What's the Point?!?

[JimBuck]

It sounds procedural in anticipation of the shutdown, I can't really confirm as a lot of the reporting I've read has been vague on details.

Pink Slips Sent as Gov't Shutdown Looms

Getting back on topic here, for how few CO's that exist in our state and the vast amount of resources to patrol, I think they make themselves pretty well known.

[mainbutter]

Yup my girlfriend works for the state and is "officially laid off" as of July 1 unless budget changes are approved.

[TruthWalleyes]

Cheaters cheat just like they likely did through junior high and high school and cheating is somewhat accepted in many families, aint really hurting anything so it's justified and this has gotten worse in the last decade, funny how the pikie minnow,daredevil,johson silver spoon,rapala's,beetle spins often used by pike anglers have been replaced with twin 10's and cue sticks for rods. Lets call it what it really is fishing muskie out of season, don't see many figure 8's on non musky water. Of course you catch some figure 8ting, pike hit everything at times, we typically pull our 30 dollar bait away before they can attack it right. Those defending this musky chaser are part of the problem not the solution, blind to the obvious, defending someone fishing musky out of season, some people can be hit right between the eyes with the truth and they still won't believe it or they'll take the other side of the fence with any issue. Big pike lol cmon now really, if there weren't musky in the lake these big pike anglers wouldn't be there either. Now someone can bend the truth to their liking but anyone with common sense can read between the lines. It is what it is, my favorite musky lake has already received a lot of big pike angler pressure lol, the only way to level the field is open it with walleye season from here on out, bet these big pike anglers lol would be mad most likely, their loss.

I'd agree with most of what you say.

Its not that anyone is defending the individual who was more than likely musky fishing out of season, its that it is impossible to prosicute, and therefore worthless to regulate.

[RumRiverRat]

Catch and Release all year long (no harvest)...problem solved.

I’m still waiting for someone to show me a conviction of fishing out of season without having a fish in possession. Heck, I’ve never even heard of a ticket being wrote.

That is way too simple of a solution.

The MN DNR likes to complicate things and make rules that are suppose to protect fish. In reality they cause people to fish out of season and that results in people complaining on the internet about it.

[brad coin]

is it illegal to jump in line ahead of someone waiting for say a movie or a concert ticket,,would there be an actual law that is broken????

[smeese]

I am not gonna lie.....I have put a big sucker down in the winter before on tip-ups with bad intentions of hoping to catch a Muskie.....Would I have kept it.....not even if it was a 60" er......but still the time out of season can get us a little anxious.....even for fish caught out of season, you as a licensed angler are still allowed to measure photo and release the catch.....was I fishing for pike those days.....pretty much.....would I have loved to hook into a Ski? Heck yes!!!

[smeese]

As far as the tip line goes.....I am guessing in a budget crisis like we are in now, if the price of the fine does not exceed the cost of sending someone out, then someone needs to make a executive decision not to go somewhere. I do agree all calls should be screened, just trying to look at it from a buisness aspect instead of a political one.

[shortfatguy]

I dont fish many lakes with musky in them. I throw BIG lures with a heavy rod for BIG pike. I "figure 8" or make a couple of turns at the boat with almost every cast. I have no intentions of catching musky while doing this. So if you saw me out fishing the way i like to for big Pike you would call tip on me? Is this not a waste of the COs time as well as harrassing me? Ad dont think I support people abusing the system and resources because that is not the case. I just think it is rediculouse that people seem to think they can tell other people what tactics and lures can be used to catch the species they are after.

[reinhard1]

this was my original point in my first post on this thread. once the general fishing season opens, it practicly invites all lures and methods to be used. i also said a CO would not give the person a citation in this case with the figure 8 and larger lure. However prior to general season opener when only panfish are open this type of situation should be frowned upon and called in. i also think catch and realease seasons would hurt the funding of the dnr and should not be implemented. most fishermen release bass and muskies. anglers should be encouraged to release larger fish with education for the benifits of doing so [starting with example by the parent]. good luck.

[Acemac]

I acually went out and bought a bunch of muski baits this year to fish northerns. opps sorry.

[SmellEsox]

Yeah, that is what we really "like" to do. Complicate things just to make people mad. In fact, we often have planning sessions in the office on new ways to tick anglers off. Come on! Seriously?

