Early Bass C&R Season

[KickNBass]

FYI, a post by Vern Wagner on the Facebook Group, "Minnesotans for an Early Bass Fishing Season":

Quote:

At tonight's DNR Bass Workshop they announced that the rule making process has begun to create an early Bass C&R season to coincide with the MN Walleye opener. This rule (Rule 10) also would allow harvest of smallmouth bass north of Hwy 53 after September (season is only C&R now after second week in Sept.) This would allow folks in the BWCA to take a few Smallies for a meal. But it would also apply to Vermilion and other northern lakes. Regulation changes for catfish and sturgeon are in this rule package.

Of great interest to me is that the MN and WI DNR are conferencing on creating matching regulations on the border waters.

[EBass]

Sweet!

[Craigums]

That well overdue

[smalliehunter]

Call me crazy but I hope they don't change anything

[Juan Grande]

Would this be for the 2014 season?

[Raider4ever]

I am assuming the quote meant east of Hwy 53 as anything north of 53 is Canada. That would work out well for fall campers in the BW. A C&R slot would be nice as there are a couple of lakes in the Duluth area that are just west of 53 I would like to hit early on. Plus, you wouldn't have to gag on the word "Northerns" when the CO asks what you are fishing for anymore.

[Craigums]

Call me crazy but I hope they don't change anything

you're crazy

[thatoneguy]

Quote:

Of great interest to me is that the MN and WI DNR are conferencing on creating matching regulations on the border waters.

"You guys are a little late on that."

-Brandon Palaniuk

[Deitz Dittrich]

LOL @ Thatoneguy! That got a giggle out of me early this morning!

It will be interesting to see if this passes. I too like smallie hunter have mixed emotions on this.. but would be a lie to say I would not take advantage of it.

[smallie_hawgin]

The Rule package needs the official comment period. If there is significant pushback or requests for other information it could be delayed. Unless everything goes through extremely fast, most likely looking at 2015 implementation. Looking forward to seeing this through. It has been a project I have worked on for a long time already.

[thatoneguy]

LOL @ Thatoneguy! That got a giggle out of me early this morning!

It will be interesting to see if this passes. I too like smallie hunter have mixed emotions on this.. but would be a lie to say I would not take advantage of it.

Thank you, thank you, I'll be here all week

[river rat316]

Thank you SH for all your hard work!! After this goes lets get all catch and release areas open year round for C&R!!

[RuddyDuck]

So is this something that has a chance of passing or is it something that comes up every year, but never gets too far?

I would be all for a C&R Bass season during the Walleye/Pike opener. I hope it goes thru. Then I would never have to fish for eyes!!

[RK]

Boy am I torn about this. I'd really love to fish bass in May. From fishing Ontario where there's an early C&R season and South Dakota where it's year round anyhow I know how fun it can be. But I loathe bed fishing, and if this makes that easier... I know a lot of years bass are still spawning by opener, but every year I hear stories from guys who thought it was so cool that they were able to catch the same big smallmouth off a bed 3 times in one day, and I think to myself 'well, there goes that bunch of eggs...' If this makes that easier... Ugh. I dunno. Maybe it won't make much difference.

RuddyDuck - SH would know, but I don't know that there's ever been action on it before, although it has been discussed for years. I don't think it's ever gone through the rulemaking process, which, aside from legislation, is the only way it can happen. Usually by the time something gets to the formal rulemaking process, it'll happen unless there are some really well-organized and vocal opposition groups, or it gets challenged in front of an administrative law judge. I don't think either is likely in this case. If it were something about walleyes or muskies, it'd be a different story probably, but since it's bass... Most MN fishermen don't care much either way.

[jalberg]

I have mixed emotions on this as well. I'd love two more weeks of bass fishing, but if there's a chance it will hurt the fishing in the long run I can wait.

[smalliehunter]

i know to many people in my area that would be out bed fishing and it scares me to think of what my local lakes will be like in 10 years. I think there will be entire year classes that will be devistated by people bed fishing the same poor fish. I mean how many times can a big fish be picked off its bed before it wont go back? i am 100% against any change.

[Todd S.]

I think this is an extremely exciting opportunity, while I don't have the educational background to understand the impacts on the bass population and the effects of bed fishing, what I do know is WI opener is even earlier than MN, and the fishing is awesome in WI IMO.

