Relaxed Samllmouth Limits

[wormdunker]

I was just checking out groupon. Fishermans warf in Isle is offering a 4 hour bass fishing trip with fish fry after. Included with the "deal" is fish cleaning lessons.

[JP Z]

That's crazy.............and it's darn cheap but I would assume it's on the launch so it's not really a one on one deal.

[bassfshin24]

Wow I just saw the groupon. What a joke!

[wormdunker]

I see a launch openly marauding smallies I just might start throwing rooster tails!!! Up wind. Something I love and hate about social media. You can reach a LOT of people in short order.

[corncob]

I have spent the better part of today researching studies that have been done on the relationship between walleyes and smallmouth coexisting in the same waters......These studies were done in Minnesota, North and South Dakota, Wisconsin, New York , Manitoba, and Ontario.....This in formation indicates that there is insignificant predation on each other,and that walleyes primary food source is PERCH,up to 90% of their diet....Smallmouth mainly feed on crayfish, with very little crossover of food sources between the 2 species........Repeatedly in study after study it was stated that there was not competition between Walleye and Smallmouth Bass, and that population fluctuations for either Smallmouth or Walleyes were dependant on other factors,one of which was fishermans harvest.......Obviously the "kill the smallmouth to save the walleyes" crowd should do some fact finding of their own.....It's not difficult to do , just google "walleyes vs smallmouth bass", even a walleye fisherman or the DNR should be able to figure it out.......Maybe NOT!

[RumRiverRat]

I see a launch openly marauding smallies I just might start throwing rooster tails!!! Up wind. Something I love and hate about social media. You can reach a LOT of people in short order.

Come on Man!

[smnduck]

From what I have seen on the lake the biggest problem on the lake is the launches from the resorts. Gut hooks, holding fish out of the water to long, overfishing locations. Maybe a year or 2 long ban on launches and see how the lake responds.

[Deitz Dittrich]

smn- that would kill a few of the resorts.. they get a lot of extra money from those launches.

[hockeybc69]

Arent the launches going to more or less killed with the reg changes? I would have to guess the evening/night launch fishing is the bread and butter and now they cant do it for the entire open water season.

[JP Z]

Exactly! Hence why they are now doing bass fishing launches and the like to supplement their income.

[wormdunker]

Come on Man!

[bassfshin24]

Nice haha!

[sdmn_sportsman]

The DNR makes no reference to Walleyes as predators in their explanation of what is happening to Mille Lacs. I would venture a guess that the population of "above average size" walleyes is taking a significant toll on the YOY walleye population just as much as the pike and bass. Why not allow walleye anglers to start keeping more of these 20" to 25" fish and bring that population down??? Am I missing something here??? These bigger walleyes are taking just as big of a toll on the young walleyes and forage base of the lake as anything else.

[mrklean]

The DNR makes no reference to Walleyes as predators in their explanation of what is happening to Mille Lacs. I would venture a guess that the population of "above average size" walleyes is taking a significant toll on the YOY walleye population just as much as the pike and bass. Why not allow walleye anglers to start keeping more of these 20" to 25" fish and bring that population down??? Am I missing something here??? These bigger walleyes are taking just as big of a toll on the young walleyes and forage base of the lake as anything else.

If they allow the larger fish to be caught then they will hit the quota faster and the lake will shut down for eye fishing which would kill the resorts

[MuskieFever]

The problem I see with Mille Lacs is that 90% of the thinking behind this lake is with businesses in mind. I believe (which doesn't mean much) that the right thing to do is shut down ML to walleye fishing all together for 2014. But, if that happened, businesses would fold completely. A lot of people love to fish the trophy smallies and muskies there but they simply can't compete with the crowd the walleye brings to that lake.

[Deitz Dittrich]

Fever- if they were to shut walleye fishing down for the year, they would have to shut it down for all species.. Otherwise you would get the guy throwing a jig and a minnow saying they were "Smallie" or "Pike" fishing.. just like all the bass dudes do every spring when they are throwing spinnerbaits saying that they are "Pike" fishing before bass opener.

[sdmn_sportsman]

If drastic measure aren't taken now the resorts will fail in the end anyway from a collapsed walleye population. When good initial year classes are all but gone after 1 year that is not a good sign. Can you imagine 10 years from now if this problem isn't solved and all of the 20" plus walleyes that are in the lake now are dead? Red Lake Version 2.0. Except instead of a crappie boom, smallmouth boom!

Q)Why did God make the Smallmouth Bass a fish??

A)Because if smallmouth wasn't a fish, they would take over the world.

[Hester]

I kind of think this lake is a special circumstance.

Let the walleye guys have this one lake, the smallmouth fishing may go down a little bit but in the long run its better off to manage this particular lake for Walleyes as your main concern.

Now try not to yell at me to much.

[thatoneguy]

There's no reason I've heard why it can't be managed for both walleye and smallies, as they don't really compete with each other.

[Juan Grande]

Yeah, come on guys, there are much better bass lakes to fish. I just can't think of any right now

In all seriousness, Mille Lacs does need a healthy and sustainable walleye population. I know there are MANY factors at play here, but the thing that irks me a bit is that the smallie, muskie and northern populations in Mille Lacs are very healthy because there is minimal harvest of them by the fishermen who target them. Conversely, walleyes are exploited and over harvested to the point that the population has crashed. The solution to the walleye crash is to open harvest limits on smallies and northerns?

One fisherman can't wait to get their catch back in the lake and the other can't wait to get it in the live well.

[thatoneguy]

Quote:

One fisherman can't wait to get their catch back in the lake and the other can't wait to get it in the live well.

And there you have the difference between burgeoning populations and crashing populations. Not the whole story, of course, this is not a simple issue,but that's a major part of it.

[delcecchi]

I have spent the better part of today researching studies that have been done on the relationship between walleyes and smallmouth coexisting in the same waters......These studies were done in Minnesota, North and South Dakota, Wisconsin, New York , Manitoba, and Ontario.....This in formation indicates that there is insignificant predation on each other,and that walleyes primary food source is PERCH,up to 90% of their diet....Smallmouth mainly feed on crayfish, with very little crossover of food sources between the 2 species........Repeatedly in study after study it was stated that there was not competition between Walleye and Smallmouth Bass, and that population fluctuations for either Smallmouth or Walleyes were dependant on other factors,one of which was fishermans harvest.......Obviously the "kill the smallmouth to save the walleyes" crowd should do some fact finding of their own.....It's not difficult to do , just google "walleyes vs smallmouth bass", even a walleye fisherman or the DNR should be able to figure it out.......Maybe NOT!

How about largemouth? And what is your explanation for the failure of fry to make it to age 1 in Mille Lacs?

[delcecchi]

All of this stuff about harvest fails to explain the failure to recruit hatched eggs into yearling fish the next spring, something that has been noted in Mille Lacs. What happens to the young of the year that prevents them from being a year class?

[thatoneguy]

eaten by larger walleyes?

[Juan Grande]

Yes, there are many unknowns here and the lack of walleye making it to their first year is a mystery. Sounds like the DNR thinks it might be related to increased water clarity and lack of shallow cover.