While I don't know exactly why the seasons were set like they are, I would guess that it has to do with spreading out fishing pressure on lakes, creating several "openers" to satisfy tourism, and also some biology to protect them before, during and shortly after spawning. Perhaps this is an issue that needs to be re-examined. Lakes where there is limited or no documented natural reproduction and are supported primarily with stocking could be opened earlier or given a year round season with C&R from Dec. through regular muskie opener. I'm not sure this thing has ever been discussed by the Esocid committee.

[BFJTP]

The seasons are fine the way they are set now. Pike are one of the first to spawn, even before walleyes. Muskies are one of the last to spawn, makes sense to open the muskie season later than the others....looks like common sense to me. Even though muskies do not naturally reproduce very well, if at all on some lakes, they still go through the spawning process the same way on all lakes. The spawn is very stressful on muskies...they take a beating and even sometimes naturally die due to that stress. Added stress from fishermen during the spawn can be the breaking point for some fish.

Guys who lie to themselves that they are fishing for pike and are really throwing for muskies are the problem. If you are really fishing for pike and you don't have to lie to yourself about it, then you are fine. Although, if I were to fish for pike I would not be throwing big muskie lures, smaller muskie lures maybe. The guys I see throwing for muskies before season are generally fishermen that have little experience fishing for muskies and do not know any better, and are not very good fishermen IMO.

[fishermusk]

Smellesox,

It was discussed earlier this year. Here is the link.

http://www.hotspotoutdoors.com/forum/ubb...son#Post2570574

[wannafish2]

Catch and Release all year long (no harvest)...problem solved.

+3

[wannafish2]

Or...open Pike and Muskie at the same time

[Shawn Kellett]

The whole point of opening muskies when they do is to let the females spawn unmolested. There's already tons of people complaining of snagging on Vermilion and Mille Lac when the fish are up shallow in the summer. Opening up pike and muskie at the same time isn't really a good idea. Pike usually spawn under the rotten ice and muskies are just getting done now.

As far as talking about the opener dates smell, we have talked about it in the Esox Workgroup. We've talked about having a tiered opener like WI with the southern being around bass opener and the northern being the same. We also talked about opening the tiger lakes during the regular opener. Top brass doesn't want to have an enforcement issue on their hands was their answer. I don't know if it's a good reason or not, but that was their answer.

Personally I think the tiger lakes should open during the regular opener. Now that the state limit is 48" I don't think you're going to have many issues with CO's.

[CaptainMusky]

Or...open Pike and Muskie at the same time

I wouldnt be a fan of this unless Pike was moved back. Moving muskie opener up would be a huge mistake. We need to protect the females while they spawn. Incidental catches happen.

One year I caught 4 muskies over 40" in one day trolling daredevils for northerns. I put the rod away because I didnt want to catch any more. It was actually frustrating because I wanted a couple pike to have this guy show me how to get the Y bones out.

[SkitterPopper]

Quote:

As far as the tip line goes.....I am guessing in a budget crisis like we are in now, if the price of the fine does not exceed the cost of sending someone out, then someone needs to make a executive decision not to go somewhere. I do agree all calls should be screened, just trying to look at it from a buisness aspect instead of a political one.

I think you are a little off on this one. I am sure that they do not sit there with a calculator and figure out cost to respond to a call. A crime is a crime and it will get investigated if it is reported. They might not respond right away because of other calls but they will investigate.

To the original poster, no it is not a waste of time. All the CO’s have voicemail and you should leave a quick message and they will get back to you. It may be a day or so before they get back to you but they will. Believe it or not this does help the CO’s. The CO’s will know that illegal activities are happening on said lake and they may increase their presence on that lake to deter people from illegal activities.

I know this works as I did it this spring. I saw some guys fishing a trout stream before trout opener. I politely told them that the season was not open yet. They proceeded to tell me they did not care and to go away. Well, I made a quick call to the CO and I left a voicemail with him as he was busy on Pool 4. He called me back the next morning and we chatted about the day before. After describing the individuals to the CO he knew exactly who they were as he chased them off a trout stream earlier this year. He thanked me and said he was heading over to their parents house AGAIN to have another conversation about fishing out of season. In this case there is no grey area. You can not fish for any species on a designated trout stream before opener.

