Relaxed Samllmouth Limits

[JP Z]

From what I recall, the majority of the tribes/members who net the lake are from the Wisconsin band.......that may be difficult for the DNR to pay them then?? Just me thinking.

[MuskieFever]

Yikes.. that is really going to torque off a bunch of muskie guys too...

You could say that…

On a positive note, does this mean there could now be smallie tournaments on mille lacs?

[thatoneguy]

@Presco, I don't know that there is any selling of the netted fish (well, at least not any organized and legal selling). It's not a commercial thing like on Lower Red Lake. I could be wrong on that, though.

@MuskieFever, I was just thinking that today. I would love to see some bass tourneys on Mille Lacs. There's big green and brown bass in that lake!

[bassfshin24]

I would think the only way the bass tourneys would come is if they remove the slot on them. You can only keep 1 smallie over 18". A lot of the smallies in the lake are 18" +

[JP Z]

I would think with the Strict NO CULL policy on Mille Lacs that Bass Tourneys wouldn't be an option anyways.

[delcecchi]

Perhaps the idea is that smallies and hammerhandles are scarfing down the young walleye.

[beeflover]

My question is about the netting done on Mille Lacs...

If the Reservations are netting and selling the fish, couldn't some of that DNR money go towards paying off the tribes for their lost revenue and then ban all netting for a few years. I know its their tradition, but the tribes have to realize the walleye population is slowly dying as well.

You have some bad info Presco,

There is no legal selling of fish by any of the Native Americans allowed to net. There is big controversy between local tribes like the Mille Lacs Band, Ojibwe/Chippewa and other Native Americans who take most of the netted fish from Wisconsin and even Canada. Why the heck to people from other states and countries come in here, they have their own treaties.

Anyone can observe the netting and how closely it's monitored. I've went to Father Henn park access around 9 am and the DNR will be measuring and recording every single fish.

Thanks for the limits update, it changes every friggin year and that has to be overreaction by the DNR, no real management program would be this inconsistant year to year. Call it the Mille Lac "slot du jour"

Those smallmouth are not that easy to catch up there so I hope they don't get hurt badly, it doesn't sound good.

[thatoneguy]

Perhaps the idea is that smallies and hammerhandles are scarfing down the young walleye.

That might be the idea of some walleye anglers, but there's a pretty huge body of hard research out there that shows it just doesn't work that way (at least with smallies). I posted links to several research papers in a related thread elsewhere on this site.

[thatoneguy]

I would think with the Strict NO CULL policy on Mille Lacs that Bass Tourneys wouldn't be an option anyways.

There are tournaments run on waters that are all or partially no cull. Just ask Brandon Palaniuk

[JP Z]

I forgot about that!!!! So maybe it would be........but with a NO CULL do they still allow release at the end?

[Presco]

Thats my bad, I just assumed if they were taking that much out of the lake, they were selling it. What the heck do they do with 100k pounds of walleye or whatever its been the last few years? Its much less this year, but 17k pounds is still a lot of fish.

Interesting article I found on the changes - sounds like at least Twins Pines is excited about the relaxed bass rules re: their laucnhes - http://www.bemidjipioneer.com/content/mi...n-night-fishing

[BTL]

I don't like tournaments with slot limits. Instead of being about who can catch the most big bass, they're a contest to see who can catch the most fish 1/4" under the slot max. You could catch five 20" bass and finish beneath somebody who caught three 16 inchers. That ain't right...

[RK]

If you haven't already, do go watch the video at the DNR's Lake Mille Lacs page

It goes into considerable detail on the multitude of challenges facing ML. Really a sobering picture of what they're trying to overcome. The total lack of walleye recruitment to Y1 is amazing. So is the decline in zooplankton.

[JP Z]

Here are some stats from last year....from that Bemidji Pioneer article.

This past winter season, which ended Feb. 22, anglers harvested an estimated 470 pounds of walleyes, down from 18,000 pounds the winter before. The winter harvest often foretells the summer walleye harvest. DNR officials expect anglers to harvest about 35,000 pounds of walleyes this summer, well below the safe allotment limit.

[Juan Grande]

Thanks for the link RK, very informative.

Sounds like the eyes are spawning successfully, the fish just aren't making it to year 1. Tell me this, if the number of males in the lake has dropped dramatically, is there a risk of a narrowing gene pool? Will male walleyes fertilize more than one batch of eggs during each spawning cycle?

[RK]

You know I don't have any sure info there JG. I know walleyes are broadcast spawners which leads me to believe there can be multiples, but I don't know for sure.

Yeah, basically recruitment to Y1 is next to nothing, which is frightening and kind of amazing.

[Presco]

I just got back from the SportsShow and while waiting for a few buddies to finish up at a store, I started talking to a guy at a replicas booth. The conversation went to Mille Lacs, and I said something like, "too bad about the changing regs" and he goes off saying that as soon as the smallmouth are out of the lake, the sooner the walleye will come back. Its that kind of thinking that so many of these walleye anglers have that will eventually kill a world class smallmouth fishery. I just shook my head and walked away.

