2 lines legislation

[Chode2235]

I have said it before and I will say it again. If we are really serious about protecting our fish, don't open the season until after Memorial Day. Not my original thought, but in the DNR conservation volunteer article "Why we love Walleye"

So many fish are taken that weekend by causual anglers, and they are particularly vulnerable at that time of year too. If we can just protect them until after that weekend the walleye fishery would be better off.

If we are really serious about protecting the fish, there are much more effective tools we can use, although slightly more painful.

[primetime49]

FARLEY

LOOKS LIKE A GROUP OF PEOPLE THAT HAVENT DROPPED A LINE FOR MOST OF THEIR LIVES

TRUMPED

[ozzie]

I would love in certain situations to use 2 lines...one is when the fish aren't biting!!! but I am not sure that I would really want this bill to pass. We seem to do fine with 1 rod in the summer why change.....I have a tough time believing people don't fish in Minnesota cause they can only use one line!! I also see alot of people using 2 lines when the bite is good and having alot of problems from this...catching more fish and having more fatalities from deep hooked fish.....It definatly would be devastating in the early part of the year. I guess if they opened the ability to use the 2nd line say july 1st to the end of September when the fish are a little harder to find I would like this bill otherwise we already have a good thing going why change it????

[blackdog1101]

There will be some incremental increase in harvest, but I doubt significantly so. A guy who only has, for example, a few hours to fish might only catch 7 crappies on one rod, but may limit out in the same period of time with 2 rods.

[Farley]

What's wrong with catching a limit?

So all you guys who are against the bill now are going to stick to your guns once this passes and still fish with only one rod right??? Not directed at you Blackdog, I meant to reply to the thread as a whole.

[blackdog1101]

Nothing at all wrong with catching a limit. My point is simply that there will be an incremental increase in harvested fish due to the second line.

Personally, I don't find the use of a second line particularly sportsmanlike, but that's my opinion. If the arguement is that a limit is a limit whether you use one rod or more, and you've got to stop when you get to the legal limit, then why not just let people net fish?

[blackdog1101]

Farley, no personal intent taken. But yes, I would still only fish open water with one rod. During ice season I mainly fish for pannies, but do set out a tip up as well for the occasional northern.

[DTro]

 Originally Posted By: blackdog1101

My point is simply that there will be an incremental increase in harvested fish due to the second line.

I think people really assume the worst. Let's take the ice for example. You are allowed two lines, a lot of times I don't even use the second line. Same thing would probably happen in the summer as well.

Guesses can be made, but nobody truly knows the effect it will have on the harvest numbers. My guess is that the effect would be minimal.

[blackdog1101]

As I said in my post on page three of this thread, I also doubt it will be a significant increase. But, we cannot deny that there will some incremental increase, as I said, when someone who would have gone home with 7 crappies may now go home with 10. Or who may have gone home with one walleye could possibly now go home with two. Significant? I don't know. But an increase? Yes.

[Opie]

I will play the Devil's Advocate here and also inject some sarchasim: soooo, if adding the ability to fish multiple lines is going to be detrimental to our resource, then all of the surrounding states must not have much for quality fishing water? Having fished all of the surrounding states, I know this to be false. There is terrific fishing to be had, just as there is here in MN.

I am all for this legislation. I would even support an "extra rod" stamp of some sort, but would be hard to enforce. Most people who bobber, jig, or rig will still likely fish with one rod the majority of the time. 2 rods may be used to narrow down a location or a pattern preference, but once dialed in, it can get hard to monitor multiple rods. Most would end up using one then just as they do know. But for the troller, it is very hard to learn a pattern/depth/presentation when I am out by myself using one rod. I feel that trolling is one of my weak areas of fishing and I account that to the one line law in MN.

Well, that's my rant for the day.

Dean Thorn

[Sandmannd]

I agree with you all the way Dean. I would also add that you can use two rods on the croix and I don't do that all the time. I will if I'm not getting any action but once I find an area that's good I will just go to my one rod. Two is nice for getting the feel and what they are biting on.

[LMITOUT]

 Originally Posted By: Opie

if adding the ability to fish multiple lines is going to be detrimental to our resource, then all of the surrounding states must not have much for quality fishing water? Having fished all of the surrounding states, I know this to be false. There is terrific fishing to be had, just as there is here in MN.

I agree. The number of regulations MN has is not proportional to the quality of fishing. Ironic, eh?

[davesfriend]

I think alot of questions are getting answered on here. This site is awsome. I get to see both side of this argument and seem to agree with both sides. Two lines would be great for the reasonable fisherman. The idiots will abuse it. Fish will be lost and great times will be had. Common sense would tell me that if the action is hot one line is perfect, if they are not bitting two lines would be better. I like the guys signature (can't remember who right now) sorry. but it says" Common sense isn't so common anymore!" Soo much truth in that!!

[Sandmannd]

Dave, you are correct, but the idots already abuse it. I've seen people using two lines when they should have one. They don't care. These are the same [PoorWordUsage] that go out and get a limit and then go back out again. You can't fix stupid.

[hanson]

I really like Dtro's ice fishing scenario. If the state wants me to catch less fish, they should force me to fish 2 lines in the winter. We obviously have the opportunity to fish 2 lines but I fish 1 line nearly 80% of the time through the winter. I feel one line allows me to concentrate on what I'm doing more, be more mobile, and catch more fish. Ever tried to hole hop with 2 lines? Doesn't work very well.

Jump ahead to summer and I would be all over 2 lines. Whenever I fish the Red River, St Croix, or Miss border waters, its 2 lines for me. Not sure if I catch more fish with 2 lines but its more fun and allows you to switch up presentations, spread your baits etc in the search of fish. The limit ultimately controls how many fish I can keep.

Shoot, even though we can fish 2 lines on the Miss border water already, Wisconsin allows 3. Go figure? Limits differ as well on the same body of water but thats a different subject altogether.

[davesfriend]

I love that "you can't fix stupid" For some reason I see faces when I say that...

[idratherbefishing]

All for fishing two lines in summer! Though most of the time it results in more tangled messes than fish caught! I fish in Iowa quite a bit and two lines are allowed there, it is fun cast a jig and slip bobber at the same time or troll more cranks