My yearly Rant

[CANOPY SAM]

Big D. This isn't your only "rant" this year.

I do agree with you on this though, even though I don't now, nor will I likely ever fish this water for sturgeon.

I do fish sturgeon on the Rainy River, and these fish are so darn tough I believe a year round C & R season wouldn't harm them one little tiny bit.

Many years ago I suggested that some of the guides and resorts on LOW and the Rainy River start running guided services for Sturgeon while the walleye season was closed up here. Back then they all laughed at the suggestion.

Guess what?.....

[Coach1310]

Never fished for them.... hooked one fishing walleyes on the Rainy, so that tells you my experience on the subject.

#1- Poaching will happen no matter what. I can't fathom how a change in season has any effect on it. Should we close panfishing because a guy takes 230 bluegills over his limit? I just can't understand any season decision being based on poaching... they are breaking the rules and they will break the rules no matter what they are in my opinion.

#2- I would say almost all on this board would agree that DTro spends a ton of time on the water and usually has well thought out and evidence driven points on topics. I would be WAY more interested in hearing from the guys/gals that fish for these things, than the armchairs like myself because their experience and data in so valuable in my opinion.

#3- Just because things seem to be doing well, doesn't mean you always leave them alone. I would say there are plenty of business owners, commission driven sales people, etc. that do fairly well, but are always looking for ways to improve. Why would we be any different?

Just out of curiosity, but for the folks that fish sturgeon on the St. Croix, how many people target them? Anybody have a clue??? Just curious.

[TruthWalleyes]

Just out of curiosity, but for the folks that fish sturgeon on the St. Croix, how many people target them? Anybody have a clue??? Just curious.

Not many. If i had to guess, from stillwater to hastings, probably 15 boats on average per day.

Very little DNR data is collected on us sturgeon fisherman because the survey crew is out during the day and many sturgeon fisherman show up at dark and fish late into the evening. (Or if your me you show up friday and leave sunday) If they are out there the following day, the survey crew cannot collect your information from the previous day.

I saw the survey guy every day i was on the croix this fall fishing for sturgeon....So he got my numbers. But i always lied about my bait LOL

[DTro]

Lol @ Truth

Actually by coincidence the dnr is out today sampling sturgeon nets and hopefully implating a couple with transmitters.

Hey Sam, i hear ya ive been grumpy lately lol.

[Gordie]

Season or no season, if people want to poach fish they will. Those of us that want to enjoy our time on the water shouldn't be punished by those poachers

^^^ We have a BINGO ^^^

If the hooking mortality were that high from fishing these great fish then why are they doing so well in the system now? There has been more pressure on these fish in the St Croix in the last few years and all I notice is the sturgeon bite is getting better year in year out.

You can say its due to more anglers but that doesn't float very well with me. They are still being caught more and more each season.

Open it to catch and release only for the entire season.

[TruthWalleyes]

I'd agree Gordie that it has improved. Fish look healthier and appear to have more girth. Catching a lot less skinny fish. However...Where are the 60" + fish that we saw last year.

I fished my tail off and never hooked up with a 60+ this year.

Haven't even heard of a 60"+ this year. Hopefully it's just me and others have been catching them.

[CANOPY SAM]

Seems like all critters kinda go like that though, Truth. Ya know what I mean?

One year everyone and their brother shoots a big deer. The next couple years nobody can find one. Maybe that's not such a good example...cause maybe they're all dead? Anyway....

One year we see lots of big muskies caught, the next, not so many. One year we see lots of one type of critter, the next the numbers appear to be down. Too many factors and variables to mention that can cause those kind of subtle changes.

I'd wager maybe the really big sturgies were just hangin' out in some area that few people bothered to fish. Seems like sometimes those really big girls just tend to run together. I'd all but guarantee they're still out there, somewhere.

[DTro]

Haven't even heard of a 60"+ this year. Hopefully it's just me and others have been catching them.

Seen a pic of one caught last night.

[Scott M]

Saw one caught in the boat next to me a little over a week ago (61")

[TruthWalleyes]

Great to hear. If the season was open i'd be out there fishing for them as well.

[Nick Kuhn]

I know I'm bumping an old topic: but check out question 4 on the Wisconsin Spring Questionaire:

Quote:

QUESTION 4. Sturgeon catch and release on Minnesota boundary waters

Anglers can currently fish for lake sturgeon with hook and line during open harvest seasons on select WI - MN boundary waters. The State of Minnesota is enacting a regulation opening all waters to catch and release sturgeon fishing year round, except closed seasons would be in place to protect fish during spawning periods and harvest seasons would remain on existing waters (Closed seasons would vary depending on location, but would either be March 2 to June 15 or April 15 to June 15.) A regulation change in Wisconsin would be necessary to keep regulations consistent on our border waters with Minnesota.

4. Would you support a regulation making it legal to catch and release lake sturgeon with hook and line on Wisconsin - Minnesota boundary waters year round, with closed seasons during spawning periods and keeping existing harvest seasons?

____ Yes ____ No

Note: Wisconsin generally waits a year to implement such things, so it probably wouldn't happen until 2015.

[DTro]

From what I've been told, it won't be long and we will have a year round catch and release season in MN.

Can't wait to try and catch me one of these!

This 74"er was caught on the Croix not too long ago.

[CANOPY SAM]

Evidently too big to lift, or they were just recently married?

How heavy is that fish? 130-150?