Spring Walleye Fishing on Rainy River

[snaggletooth]

I was just wondering what the thoughts are out there are on this topic. There are so many people that are in favor of slots or a limit change to create better fisheries. What about this. A lot of the Lake of the Woods walleyes spawn in the river and why should we be able to bother them when the are doing it. Wouldn't it be more help to the the fishery if we let them alone?

[BDR]

I believe DNR's studies show that about .5% move up river for spawning. By far the majority of south shore walleye's spawn in the lake on the south shore. Closing the River would have very, very liitle impact, but then why leave lake open till april 14th with a 6 fish limit?

I think the Rainy spring fishing is a unique trophy fishing(camera time) opportunity that causes very little negative effects to the LOW fishery. The combination of shallow and cold water has been proven that very few fish die from the C+R. The majority of the harvest are males(under 19.5 slot), the other males can make up the difference when it comes to spawning.

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I'd rather be skunked than follow the crowd!

Brian Rogers

JR's Tackle

[This message has been edited by BDR (edited 04-28-2004).]

[snaggletooth]

I am sorry. I should have stated South shore walleyes. I did not mean the whole lake. The study number you gave may be correct but do you actually think that small of number of walleyes spawn in the river. From I'Falls to the Fourmile Bay. There are a lot more than .5%. I don't think their numbers are all that correct. And you are right. No one should be allowed to fish on the lake either. Why bother these fish-I just don't understand and can't see the point-both in the river or on the lake. Shut the season down on the 31st. I have no problem with that. What I think is wrong is that there are so many people who rush up there to fish for a two week period and say it is because of the chances to catch a big fish. I could just about promise a big fish or more if you fish the big lake in the summer two or three times and fish the rights spots. I know this for a fact. I have done it many times. Why bother a fish in their bed. You or anyone would most likely not like to be bothered when you in bed right. Not attacking you, just not quite sure about this spring river fishing.

[fiskyknut]

I don't think BDR meant to put in that decimal point, the DNR's estimate is 5% from what I've gathered.

Other than that I'll stay out of this one!

Fisky

[BDR]

Thanks Fisky, I did mean 5%. I do not have any reference to the stats so I may be off. That is just what stuck in my head when I read the reports.

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I'd rather be skunked than follow the crowd!

Brian Rogers

JR's Tackle

[Guest]

Snaggletooth,

Do you realize that the Walleyes in the river are Pre-Spawn and not on the beds during the special season? Spawing fish don't bite typically. The special season closes mid-April to allow the fish ample time to ramp-up for their spawning.

The Dakotas don't close their Walleye seasons at all and they have more Walleyes in their (fewer) lakes than we do in ours (per capita).

Why does the MN DNR open Deer gun season during the peak of the rut? What's the reasoning behind this? How disruptive is this to our Deer?

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Chells

[snaggletooth]

Chells-

You have a good point that the walleyes may be prespawn-but why then doesn't the DNR have a deer season from say the first of February until the First of June. Oh yeah, because they have little ones inside them. Now just because deer only give birth to one to three babies, and walleyes lay many more eggs than that, you are saying that you should be able to go out there and catch them because they are not fully spawning yet. And the reason the fish are in the Rainy to begin with is because they are there to spawn. Most of the places in the river that you will catch them in the spring are spawning beds. I just got done talking to a local buisness man up there and he doesn't approve of the spring season and he and a lot of other locals would like to see it closed he said. This is a guy who owns a bait and tackle shop so he would suffer from this but is sure that it would help the walleye population. So I still don't know if it is right or wrong.

[Guest]

I understand your philisophical questioning of the Rainy season, however, you breezed over the point I made about the Dakotas.

Lastly, it seems you have reasoned through the Deer question as well; so I'll ask the rhetorical question--"Why don't we awful humans just let all the animals and fish alone 365 days a year?"

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Chells

[gotbigone]

I'm in favor of a closer of the 31st. It only makes sense. The walleyes are spawning leave them alone. We don't shoot deer in june for a reason. As far as hunting in the Rut, well if you shoot a buck there is another one to take his place to get the job done.There is also more than one time in the late fall and begining winter that a doe goes into heat, if she doesn't gett breed the first time. And I'll dd a new one lets start shooting ducks inthe spring there alot more beautiful then in the fall and more plentiful. Lets make a new law may and June we'll start shoot and release all ducks and deer. ROCK ON SNAGGLETOOTH