Thoughts on Pike regulations (40"+)

[john skarie]

Merk just cannot get over his unfairness issue. Can't grasp the idea that all anglers follow the same rules.

I can't intentionally kill a fish that is protected by a slot.

Merk can't either.

Catching a fish with a line/tip-up is not intentionally killing it.

Throwing a spear is.

Merk doesn't have to use a spear, he can angle on any lake he wants to.

So can I.

We aren't born with a stipulation of how we can fish. We can all either choose to spear or angle on any given day.

We all follow the same rules, and have the same choices.

JS

[walleye101]

Merk clearly has no interest in a good open discussion on pike management, but certainly has been successful in diverting everyones attention as well.

While everyone quibbles on here the legislature is moving forward with this ridiculous bill.

From the Tribune today:

The House Environment, Energy and Natural Resources Policy and Finance Committee is expected to finish debating the issue and vote on the bill Tuesday.

The bill also: allows anglers to use two fishing lines; lifts a 20-year-old northern spearing ban on Cass Lake; removes the 16-foot height restriction for deer stands; and reduces the number of Minnesota lakes with special fishing regulations intended to boost the size of northerns -- now 125 -- to 60.

[john skarie]

Well it just makes sense; Improving our pike fisheries will just bring in more tourism, excite more young people to go fishing (hard for kids to get real excited catching hammerhandles) and bring back a much needed balance to the ecosystems of many MN lakes.

So we should fully expect people in our govt. to be against it.

JS

[creepworm]

Does anyone else think the MDAA will be powerless and may not even be around in 10 years.

The MDAA represents a vocal minority. They are the little guy in this argument and are trying to have everything their way and only their way. Eventually this will make the quiet majority angry and they will become the vocal majority, drowning out the vocal minority completely. In my opinion, the MDAA will get what they want in the short term, people will get angry, and the MDAA will lose all gains they made plus some.

[walleye101]

Unfortunately most of the silent majority you speak of has no idea this is even going on. There is going to be some very surprised and upset people when 65 lakes have to be dropped where pike regulations are in place and working.

[Spike76]

I.M.O. , most of the slots were put in place because of the loud minority. It's the silent majority you are hearing from now, that is removing some of the lakes from this experiment. A slot of any amount is wrong, when it is only to have larger fish.

[Esox_Magnum]

By removing the slots you'r removing the large fish, in a few years you'll hear the same people cry about no fish left that were crying about the slot....

Guess my best chance at a true trophy pike (well over 40") may just have to come from Iowa if I'm lucky since there will be noplace left in MN to have a shot at taking a trip to enjoy a few days of catching them. How much more will the spear guys have to spend to make up for that lost money from out of staters wanting to chase big pike?? Just myself would guess $1000 for a weeks stay on the low end.

[goblueM]

I.M.O. , most of the slots were put in place because of the loud minority. It's the silent majority you are hearing from now, that is removing some of the lakes from this experiment. A slot of any amount is wrong, when it is only to have larger fish.

slots were implemented because so many anglers were complaining about declining pike fisheries in the 1990s, through a series of DNR meetings. there was a lot of thought and input that went into the whole process

The vocal minority are the ones trying to backdoor manage by pressing legislators to submit bills arbitrarily limiting the DNR to a certain number of lakes with slot limits.

[cbrooks]

I take it this bill hasn't passed yet. Man I hope this doesn't pass...removing over half the slot lakes, not good. I wonder what will be push through the house and senate next year. This stuff has got to stop.

[walleye101]

Does anyone else think the MDAA will be powerless and may not even be around in 10 years.

That would be a bad outcome, see numbers 8 and 10 on the pike management list.

Sustainable pike harvest is a reasonable objective. What is needed is an objective group to advocate for sustainable harvest that also understands and recognizes pike quality as another reasonable objective.

[cbrooks]

Sustainable pike harvest is a reasonable objective. What is needed is an objective group to advocate for sustainable harvest that also understands and recognizes pike quality as another reasonable objective.

