personal slot limit

[looneyducer]

In addition to game and fish regulations, I release all walleyes under a pound as too small, and all walleyes over three pounds as too important to the fishery.

I have done this for years. I am now contemplatind adding "and I keep all walleyes over eight pounds" to this because of this latest shift in information from the DNR about big fish being damaging to a fishery.

Anybody do anything similiar -- thinking about doing anything similiar? What are your regs and why do you have them?

[Drewski]

I will keep anything 13-19" and everything smaller/larger than that gets to swim another day!

[goose89]

I don't weigh walleyes. Much easier on fisherman and fish. I have a 15-19 1/2. personal limit. The lake I fish most has a voluntary 15" minimum. It seems to be working and I hear of more and more fisherman complying. That's why I started at 15". 19" and above are mostly females that are the major egg produceres, I don't believe they taste as good, even more, I love knowing they are still there for my nephew(s), my family and myself to catch and put back again.

I may be wrong, but I think the "latest shift in info from the DNR about big fish being damaging to a fishery" was geared towards Mill Lacs. I could be wrong on this, but have a hard time believing it was "across the board." I'll probably have a tough time buying into that on if indeed it was meant for all lakes. I'm trying to imagine putting a knife ta a walleye over 28"s, and I can't. No different, to me, than say, encouraging keeping muskies 48" and over. Good Luck.

[BobT]

I don't think one can use the same "rule" for all situations. One lake may be better served by concentrating the harvest of walleyes less than 15". The next lake may be better served by concentrating the harvest of walleye over 18". The next mayby a slot of 17"-21" and so on.

For this reason, I highly doubt the DNR made a blanket statement or invoked a blanket policy of encouraging the taking of walleye over 26". It just wouldn't make much sense.

Bob

[Chode2235]

I like to put those big fish back, even if it is slightly detrimental to the fishery.

They are too much of a trophy to be caught by just one person.

[snoozebutton]

Quote:

I am now contemplatind adding "and I keep all walleyes over eight pounds" to this because of this latest shift in information from the DNR about big fish being damaging to a fishery.

Would you care to 'splain that to me? I haven't heard of that before. I fish a lake that has a lot of 19" to 26" walleyes in it and according to the DNR, they don't naturally reproduce there. (I don't agree, there's got to be some reproducing.)

[walleyeking19]

everything under 15 and 20+ go back

[zepman]

I also go with the 15"-19" personal slot. No exceptions here.

[steamman]

I go with the 16" to 18". Anything under or over goes back into the water. This drives my dad nuts. I have a fishing partner of mine that use to keep everything up to 25" or so. He will now keep fish in the 14" to 18" range.

[Team Otter]

13 - 18" in the well. Everything else goes back.

[caseymcq]

13 - 18" in the well. Everything else goes back.

That is typically what I do too. Every once in a while if I really need to eat walleye and all I can get are 19 or 20" I might keep one of those. My ideal slot (if I could wave a magic wand and have exactly what I wanted) would be 14" - 16" for "eatin'" fish .

[Darrell Larson]

I would have to agree with the 14-16 for eating, and or keeping. Any thing over 17 goes back and the same with under 14 also goes back.

[walleyeman1]

15-18 is what I keep. Everything else goes back. I think the ones under 15 should grow up and are prime spawners are 19-23 and they should have a statewide protected slot on them.

[norwall]

14-20 for myself

[ozzie]

14-20 here also....

[BuckKiller]

depending where I am... but 15-21 in gerneral. I have kept some bigger and smaller tho.

[walleyeaddict]

Strictly 15-20....I may keep one over 30in or 10 lbs, If I ever get another.

[maros91]

Whatever Mille Lacs tells me.

[PerchJerker]

Usually 13"-18" for me. It depends on the lake and the slots, etc. I like to see anything over 18" go back in the lake but it doesn't always work out that way.

[morefishplease]

13"-20" for me

[BullFighter]

13 ??

If it were up to me it would be a state wide 15 Inch min on EYES!

[PerchJerker]

13 ??

If it were up to me it would be a state wide 15 Inch min on EYES!

Why?

13 inch fish aren't adding back to the population yet, but 18 inchers sure are (in lakes with natural reproduction). I'm in the group that thinks it's better to keep a few more "small" fish instead of a few "big" fish.

Also, the problem with something like a 15" statewide minimum is that most of the 15 inch fish that get caught will get kept, so it forces the population to be skewed to fish under 15" ---- with only a small part of the population being "eaters" that are 15" and over. That's why many places have gone away from minimum size limits like that, and have gone to protected slots like 18" to 28". Which in turn leads to theories that too many big fish can hurt the lake ...... but I would rather see the spawners protected.

[lovebigbluegills]

Walleyes are 15-18 for me, and I believe are the best eating size.

[chippewachuck]

13 - 19

[Craigums]

I only keep fish 19+.... I love me a nice walleye steak not a little fish nugget, The bigger the better Mmmm Mmmm Good