Upper Red Lake Pike Regs!

[Random guy]

News Releases: Minnesota DNR

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DNR to hold public meeting on proposed special fishing regulations

for Upper Red Lake in Beltrami County

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will hold public

open house meetings to solicit comments on special fishing

regulation proposals for Upper Red Lake. After a seven-year walleye

harvest moratorium, walleye fishing is set to resume in the spring

of 2006. In anticipation of high angling pressure and catch rates,

regulations will need to be set conservatively to avoid excessive

harvest. Additionally, there is considerable interest in protecting

the quality northern pike fishery that has developed. The proposed

regulations when walleye fishing resumes are as follows:

Walleye:

? 17-26 inch protected slot; ? Possession limit of two, with only

one over 26 inches

Northern pike:

? 26-40 inch protected slot; ? Possession limit of three, with only

one over 40 inches

The local area open house will be held from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. on

Sept. 15 at the Kelliher Community Center. The public is invited to

drop in any time during this open house period. Area DNR Fisheries

staff will be present to answer questions and record comments on

these regulation proposals. The public can also provide input during

a statewide open house at the DNR Central Office, located at 500

Lafayette Road in St. Paul, on Sept. 22 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

For those unable to attend a public input meeting, written comments

should be send to Gary Barnard at the DNR Area Fisheries Office,

2114 Bemidji Avenue, Bemidji, MN 56001.

[email protected]

All comments must be

received before Oct. 3, 2005.

© 2005 Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Copyright Notice.

We should try to send letters or emails adressing this issue, Red Lake has become an outstanding Pike fisherie due to the efforts of catch and release and the hard work of many sportsman and organizations. Safety in numbers! If we can all take a minute to send in a letter or email stating the desire to help protect Upper Red Lakes pike population we would have a voice that had to be noticed. The proposed idea by many of the pike anglers is to up the slot to 45" on pike. With the advances in replica fish we really don't need to keep any monsters. Let em swim for another day or for another angler to catch...like a young angler just getting started in the fishing scene.

[Jim Hudson]

You got that right Jon... 45" is a good choice for the higher end of the slot!! Very few lakes south of the Canadian border that you can consistantly have a chance at a trophy pike anymore. We need to protect those resources as best as we can. Not only will it protect the fish and our fun we have at fishing, but also it will help protect the economy of communities around a trophy fishery such as Red Lake!!!

[NE angler]

Amen - why not 50", there really is no reason to keep a monster that size. Replicas are much better quality now a days and last forever. Just look at hsolist with all the old mounts with broken fins and faded paint. A nice framed 8x10 pic with a big smile on your face is hard to beat as well.

[Keith_MN]

I emailed Gary Barnard of the DNR and encouraged them to consider upping the top end of the protected slot for northerns.

Some of my reasons:

1) I beleive URL can produce true trophy northerns (45+") if we manage the lake for them.

2) A picture or a replica are very good, acceptable alternatives to a mount of the real fish regardless of whether the fish is in or out of the slot.

3) For fish to eat, an upper 20" northern makes a very good size fillet (times 3). You don't need 40+" fish for table fare.

4) And rather than going all the way to NW Manitoba to fish for big northerns each year, maybe I would spend my vacation at URL right here in MN.