Like the one Merk advertise in the last page.

[crenglund]

If catching a 40" pike in a slot protected lake is considered a trophy, what would a 39" pike in a non slot lake be? Almost like hunting for a Trophy buck at a game farm or on public land. If the lake needs special regulations to preserve the fishery then do it. If it is to make it so anybody can catch a trophy fish then maybe the big fish aren't trophys. Just a thought?

[mainbutter]

By removing the slots you'r removing the large fish, in a few years you'll hear the same people cry about no fish left that were crying about the slot....

Not only that, but the blame will likely be placed on everything except the main causes.

Likely scapegoat: muskies.

[laker1]

The pike regulations are working in many of these lakes. If they are not working after so many years that lake will be removed from the list. We want more than hammer handle lakes with small fish numbers going wild. To many politicians playing biopolitics with no idea what they are doing. We are not alone: Montana has over 400 fish and wildlife bills to introduce and a friend from Alaska said they have over 300 bills.Like my friend from Alaska said every election you can see a change in laws all political and none biological. Just trying to appease a certain special interest group even if the long term effect is negative.

[Nick Kuhn]

If catching a 40" pike in a slot protected lake is considered a trophy, what would a 39" pike in a non slot lake be? Almost like hunting for a Trophy buck at a game farm or on public land. If the lake needs special regulations to preserve the fishery then do it. If it is to make it so anybody can catch a trophy fish then maybe the big fish aren't trophys. Just a thought?

Just because there are more of them around does not mean it will become easy. There are plenty of people who haven't caught trophy fish in other species that are currently treated as "trophy only" fishing. And even if a lot of people started catching 40's, that just mean 45 would become the new "40".

[SmellEsox]

Sounds like cutting the reg lakes to 60 made the omnibus fish and wildlife bill. Along with a repeal of antler point restrictions in the SE.

[cbrooks]

Where did you see that Esox? I've been trying to find the vote on the Minnesota Legistrature page.

[SmellEsox]

Friend of mine testified today and he told me.

[jjjohnson]

This state is going into the crapper fast. I cant believe the amount of poeple that hate Minnesota and the natural resources that made it great. Its like we have gone into a time warp to when basic education was a scarcity.

[kustmoboy]

It is going to be interesting to see how the DNR and the public at large react to the reduction of the number of slot lakes when the DNR is forced to pull approximately half of them. The vast majority of the these slots were put on the lakes at the request of the public and the lake associations. There isn't going to be a good way to do it without upsetting a large number of people.

I still have hope that someone will step in and remove this foolish legislation from the bill.

[creepworm]

Just read about this bill and man this thing is as bad as last years. I don't see this passing the house and senate. If it does, I sure hope Dayton follows in Pawlenty's footsteps and give it the veto. I also have a feeling that the DNR will oppose this bill just as they did last year.

[cbrooks]

If this bill gets turn down whats the chances it will be back next year? Maybe a middle ground can be met somewhere in the future.

[Spike76]

Thoughts of 40" , meeting in the middle would be 20", I can except that. Any slots, just for larger fish, should just be voluntary. I speared on a non slot lake this year and did excellent.

[cbrooks]

Use the honor system in fishing. Is that kinda like take away all regulation and let the fishermen manage the lake themselves? I'm sure that will go over well. Come on.

[AWH]

Spike, you need to get over the mentality that slots are only there to create larger fish. Yes, they DO create a fishery with a larger proportion of larger fish. But this equates to a healthier pike population, which equates to a healthier overall fishery for all species. This is the reason that slots are implemented.

When we look at regulations, we need to consider the fishery as a whole. Not just one species and not just our own personal interests. We need to look at the big picture. If we don't care about the resource as a whole, we can do away with any type of regulations such as slots, bag limits, etc. I think it's safe to say that the majority of fishermen would like to protect the resource.

Aaron