[CaptainMusky]

A crime is a crime and it will get investigated if it is reported. They might not respond right away because of other calls but they will investigate.

True, a crime is a crime, but if they are not working or responding to calls in a promp matter many "crimes" go unpunished as was the intent of this whole topic in the first place.

I am not saying our Consevation Officers are sluffing off, they have tremendous areas they have to cover daily so they cannot be everywhere all of the time, but, the whole purpose of the TIP is to turn in poachers or report illegal activity. Its not illegal if you do not get caught. True, in the event of someone harvesting more than their limit, these are things that could be followed up later, but for someone fishing out of season that is not something you can follow up on later and hope to catch the perpetrator.

[SkitterPopper]

My point was it is not a waste to call. They may not catch them and ticket them that day, but at least they know what is going on in their area and they can increase patrol in problem areas. If you are looking for a ticket and conviction for every call to TIP then you are correct, it will never happen. I think most people would be surprised at what the local CO's know about their area. I was a bit surprised that the CO knew exactly who I was talking about when I called in. He even knew what kind of truck the guys were in.

[DTro]

So we’ve learned here that when you catch a spawning fish you are a molester, but in July you are a hero.

I can absolutely see why you would want a season for harvest, but catch and release? I just don’t get it, sorry. Those that are so concerned about hurting fish should use barbless hooks too

People just want to get out and maybe catch and release a fish or two, big deal, they are not going to catch very many anyways and I can think of a million worse things to be doing with your time.

[pikestabber]

Those that are so concerned about hurting fish should use barbless hooks...

Or use no hooks at all. Just throw a bucktail or crankbait with no hooks...that will save the population! Just the thrill of the follow...

To be honest, if I want to fish pike with a bucktail and figure eight all day long, I will do so, and I will be within my legal rights. Calling a guy in for his technique during legal pike season? Give me a break! If you see a guy throw a case of beer in his truck at the liquor store and drive off, do you call him in for a DWI, too???

[ole matty]

That's hilarious. I grew up fishing pike a lot, I never seen anyone else throwing huge size bait and figure 8 after every cast on lake with no muskies.. FUNN-NY YOU FUNNY.

[wannafish2]

Cap'n Muskie, I should have specified in my post to have the openers at the same time to have pike open with muskie. Shawn makes a great point tho also.

Let me ask this: If a police officer pulls someone over for speeding in April and the driver has a cooler of walleye in the car, can the officer tag the offender for fishing out of season? I know that Game Wardens can tag someone for possessing drugs....so if officers can enforce all MN State statutes and we really have a provable offense and the caller is willing to testify, why can't we just call the local police if we see someone take and keep a muskie out of season?

Of course we would want to call the TIP line first, but if it was me and I couldn't get someone, and I was following the poacher with the deer in the truck...I think I'd call the locals.

Just my .02

Not trying to stir everything up...just askin

[Zelmsdawg]

I think anyone that is seriously defending people fishing large lures and figure-8ing on a lake like Indy are probably the people that do it also. No angler who knows what he/she is doing (and I find it hard to believe someone who doesn't know will be throwing large lures and figure-8ing) goes to the lake with one of the highest concentrations of muskies and this netting result of pike to fish just for northern.

Northern Pike Trap net 0.17 N/A 1.77 N/A

2 other popular musky lakes I fish for panfish/drive by/walk around that I see boats figure-8ing have similar pike netting results

Northern Pike Trap net 0.09 N/A

Northern Pike Gill net 0.8 1.5 - 7.3

I refuse to believe anyone would choose these lakes to truly fish for pike as not only are there hundreds of better lakes close by but you would be hard pressed to find worse lakes (that have pike).

And it is difficult getting a hold of COs. I have yet to be successful when calling TIP and have pretty much given that up and just approach the anglers similar to how others have already described.

I'm not a straight shooter, I've been known to cast a crappie minnow at a bass in the spring or flip a sinko towards a tiger I see while bass fishing (I believe tigers should be open year round but another topic), I just hate when people blatantly lie to me...don't insult to my intelligence

Zelmsdawg

And