Ice out pike bite going to busy in the next week on Pool 2.

[RumRiverRat]

Going to be good times.

I can think of one area that even right now would produce fish.

Once the backwaters and marinas thaw it wil be great

[Mons]

What kind of baits do you typically use right after ice out RRR?

[mwal]

Remember pool 2 pike are out of season. Only walleye,sauger and bass are year round in pool 2. You are walleye fishing wink wink

pg 55 of 2014 regs

MISSISSIPPI RIVER VALLEY

(Ramsey, Washington, Hennepin, and Dakota counties)

walleye, sauger, smallmouth bass, and largemouth bass:

Catch-and-release with a continuous season in the following stretch

es: a) Minnesota River downstream from the Mendota Bridge; Minnehaha Creek downstream from Minnehaha Falls; and c) Pool 2 of the Mississippi River between the Hastings Dam and the Ford Dam, including all backwater lakes and connecting waters except Crosby, Pickerel, Upper, Little Pigs Eye, and North Star Steel lakes.

Mwal

[RumRiverRat]

When did they change that?

I though Pike were Catch and Release as well year round.

[RumRiverRat]

Quote:

Special Regulation:

Pool 2 is open to year around fishing. Fishing for walleye, sauger, largemouth bass and smallmouth bass is restricted to catch and release only. All walleye, sauger, largemouth bass and smallmouth bass must be returned to the water immediately.

From the Pool 2 info thread.

It says it is open to year round fishing. Does it mean only for the species listed?

I know a bunch of people that have been breaking the law for a bunch of years if Pike are off limits.

[mwal]

Always been that way. I didn't realize that either. First time I found my son went with neighbor to pool 2 and they came back with limit of nice pike up by confluence to Ford dam. I freaked. Then the dad showed me the regs. I had assumed it was for all game fish. He said no and they were checked by a warden at Lillydale Landing. He was a total pike freak and river rat. I only fish around the spring lake area and have never seen a pike in my 30+ years of fishing it. I have caught just about everything else except pike, muskie and sturgeon there. Did you know they have been stocking muskies there? It is on DNR site.

Mwal

[mwal]

I interpret the regs to mean only those listed species are catch and release only year round. I will email east metro fisheries for clarification,

Mwal

[mwal]

38

2014 Minnesota Fishing Regulations

DNR Information: (651) 296-6157 or

1-888-646-6367 (MINNDNR)

Experimental and Special Regulations

These regulations differ from statewide or border water regulations for those species identified and take precedence.

Unless otherwise specifically mentioned, all

general regulations, seasons, limits, border water regulations, possession, and transportation regulations apply to these waters. Please check regulation booklets from other states and other sections of this booklet.

SO only listed species are year round catch and release all other's follow normal regulations. So Pike does not open til May 10 on Pool 2

Mwal

[Slabasaurus]

Interesting... I was under the impression that pike would be included in "open year round," but sounds like some CO's say yep, they're included, others say "nope, they're under the same regs as the rest of the state." I can see how the language in the regs would be considered ambiguous at best.

I'd be curious to see what the DNR rep had to say, mwal.

Older thread touching on the pike regs

FWIW I haven't caught many pike out of this section of the 'sip, but those I have landed have definitely not been small.

[mwal]

I have emailed east metro fisheries. They list it as walleye sauger lmb smb year round c& R only. It does not list pike.

[mwal]

I received an official reply from The Department of Natural Resources Head of The East Metro Fisheries Division. The season is C&R year round only for the listed special in the regulation book as I had posted. Walleye, Sauger, LMB and SMB all other follow inland rules for season and limits.

his reply

"All species not covered by the special regulation follow the statewide inland regulation rules. The northern pike season is now closed. It will open on May10, 2014 and run through February 22, 2015 with a daily and possession limit of 3 – only one of which may exceed 30”."

SO it is not legal to fish for Pike in pool 2 when the ice leaves the harbors. And to those that say there are no muskies. They have stocked Spring Lake with over 90,000 Muskie between 2000 and 2007 so some had to survive with the unlimited food supply in there.

Mwal