioned them. I've personally passed up two about 40 while spearing. The largest I've gotten was 37.5, and that went in the fry pan, and was great. Personally, I like eating pike, but I only like keeping one big northern a year. The last season my biggest one kept was 31.5, which tasted awesome. If I had pictures, I wouldn't know how to put them on here. My daughter just recently got me on hotspotoutdoors, which gives me something to do. I really enjoy these different sites, giving my opinion, and reading each of yours. I don't like going to different lakes, but because of the slots, I've been forced to. I don't care if I see another 40 inch nothern, but I think state wide regulations of one over 30 in possession, is slot enough. If a certain lake needs more regulations, then close it for that species, until it rebounds to necessary levels as needed. I would guess that more big fish die from old age and catch and release, then are speared in a season. If they keep these slots, they should change the possession limits to 9, to have more small ones removed, and others can keep a meal. Some eat more than others.

[creepworm]

If they keep these slots, they should change the possession limits to 9, to have more small ones removed, and others can keep a meal. Some eat more than others.

That makes an awful lot of sense. Never thought about that before.

[Esox_Magnum]

For those of us that are not up on spearing, how does a slot keep you off a lake??? Can't you still spear on these lakes or is it you want the size thats protected there???

Bear in mind I'm no fishries expert but have friends that are and having bigger pike in a lake is good for the lake keeping the smaller pike in check, you say close a lake untill it rebounds but without removing small fish there wont be big fish if I'm not mistaken?? How about taking the smaller pike with your spears giving the lake the chance to grow larger ones thus helping it rebound?

[goblueM]

the argument is that spearers can't tell if a pike is in the slot or not so they have to pass on a lot of fish that are close to the 24" lower end of the slot

[Spike76]

I would prefer to walk out on the slot lake, but I don't like making mistakes. The C.O. there told me I should go to a different lake. I don't like driving to other lakes, but mistakes will happen. If the slots weren't on this one lake, I probably wouldn't even know of the experimental slots for larger pike. This lake has no resorts on it, and I've seen large fish there since 1964, my first year fishing and spearing there. There were only three houses on this lake this winter, with other lakes around there having three of my five houses on them plus many others. I also think nature intended fish for food. When you sit all day and don't see but one forsure less then 24, but you see only larger ones that steal your decoys, and you have to go home without a meal of fish, because of the slots it gets frustrating. I actually like 2 to 6 pounders for eating ,but will eat the big ones also. A three pounder is usually just under 24 inches and a six pounder is about 27 or 28 inches. The pontoon will go in next week hopefully, and the crappie fishing will begin for me. Good luck to you all in the upcoming season.

[cbrooks]

The pontoon will go in next week hopefully, and the crappie fishing will begin for me. Good luck to you all in the upcoming season.

I'm looking at 8 inches of snow in my yard with snow forcasted and the next couple of days. I guess its that time of year to get the boat ready with walleye opener in one month.

[SmellEsox]

I would prefer to walk out on the slot lake, but I don't like making mistakes. The C.O. there told me I should go to a different lake. I don't like driving to other lakes, but mistakes will happen. If the slots weren't on this one lake, I probably wouldn't even know of the experimental slots for larger pike. This lake has no resorts on it, and I've seen large fish there since 1964, my first year fishing and spearing there. There were only three houses on this lake this winter, with other lakes around there having three of my five houses on them plus many others. I also think nature intended fish for food. When you sit all day and don't see but one forsure less then 24, but you see only larger ones that steal your decoys, and you have to go home without a meal of fish, because of the slots it gets frustrating. I actually like 2 to 6 pounders for eating ,but will eat the big ones also. A three pounder is usually just under 24 inches and a six pounder is about 27 or 28 inches. The pontoon will go in next week hopefully, and the crappie fishing will begin for me. Good luck to you all in the upcoming season.

Most of the slot limit lakes in our area (24-36" protected slot) have many, many, many more fish below 24" than within the protected slot. If what you say is true, that all you see are larger pike that steal your decoy, it just testifies to the vulnerability of large pike to spearing.

