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Posts: 194
Location: Lake Elmo, MN | I love fishing Lake of the Woods in late May and very early June for big post spawn Northern Pike. It's one of my favorite things to do. I fish up near Wiley Point and have this question, as I am very concerned about making sure I obey rules put in place to protect fish !!
Since Musky season is not yet open, I am always fanatical about leaving anything Musky related off my boat till opener. No big blades, no Heavy rods, no bulldawgs etc.
I DO however fish Mepps #5 for pike and use MH rods. Nothing bigger than this....simply #5 Mepps with a medium-heavy.
So what's the rule ?? If by chance I DO catch a Musky while legitimately fishing for Northerns, is there anything special I should be doing ? I know photos etc are (if not illegal) certainly bad form, so we always refrain. Is there any regulation about leaving that fishing area, making a report etc ?? Even IN SEASON, we practice 100% catch and release, and are always very careful with the fish, so obviously this is not an issue.
I've scoured the regs looking for an answer. Any help will assist us in remaining within the law and good responsible fishermen !!
Edited by PSAGuy 4/15/2015 10:59 AM
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Posts: 1247
Location: Walker, MN | This question comes up every year in April/May. |
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Posts: 4343
Location: Smith Creek | You may net the fish, unhook in the net and reverse the net so the fish doesn't leave the water.
No need to leave the area or report anything. |
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Posts: 230
Location: St Paul, Minnesota | I wouldn't recommend figure-8ing any follows... |
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Posts: 194
Location: Lake Elmo, MN | Never do before Musky season....ever. |
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Posts: 1516
| If you do catch a muskie the 1st rule is don't talk about it. The 2nd rule is doesn't talk about it |
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Posts: 1220
| You're going to catch a musky pre-fishing (or fishing) the Sturgeon Bay Open Bass Tournament too, but you better be doing it with a bass rod and a husky jerk. (And look peeed off too) |
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Posts: 18
| You are 100% legal and not doing anything wrong. Dont let people tell you otherwise either. |
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Location: Sawyer County, WI | PSAGuy - 4/15/2015 11:57 AM
Never do before Musky season....ever.
If the OP is legitimately fishing for pike (and why wouldn't we believe him ?) he is fine. I catch musky every spring on jigs and jig/minnow fishing crappies and walleye. If the mighty musky wants to waste his energy on the tiny snack at the end of my line that's his problem, not mine. If the DNR wants to ensure nobody fishes for "pike" during the gamefish season, then change it so there is only one opener and the is problem solved. |
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Posts: 1220
| I tend to give a "professional" a certain amount of respect for his office, whether a cop, TSA agent or a game warden. In true life experience (being sort of older now) I promise you all that I have encountered all three of those a time or two when that respect was entirely wasted on an incompetent. But, that's truly the isolated experience. 95% of the time it's just some poor guy trying the best to do a hard job, protect, serve and go home to his family like everybody else. With 50 years now being asked to show my licence to a CO, my take is that these guys know a violator when they see one. Most of the time, they couldn't be nicer, including asking how the fishing is.....for no other reason than "asking how the fishing is," just like everybody else at every ramp I ever put a boat in. Put simply, the guy probably knows what you're fishing for, just like I know the look on the dogs face before I see the garbage all over the floor! |
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Posts: 1144
Location: Minnesota. | Junkman - 4/15/2015 4:00 PM
...just like I know the look on the dogs face before I see the garbage all over the floor!
Thanks, that was pretty good! I have a vivid imagination...*g*
Jeremy. |
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Posts: 410
Location: Wakefield, MI | Release the fish and 50 Hail Marys. |
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Posts: 194
Location: Lake Elmo, MN | Good advice all...... When I fish pike I really DO fish pike. I just love a fish that comes to the boat looking P-O'd ! Pike do more so than even Muskies to me.
Slime On !
Edited by PSAGuy 4/16/2015 3:56 PM
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Posts: 2015
| if you really like to pike fish I'd go to Rainy Lake or better yet lakes around Red Lake, Ont.....I'd catch a dozen over 42" in a week up there back when "pike" were my passion. Definitely thousands of better pike lakes than LOTW for both size and numbers and they don't have muskies in them, so no worries... My 2 cents |
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Posts: 194
Location: Lake Elmo, MN | Know Rainy very well. Fish it for smallies 10-15 times a year. The Pike fishing in the section of LOW I fish is outstanding up till about mid-June. There are spots where I have had multiple 42+ fish and have a 46 as my largest. This area is NW and very lightly fished.
The Red Lake area however is new to me....I may just give it a shot.
Thanks |
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Posts: 93
Location: Des Moines IA | No muskies in Shoal Lake just west of LOTW's and the pike are bigger and more of them. |
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Posts: 194
Location: Lake Elmo, MN | I know....getting thru the narrows in a Ranger 620 is no picnic tho. Fish Shoal a great deal. |
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So What's the Rule ??