Given annual weather and moon phases changing year in and year out, there might be some years that could be impacted more than others. Heck last year for WI opener I went to 3 lakes, one still locked up, second partially opened, and finally a third was wide open.

[Superduty]

It's good to see others are concerned about the welfare of our fisheries but I don't share your worries over bed fishing. If we were protecting bedding bass last year, the season wouldn't have opened until July! I can honestly say I caught a smallie off a bed on Rainy lake in early August. I can not remember a year in the last 25 years when bass were not bedding somewhere in MN after bass opener. A two week swing isn't gonna do anything but shift the spawn line a hundred miles one way or another depending on weather conditions each year.

[smallie_hawgin]

Boy am I torn about this. I'd really love to fish bass in May. From fishing Ontario where there's an early C&R season and South Dakota where it's year round anyhow I know how fun it can be. But I loathe bed fishing, and if this makes that easier... I know a lot of years bass are still spawning by opener, but every year I hear stories from guys who thought it was so cool that they were able to catch the same big smallmouth off a bed 3 times in one day, and I think to myself 'well, there goes that bunch of eggs...' If this makes that easier... Ugh. I dunno. Maybe it won't make much difference.

RuddyDuck - SH would know, but I don't know that there's ever been action on it before, although it has been discussed for years. I don't think it's ever gone through the rulemaking process, which, aside from legislation, is the only way it can happen. Usually by the time something gets to the formal rulemaking process, it'll happen unless there are some really well-organized and vocal opposition groups, or it gets challenged in front of an administrative law judge. I don't think either is likely in this case. If it were something about walleyes or muskies, it'd be a different story probably, but since it's bass... Most MN fishermen don't care much either way.

OK Guys, here's the skinny,

Basically this has gone through all the internal hurdles already and has been "christened" by the Bass Tech Committee. The only part we need to wait for is the legalese... Public comment period. RK is right on the comment stuff. Nice job BTW!

To address some of the concerns and part of the reason the proposal was even brought forth was due to the DNR's sampling of bass by electrofishing over the years (mostly since 1993). We have ample data to evaluate whether bass populations are increasing or decreasing. We know that with some exceptions, recruitment (production of young to adulthood) is not a problem, in fact many lakes in central MN have too much recruitment! We have lakes that have abundant year classes of largemouth bass, rivers that have year class successes during low water (which is typical) and have yet to see major impacts from bass anglers or even incidental anglers due to the small amount of harvest that occurs.

Keep in mind that instant C&R has the least effect on the bedding fish (next to no angling at all), the harvest of bass is very low (most bass anglers C&R) and even other anglers claim less than 10% harvest. Currently people do use the excuse "I am fishing for crappie, walleye, pike, dogfish"... Name any other species and yet are catching bass. This also can simplify enforcement.

The current bass opener in many parts of the state makes those fish available to HARVEST and has been that way for a long, long time, yet we have increasing and expanding bass populations all across the state. So as a resource manager why wouldn't one offer up additional angling opportunity??? Especially if we have data to suggest that there is limited potential impact to the resource?

In any case if some would like to discuss it further, I would be glad to take your questions. Please look up the contact info on the Little Fall Fisheries Home Page. I will do my best to answer questions/concerns.

Thanks.

[Juan Grande]

Great post smallie_hawgin, thanks for the info!

[Todd S.]

Now I'm all jacked up to set the hook! So, smalli_hawgin at what point or timeline can it be determined which year it will go into effect? As in is there a hard timeline to the comment period when the a DNR can call it good? Short version, when would we find out if this is a 2014 or 2015 change?

[smallie_hawgin]

Now I'm all jacked up to set the hook! So, smalli_hawgin at what point or timeline can it be determined which year it will go into effect? As in is there a hard timeline to the comment period when the a DNR can call it good? Short version, when would we find out if this is a 2014 or 2015 change?

Good question. The rules package as with any other... Follows: Solicitation of comments: An agency must solicit comments from the public on

the subject matter of the possible rules at least 60 days before publishing a notice

of proposed rules. Minn. Stat. § 14.101.

More information on this can be found here: Rules document

Based on all the information I am aware of, I would think 2015... So be patient!

[RumRiverRat]

Season is always open on Pool 2,4,5 etc.

I am all for an inland water C&R season.

About time the DNR gets with the program

[Stick in Mud]

Great news.....and about time.

Thanks for all the info, SH.

[RK]

So if we call the LF Fisheries office, who do we ask for?