Smallies are biting good on Mille Lacs

[KickNBass]

C&R for walleyes may not be enough. As said earlier in the thread, they need to lay off the fish in mid summer on the flats or just keep what they catch.

[thatoneguy]

Isn't that the resort that was offering super cheap smallie launch rates earlier in the year?

The point is worth making that the only reason that catch is legal is that our wunnerful DNR instituted new smallie regs not in response to any data or coherent plan, but in an attempt to appease walleye humpers who insist on ignoring the research that shows that smallies are not responsible for the walleye woes.

Instead of having one of the elite smallie lakes in America, they'd rather have a mediocre bass fishery to complement a decaying walleye fishery. Well done, DNR!

[corncob]

Well said TOG.

[BrianF]

I went up with a great bass stick this spring to sample the smallmouth fishery for the first time. In a word...unbelievable. Now they are allowing what amounts to commercial fishing for these crawfish eating machines? That bass fishery needs to be protected, not over-harvested. Who's in charge of the fishery anyway? And what is their agenda? Seems the table is heavily slanted in favor of walleyes. Why is it that all other species take a back seat to the beloved walleye? They are the last fish I would spend my time and money pursuing and I'm not the only one.

Fix the walleye fishery, but protect the bass and musky fishery at the same time. They have been proven to be able to co-exist quite well in nature.

Brian

[Mike #1]

Someone made a youtube video about the smallie fishing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOa9PWCiCtQ

[RuddyDuck]

I did notice that they used that "one" picture like 4 or 5 times in the video. I might be wrong, but don't they have the wrong slot listed in there also?

[Basseyes]

I like to fish for both. I have no problem with a guy wanting to catch a meal of fish or two, be it whatever you like to eat.

When I think of myself as a fisherman, I don't like the segregation that has happened. It is either I'm a died hard bass or muskiy cpr guy or I am a walleye guy. We are all fishermen, correct? This idea that one is better than the other is redonkulous! If you fish for sport and cpr everything, it does not in anyway shape or form make you any better. If you fish for a meal, that doesn't mean you are better cause you fish for food. Fishing is nothing more than a stupid past time or hobby. We all need to get over ourselves and thinking we are cool riding around in our boat brand, fishing for our species of choice. I was an avid bass guy for a long, long time. Now I own a big walleye boat that I still fish bass out of and am a lot more comfortable fishing out of with more than two people and in crappy conditions. But it doesn't make me a walleye guy. After stretching my wings on many other species, I've learned a lot more about fishing and the resource. There are a lot of bass lakes that could use a large harvest on bass. The size structure can get skewed. One thing that really irkes my craw is fishing lakes that get a tremendous amount of bass fishing pressure and cpr, is the fish with multiple hard hook sets and goofed up jaws and sores all over their mouths. Most bass fisherman could learn to help the fish they love to cpr, don't be so hard on the hook sets, then laughing about sailing little fish out of the water and over the other side of the boat. I've seen it so many times it is stupid.

I hope the smallies can withstand the onset of all the launch pressure. They are not what is harming Mille lacs currently. It is suffering from being out of balance, to many big fish are cpr'd. That needs to stop. More small fish need to be cpr'd and more big fish need to be culled through harvesting them.