[wormdunker]

I think we should all know who this replica guy was in case we happen across a pre spawn state record on ML this year! kidding i put em back and stopped getting dust collectors done years ago. BUT considering that guys business relies o stuffing fish and animals of all species, it would be nice to know who we all should and SHOULD NOT frequent.

[beeflover]

Thats my bad, I just assumed if they were taking that much out of the lake, they were selling it. What the heck do they do with 100k pounds of walleye or whatever its been the last few years? Its much less this year, but 17k pounds is still a lot of fish.

Interesting article I found on the changes - sounds like at least Twins Pines is excited about the relaxed bass rules re: their laucnhes - http://www.bemidjipioneer.com/content/mi...n-night-fishing

Its just bad info you've had Presco. Regarding the 100,000 lb quota any big extended family, can go thru 100 lbs per year, whats that maybe 30 lbs of fillets, ya gotta have some for granma and great aunts and a big fish fry party or two. That's real sustanance. The local natives are not a problem.

The problems are mainly caused by natives from other states (WI) and Canada, and I'm pretty sure that some of these folks are selling some fish, I have good friends in Mille Lacs Band and last year the quota was filled by the time my buddies got their [PoorWordUsage] together to get a couple nets out. The locals hardly got any of the quota!

I've seen 100's of gill nuts picked of fish and its amazing how they are selective for size, small fish go thru the webs and big fish can't get there head in far enough to get their gills caught although, I have seen some 4-6 lb females netted and sometimes a decent sized pike or muskie will roll up in a net. Not the small northerns or walleyes and very very few smallies

I really hated to see increased gill netting back 15 years ago, but the walleye fishing really improved for the early 2000's, it was back pretty good two years ago but off again last year. I fished up there for years and I swear the fishing is better now and more enjoyable with lots less boats.

Walleye? It's some kinda natural cycle and I doubt smallies have had any major thing to do with it, they are just a secondary species in Mille Lacs, ya might as well blame in on bullheads or carp. Yeah grass carp some lake owner threw in there, thats probably it.

[delcecchi]

My question is about the netting done on Mille Lacs...

If the Reservations are netting and selling the fish, couldn't some of that DNR money go towards paying off the tribes for their lost revenue and then ban all netting for a few years. I know its their tradition, but the tribes have to realize the walleye population is slowly dying as well.

There was a deal to do exactly that, but Bud Grant wanted another bite at the apple after losing in Wisconsin so he whipped up folks and scuttled the deal. It went to court and the rest is history.

[delcecchi]

If you haven't already, do go watch the video at the DNR's Lake Mille Lacs page

It goes into considerable detail on the multitude of challenges facing ML. Really a sobering picture of what they're trying to overcome. The total lack of walleye recruitment to Y1 is amazing. So is the decline in zooplankton.

On another thread, there was a link to a powerpoint on the same subject. I was interested since the West end of Lake Vermilion has a similar problem. And there are no invasive species, other than rusty crayfish and they are on the other end of the lake.

In both cases I think, the DNR is stumped. Facts in the water trump research papers, and the fact is that something has adversely affected recruitment in each of the lakes.

The Largemouth population on West Vermilion has taken off in recent years. My personal experience is that bluegills have also.

[moviking]

I have a couple questions. Can we fish for smallies year round now? I don't keep bass. Why don't the dnr allow a c & r season? what is the post I read about smally fishing after Sept, were they protected then? I haven't fished Mn in 20+ years so bear with me.

[Search Function]

I have a couple questions. Can we fish for smallies year round now? I don't keep bass. Why don't the dnr allow a c & r season? what is the post I read about smally fishing after Sept, were they protected then? I haven't fished Mn in 20+ years so bear with me.

Heaven's no, where did you get the idea that fishing for smallies would be open year round on Mille Lacs or any other lake in this state. From the end of February until the fishing opener's in May smallmouth are closed on every lake in the state. In the NE portion of the state and Mille Lacs Lake the "Walleye Opener" is when smallmouth will open this year. For the rest of the lakes season open for smallmouth on the Memorial Day weekend "Bass Opener."

Why doesn't the DNR allow a C & R season for bass? Lot's of us wonder about that one. The DNR has a proposed rule change in to the Governor right now that will allow an early C & R fishing season for bass starting on the Walleye Opener. That won't happen until 2015 at the earliest.

Yes, smallmouth are protected with a C & R season starting in early Sept. that goes until the season closes in late Feb. That ,however, won't be the case on Lake Mille Lacs where people will still be allowed to keep smallies through next Feb. when the walleye season closes.

[moviking]

Thanks for the info

[beeflover]

Just checked out the DNR video, most of the walleyes harvested have been 28% netting quota, 72% sports. The gill nets are selective for 14-18 inch fish and the recent walleye slot sizes are generally these same size fish.

There are plenty of large breeding females and the video said that the big change is the lack of these mid size fish that were harvested. Did the DNR assume that these fish were not important to walleye reproduction?

I probably would not have guessed that they were so important either.

I hope these experiments work better than the last 20 years of slot changes.