As far as expanding the limit on pike below the slot, we have discussed this quite a bit lately in our office. We haven't made any decisions yet or submitted any proposals to St. Paul, but we have been considering some different options. There obviously is a harvestable surplus of smaller pike on our slot lakes. The only thing that concerns me with increasing the limit is if harvest under the slot is too intense, few fish will make it to protection and we will be back to a lake full of smaller fish.

[Spike76]

The reason I had to spear the 37.5 inch northern, was because it was the slot lake, and I wanted a meal of fish. I would have had my three earlier, and not even needed the big one. Two weeks after I got that one, I passed up the biggest one I had seen in a few years. Some years you can't spear the lakes because of the visabilty, maybe this is natures way, of protecting the fish. Initially I think the slots weren't for spearing, but got put in during the process. I went and talked to Gene M. when he became the head, and he didn't believe that spearing was included in the slots. He then had someone contact me who said they were included. The problem as I see it, is in catch and release, catch your three and be satisfied, or you must keep three small ones to keep fishing.

[mrklean]

The reason I had to spear the 37.5 inch northern

You didnt have to you chose to just saying, like myself any any other spearer out there we have the option to spear or release.

[SmellEsox]

Congrats on the 37.5" northern, Spike. That is a nice northern anywhere in North America. Just remember, that fish may never have made it to that size and swam through your hole w/o the regulation. Also, congrats on letting a bigger one go. Another point, my guess is if you can estimate a fish 1.5" above the slot, you could do the same below the slot. Take some of those smaller fish. They contain fewer contaminants and probably taste better besides.

[Spike76]

I was shaking when I measured the 37.5 inch northern, hoping it wasn't 34.5 inches. This takes the enjoyment out of spearing a northern on an experimental slot lake. I don't want to make that mistake is why I don't like spearing there. I enjoy spearing small ones too, and I always do. I had one this year stuck between the tines of the spear. The tines were one and a quarter inches apart. The placement of your house could bring more large fish through your hole, compared to more small fish. This year I saw more sunfish in my hole then any other year. I enjoy eating pike, but I will never have one mounted. The big ones taste as good as the little ones, and when I'm through filleting them I think they are healthier than other meats. One fish bought feeds me, one fishing liscense bought feeds many.

[My_Key]

Suck it up. There are roughly 3300 lakes with pike populations, less than 125 with regs. That is less than 4% of lakes with regs. The thing is, those lakes without regs don't have what you are looking for, aka 30"+ pike. Those lakes have healthy populations of roughly 22" fish.

Maybe the DNR should lift the regs, so the big girls could get fished and speared out in the next year, so you can complain that the lake is nothing but a hammer handle factory.

[Spike76]

I don't need slot limits to find big fish and I wood never complain about a bunch of 22 inch northerns. Maybe you should suck it up and get rid of the slots that are on most of the lakes. Jim Thome hit a nice home run a few games ago, maybe we should bring the fences in 100 feet so more people can hit homeruns. Lets have slot limits so more can catch big northerns. If you can't catch big fish, then catch the small ones and be happy, I am. Whats wrong with a single or double anyway? The lakes are for fishing, not experimenting with, and fish are for eating, and not for torture.

[scott b]

Holy carp...Am I really reading this? Dude, lakes with 40" regs are the best lakes to fish for any other species because it keeps them in check. Bull gills, Monster Bass, Crappie you would chew your arm off for, Walleyes surpassing 12-13#, Perch over 13", And I can't even account for the bait fish populations. Seriously quit being so self indulgent.

[scott b]

Holy seriousness?

[OnAFly]

Spike - "Maybe you should suck it up and get rid of the slots that are on most of the lakes."

>3300 lakes, <120 with slots. The vast majority of lakes don't have slots. So we should get rid of the rest that do so we can accommodate YOU?

How about this. I want a pure catch and release fishery. Does that mean that every lake in the state should become a CR fishery? The answer is no.