Thoughts on Pike regulations (40"+)

[john skarie]

It amazes me how some would rather have pathetic pike populations just so they can not have to follow regs.

It should be "easy" to find and catch 30"+ pike.

It will never be easy to find and catch 40"+ pike.

Wanting a healthy fishery here in MN is now considered making it to easy to catch big fish??

Furthermore, why would I be happy with catching 22" pike all day? That's like saying walleye guys a should be happy with catching 12" walleyes, or bass guys should be happy with catching 12" bass all day.

JS

[mrklean]

I don't need slot limits to find big fish and I wood never complain about a bunch of 22 inch northerns.

you already have complained and said those aren't big enough for you meal of pike?

[Spike76]

I only complain when I can't get a meal because of the experimental slots. A bunch of 22 inch female pike could make a wonderful meal. How many would a bunch be Mrklean?

[foulpole18]

3. Your limit Spike. Thats your bunch.

[SmellEsox]

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.

Spike, it sounds like you are a very accomplished spearer and know the habits of big pike in the winter. While slots were never intended to exclude spearers, it sounds as if you are capable of finding big fish on any lake. My question, then, is why bother to spear on a reg lake if you can find big pike anywhere?

[Spike76]

When you can walk out on the lake, and leave everything in your fishhouse because you can see it, it's a lot nicer. I know this lake better than most, fishing it since 1964. If this lake needed slots to have big pike, you wouldn't have heard any comments from me. Maybe there should be more lakes with slots? I personally think this lake should be removed from the experiment. Thanks for the kind comments, but I'm happy with getting pike for a meal, and I don't only take big fish.

[SmellEsox]

Here is a link to the research article where small pike were removed, large pike and yellow perch stocked.

http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/publications/fisheries/investigational_reports/416.pdf

[itchmesir]

6 years of pulling and stocking on a lake.. to prove ineffective.. talk about a ton of money that went down the drain.. me thinks maybe people should pay a fee to enter these million dollar lakes... you want rock star fish.. then pay the rock star price to catch'em.. you want to fish the "local bands" go for it.. no cover

[delcecchi]

6 years of pulling and stocking on a lake.. to prove ineffective.. talk about a ton of money that went down the drain.. me thinks maybe people should pay a fee to enter these million dollar lakes... you want rock star fish.. then pay the rock star price to catch'em.. you want to fish the "local bands" go for it.. no cover

They didn't know it would be ineffective when they started. Just like they discovered that raising the limit to 10 in a lake full of hammerhandles wouldn't work either because people don't/won't keep 15 inch northerns as a rule.

[goblueM]

yep thats why its caused research