Moving Opener/Reduce Walleye Limit Proposal

[Muddog]

If it puts one more fish I my boat next year, I'm all for it. To tell you the truth, the Walleyes is only one kind of fish you can go after, not the only fish. as for the limit size? I'm willing to bet the people that make the most noise over this are the ones with over there limit in there freezer right now!

As for mothers day. It must be a female law maker behind this. Call you mom from the lake and say happy mothers day. Don't forget to tell your wife shes not your mother. I know my wife needs reminding!

[MLS]

The DNR would still set regs specific to each lake. That does not change under this proposal.

[SDbowhunter]

Quote:

---

Keep opener where it is and set the walleye limit at 4. 6 eyes a piece is too many. Heck I fish mostly on a water with a 2 fish limit and thats cool with me. Of course I very seldom keep a limit no matter where Im at.

Believe it or not up north and in most of MN. the opener does protect the spawning fish.

---

Funny how two neighboring states differ in their enterpretation of what protects fish.

According the SD GFP HSOforum FAQ:

Why isn’t the fishing season closed in the spring to protect walleyes during the spawning season?

It is a common belief that preventing large walleyes from being kept by anglers during April will result in more small walleyes being produced during a year and more large walleyes being present in a lake. This is not the case. Protecting walleyes of spawning size during the spring does little to increase the likelihood that a lot of small walleyes will be produced or to increase the number of large walleyes in a lake for the following reasons:

In South Dakota, a shortage of walleyes of spawning size has never been documented.

Even a small number of adult walleyes can result in a lot of small walleyes being produced.

There is no relation between the number of spawning-size walleyes and the number of young walleyes produced.

The number of small walleye produced each year is mostly related to spring weather conditions, water levels during the spawning season, and the availability of suitable spawning habitat.

A higher percentage of walleyes longer than 18-inches is kept during April than during other months, but harvest of larger walleye is highest during the May-July period, when fishing pressure is highest.

To really protect fish of spawning size, they would need to be protected during the May-July period, when the majority of them are harvested.

I'm not sure who's got it right I find great fishing in both states. But I'm all for the regulation changes.

[Chode2235]

I find it funny that we are all bashing the senator for making recommendations to the DNR. For pitty's sake they are the chairmand of the ENVIRONMENTAL AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMITTEE. What do you think they are supposed to do?

"The proposed changes were relayed in a letter from State Sen. Satveer Chaudhary, DFL-Fridley, chairman of the Environment and Natural Resources Committee, to state Department of Natural Resources Commissioner Mark Holsten."

Anyway, I propose that the season doesn't open until after Memorial day. That is the best way to save the walleyes.

[Roscoe16]

The DNR should be setting season dates, length limits, bag limits, etc., based on biology. Politicians need to stay out of determining fish and game management policy.

If the DNR says it will not hurt the resource to move the date up a week, then they should move it. If a 4 walleye limit will really make a difference biologically in the number and size of fish, then change it. If not, then don't.

These rules and regs need to be set based on biology, not for some lame social reasons.

Roscoe16

[wannaeye]

" Chaudary wrote that “we will be considering legislation to begin [the] fishing opener one week earlier than the present schedule. The benefits of this change include bringing the fishing opener to a date consistent with border lakes and border states, benefit resort activities, and reduce conflicts with Mother’s Day."

It's funny how he suggests we change the opener to be more consistant with bordering states, but (correct my if I'm wrong) Iowa, North Dakota and South Dakota have a continuouis walleye season. Wisconsin opener the first Saturday in May. Wouldn't our state be more likely to match other states with a continious season??? Would resorts be more likely to endorse a continoues season???

Sounds to me like Mr. Chaudary wants our state to match Wisconson??? Ever get the feeling that our DNR thinks the Wisconson DNR can do no wrong??

This is a perfect example of politicians attempting to manage an area that they have no expertise in and sell it to us as a benefit for the state of Minnesota, but who does it really benefit???

Resorts?? Maybe

Fisherman?? A Little

Politicains?? Yes, look what I did!!

[BobT]

Quote:

---

Sounds to me like Mr. Chaudary wants our state to match Wisconson??? Ever get the feeling that our DNR thinks the Wisconson DNR can do no wrong??

---

Maybe I need to read the rest of this thread in its entirety but after reading this I'm a bit confused about how you have equated Sen. Chaudary with the DNR. Is Sen. Chaudary a member of the Department?

Bob

[wannaeye]

"The proposed changes were relayed in a letter from State Sen. Satveer Chaudhary, DFL-Fridley, chairman of the Environment and Natural Resources Committee, to state Department of Natural Resources Commissioner Mark Holsten."

As the chairman of the Environment and Natural Resources Committee Sen. Satveer Chaudhary sent this letter to DNR Commisioner Mark Holsten. Any changes that the DNR wants to make through the State Legislater would be ran through the Environment and Natural Resources Committee and vice versa.

They are technicly seperate but they will need to work hand in hand to get anything done!!

The Wisconson comment may have been off base, but were are these ideas comming from??? Who's benifting from these propositions?

[Muddog]

This is cutting into prime gill time. The two weeks before the opener is when the nesting of gills starts to hit high gear. Do we really need this distraction?

I live in southern Mn. All walleyes are stocked! I would say they should keep the season open all year around south of the citys but every Walleye obsessed fishermsn in the state would be down here loading up on eyes. I've sayed it before, there are other fish then Walleyes.

[LMITOUT]

Gov. Tim Pawlenty said on his radio show today that he's interested in studying the idea of moving the opener forward by a week. He said he'd be "inclined to sign it" if it reached his desk.

