Our fragile panfish population

[Borch]

On 5/30/2020 at 6:43 PM, minky said:

I wonder how long it will take for our lakes to respond after a lowering of limits? Borch, you advocate for a slot limit, any ideas on what that should look like? Would releasing all fish between 8 to 10 inches be a starting point? I enjoy my open water sunny fishing but think how fun it would be to hook into a 10+ sunny ice fishing! 

I was hoping all sunfish 9" and over release with maybe 1 over 10 for a trophy.  But those numbers could be tweaked a bit as that's just my opinion.  If it dropped to 8" I likely wouldn't keep many as I like those 7.75 to 8.5" to eat and toss back anything over 9".

[Wanderer]

42 minutes ago, Borch said:

I was hoping all sunfish 9" and over release with maybe 1 over 10 for a trophy.  But those numbers could be tweaked a bit as that's just my opinion.  If it dropped to 8" I likely wouldn't keep many as I like those 7.75 to 8.5" to eat and toss back anything over 9".

That’s about where I’m at too.  Plus a reduced limit.  The days of stocking the freezer for a year from a hot spring bite are what got us to this point.

[Rick]

On 5/31/2020 at 1:29 PM, minky said:

Rick, under that plan could people keep 4 others 7" or under for a total of 5 fish? If it was just 1 fish, I would probably release that fish.

Yes, whatever the limit is under the size of the 1 keeper. 

[minky]

Great input / discussion! Hope we see something from the DNR soon. I have been fishing the last couple of days. I released everything. I now have a bump board, kinda fun to see the different sizes and no harm to the fish.

[Borch]

I have several lakes that have the genetics to kick out 10+ inch gills one of those has really been pounded the past 4 years and it's a shadow of its former self.  I only fished it once this winter but popped a 10 1/2" hen and 4 others over 9 inches.  Barely scraped enough eaters for a meal with lots of smalls.   It's unreal the pressure many of these lakes get each winter.  I actually start looking forward to tough bites to get many to move on.  Gotta save a few to pass on the genes.

[minky]

Borch, sounds like the lake you mention could really benefit from a five fish limit, one over ten inch and 4 under 7 inches for a few years, maybe even long term. A lake with that much potential is too good to lose forever for big panfish. 

[minky]

If I could only keep 5 or 10 sunnies this size (around 7 1/2) for the increased chance to catch & release 10+ inch sunnies it would be worth it!

[Wanderer]

I was out at a local lake last night and found the gills on beds with a few crappies mixed in.  I was learning the lake and planned on keeping moving and targeting bass but couldn’t resist pulling a few pannies in.  As always it was fun but I didn’t keep any and ran into several beds. They were topping out at a solid 8 inches on the board.

 

As I moved along I could see someone down the line, I thought maybe he was fishing bass also but he didn’t move until I got within about 75 yards.  When I got to the spot he was fishing there was another set of beds but I couldn’t see a fish on them.  Threw my bait in and didn’t get bit.  
 

I’ve been that guy before but I’ve seen that scenario play out too many times to be OK with it anymore.  I know the panfish get hammered all winter and that’s probably putting the biggest hurt on the population but stripping the beds is something we really need to curb IMO.

[minky]

Wanderer, any ideas? Would the reduced limit and one over 9 or 10 inches be enough? Should there be a short season closure in the late winter / early spring?  Only catch and release in May and June. I love catching them, eating a few and releasing the rest.

[Wanderer]

I’d say it depends on how fast we want results and what the public will tolerate.  I do think a closure during their most vulnerable time is worth serious consideration.  We close the season for other fish for the same reason.  Now we’re realizing the never ending supply of quality panfish does really have an end.

 

It’s really going to be up to us to understand and accept the facts about how we affect the fisheries.  Getting this information out there and talking with each other is a big help.  I personally know several people who have changed their view on filling the live well or bucket with the most and biggest panfish they can to self imposed limits.  But I also know several people who are still proud as can be to bring home that pile of upper end fish, and worse yet making several repeat trips and bringing others with to do the same.  It’s hard to tell friends what their doing isn’t helpful.  

One group of people can substantially fish down smaller lakes in 1-3 years and they’re fine with that.  On to the next lake.  I literally heard that just yesterday.  The limit was dropped on that particular lake to 5 this spring and that has curbed the number of trips they’ve been taking out there.  To me, it doesn’t get to be any clearer than that.

 

Minky, your practice sounds like what we need to get that 10% group of takers to adopt.

Edited June 5, 2020 by Wanderer