Gogebic perch bag limit has changed...

[vook]

FYI, it is now official that the daily bag limit regs for perch on LG has changed to 25 (from 50) and no more than five 12" or greater in length. This change takes effect April 1 of 2012. Better late than never...

Just thought I'd pass this on.

[perchking]

Thanks Vook, this is really good news. 25 is not typically a daily catch so I am fine with the quantity. I really think the 5 over 12" will help keep this perch fishery healthy.

Now we just need more CO's than 1 that cover 2 counties to enforce this regulation...

[hawkeye43]

All the CO needs to do is instill the fear of getting caught, checking when least expected, that helps

[Nate McVey]

That's great news!

[Scott M]

I don't know if there was a creel out there lately, would be interesting to see harvest estimates. Probably more social than biological. I remember Gus telling me how mother nature limits harvest...the access conditions, the solitary nature of the fish, the lack of a strong bite. I'm sure there have been guys that have been fortunate enough to take limits, but I think most guys are getting a few fish. I'd be more concerned with what happens with habitat, predator management, netting (heard a rumor about allowing perch netting, wasn't sure if that was state or tribal).

Even if its social, it's good to see the state recognize the trophy potential of the lake.

[hugonian1]

It is good to start implementing some tighter limits.

It sounds like this might be more of an issue during the soft water season.

This is a special fishery that offers a unique experience of which the fishing/ catching is just a small part of.

Thanks to the locals like Vook and Perchking who advocate for these changes.

[vook]

I agree w/DC on this. I too believe that it is more social than biological. A while back I spoke w/George Madison, a DNR Fisheries Supervisor and asked him what he thought could be done. At that time, Madison indicated that dropping the limit to 25 would have little to no affect on the perch population of LG. Agreed...

Hugonian is dead on in that majority of the harvest occurs in the soft water seasons. I personally only fish perch through the ice but have heard of guys taking TONS of perch from boats.

Believe it or not, there was a time in my life that 50 perch in a day (hard water) was possible. I remember about 8 or so years ago, catching 150+ in a 2 day spam. Although this seems impossible now, it DID happen...

These days, a STELLAR day for perch on LG for me would be 20. Of those 20, I would say (from my experience) 12-15 of them would be of the 12+ inch variety. So, with that said, the 5 12" or over regulation is definately going to help the trophy potential! I'm not sure that the drop from 50 to 25 makes a ton of difference but it is a step in the right direction.