[King Canada]

Walleye spawn is based on water temperature. Southern Minnesota's ice-out days have moved earlier over the last decades. Sometimes the water temperature has risen so much in shallow southern Minnesota lakes by opener that the fish are past post-spawn and moving into early summer patterns. The deep border lakes may have only been ice-free for a week. Actually Sen Chaudhary is one of the few I trust on outdoor issues. I hope my wife wants to go fishing on Mothers Day cause I can't help myself.

[BobT]

I'm not so sure I can agree with this over the long haul, KingCanada.

According to the American Association for the Advancement of Science:

Quote:

---

Freeze and breakup dates of ice on lakes and rivers provide consistent evidence of later freezing and earlier breakup around the Northern Hemisphere from 1846 to 1995. Over these 150 years, changes in freeze dates averaged 5.8 days per 100 years later, and changes in breakup dates averaged 6.5 days per 100 years earlier

---

So if you take this average over the past 100 years and weight it so that 50% of the change has occurred in the past 20 years, the change is still so insignificant (matter of a day or two on average) that we wouldn't recognize it and neither would the fish.

Bob

[Muddog]

The way I understand it, Large mouth Bass have more to do with the amount of Walleye reproduction then opener time! How did they say it? Oh yea. Stocking Walleye in a lake with alot of LG Bass only helps the LG Bass.

My Mom liked fishing more then my dad. He owned a Sporting Goods Store. You should have seen her work the fishermen over to find there hot fishing spots. Shes to old now to get in a boat but I know every Mothers Day she wishes she could be out there.

[King Canada]

I'm not trying to tie this to global warming but watching ice out dates in southern Minnesota very closely over the last 15 years as I have a cabin on an Island I am convinced that at least for the short term ice out is coming earlier. April 21 was the average for Big Kandiyohi but it hasent gone past the first week in April for the last few years.

[Dave B]

To those who believe that 6 is too many:

What do you want me to keep, 6 13-14" eyes or 2-4 17-20" eyes?

I only keep and eat fish on the opener and maybe one fall trip. We release anything over 16". For the rest of the year everything is released. But when I fish on the opener, I like to have a meal of fish and take some home. I dont think that keeping 6-10 small fish/year is excessive for someone that spends 200 hours/year on the water and releases well over 200 eyes/year.

What I resent, and always have, is new laws to make people feel good. Making the limit 4 will not help the fisheries, so why do it. If you want the desired effect, make it 2.

[Lund4ver]

I guess another point that I would like to ask, is why is it that we have a number of fishing line limit, when we have government agency imposed possession limits? Wisconsin I believe is two rods in the summer, and three in the winter, why isn't Minnesota consistant with that?

What about the "border jumpers", doesn't this bring money to both states, as I know of a lot of guys from Wisconsin that come to Minnesota and fish the opener here, after they fished the Wisconsin opener over there.

Just some other points to consider I guess....Now discuss further.

[river rat316]

Quote:

---

The way I understand it, Large mouth Bass have more to do with the amount of Walleye reproduction then opener time! How did they say it? Oh yea. Stocking Walleye in a lake with alot of LG Bass only helps the LG Bass.

---

NO actually you the fisherman have more to do with populations than any fish, IMHO I think its very wrong that the DNR does any stocking of walleyes in lakes without natural reproduction, its a waste of taxpayer money. They keep having to put fish in so BillyBob can go pull his limit out every night. Go to the DNR web page and look at how little attention is payed to other species of fish, as far as stocking is concerned. All that money that is wasted on stocking eyes in places where they don't belong should be used for enforcement and education! If the average eye fisherman would learn how important a management tool C&R is this state would be a lot better off!

[Northlander]

I agree, when it comes to walleyes a lot of the "Fishermen" keep everything they can. I wish more people in Mn. would eat Bass, trout and pike with a few musky every now and then.

[BobT]

Actually there might be an advantage to stocking those waters. Imagine what the fishing pressure would be like for walleyes on natural lakes if those that fish the other lakes transferred their attention. This helps spread out the pressure and reduce it on natural lakes.

I'm a bit confused about something. I keep hearing comments to the effect that reducing the harvest limit to four will have no effect at all. Why not? What basis is there for this claim? Personal experience? I would think the research that is done by the DNR would be far more extensive and reliable than the average Joe Blow fisherman's personal preference or opinion.

Bob

[candiru]

I think it is time for a reduction in the limits. With all the improvements that have been made in the way we fish something has to give at some point. I am surprised things have held up as well as they have. Just think of all the things that have improved in fishing over the last few years such as technology, communication, equipment, clothing, comfort, transportation, information, education, travel, and mobility. I think I could spend a lot of time listing specifics, but you get the idea.

[primetime49]

the limit to walleye is the limit a sportman puts on their harvest

Often at the boat landings when guys open the livewell th e proudest ones ive seen sport as they say 2 or 3 fish [just enough for a good meal]and than they tell of the ones they put back.

I am definatly ,up for a 4 fish daily limit and keep the possesion at 12.

please open the season earlier,spring time is an awful thing to waste.

[Bassman55]

I think that the four fish limit would be fine. I mostly fish bass, but I have fished lakes with there experimental regs that some guys are complaining about and the fishing has improved alot. The size of all the species they have been concerned with (LM bass, SM bass, Crappies, and sunfish) has increased as well as the numbers. It is not at all rocket science. They all most always have the regs posted at the access and you do get a current regulations book when you buy a licence. Just check it out on your way to the lake.