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| Anyone know the current water temp? Thank you much! |
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Location: new richmond, wi. & isle, mn | ~50° |
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Location: Minnesota | It was 52.2 Friday morning by Hennepin island |
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Posts: 558
| Thanks for the replies. Love this time of year, just wish it lasted longer. |
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| 52.2 on 10-23-2016 |
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Location: Otsego, MN | Put in Saturday at Cove Bay and the DNR was stocking the lake. Came back in 5 hours later and there was about 50 Muskies hanging around the dock. Not sure how many they put in but it was cool to see the little ones swimming around the dock. |
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Posts: 705
Location: Alex or Alek? | Pedro - 10/25/2016 8:08 PM
Not sure how many they put in but it was cool to see the little ones swimming around the dock.
My dad sent me a picture from the outdoor news last week of the muskie stocking numbers for this fall. Mille Lacs received 3,000 fingerlings. |
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Posts: 719
| It is sad that the DNR thinks that 3000 little muskies will make any kind of a dent up there. The math works out to one baby muskie per 40 acres. We need quite a few more to make that lake a viable muskie destination again. |
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Location: Alex or Alek? | bturg - 10/26/2016 8:40 AM
It is sad that the DNR thinks that 3000 little muskies will make any kind of a dent up there. The math works out to one baby muskie per 40 acres. We need quite a few more to make that lake a viable muskie destination again.
I'd rather have 3,000 than 0. |
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Posts: 94
| Viable again??? I am curious in understanding what happened to Mille Lacs regarding musky? How has the musky fisheries been effected negativity in the pass? |
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Posts: 80
| bturg - 10/26/2016 8:40 AM
It is sad that the DNR thinks that 3000 little muskies will make any kind of a dent up there. The math works out to one baby muskie per 40 acres. We need quite a few more to make that lake a viable muskie destination again.
Bob is right. 3,000 won't make a dent. Sad to see such a great fishery fall off the map. |
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Posts: 705
Location: Alex or Alek? | I'm sure the decision of 3,000 wasn't related to money at all. Its not like these things are cheap to stock.
Complain if they stock em, complain if they don't. The DNR never can do anything right. |
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Location: Chisholm, MN | MOJOcandy101 - 10/26/2016 9:51 AM
I'm sure the decision of 3,000 wasn't related to money at all. Its not like these things are cheap to stock.
Complain if they stock em, complain if they don't. The DNR never can do anything right.
That's right. They may not have enough to go around this year. Or maybe they think it's enough. That's a question for Fisheries. In comparison, Pokegama received around 1,900 every other year. The lake is much smaller and still, I don't believe it will be enough to get a super great population going. |
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Posts: 143
| Kirby Budrow - 10/26/2016 10:12 AM
MOJOcandy101 - 10/26/2016 9:51 AM
I'm sure the decision of 3,000 wasn't related to money at all. Its not like these things are cheap to stock.
Complain if they stock em, complain if they don't. The DNR never can do anything right.
That's right. They may not have enough to go around this year. Or maybe they think it's enough. That's a question for Fisheries. In comparison, Pokegama received around 1,900 every other year. The lake is much smaller and still, I don't believe it will be enough to get a super great population going.
http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/lakefind/showstocking.html?downum=480002...
According to the DNR thats all they've done every 2 years since 06. They haven't changed anything so maybe its just the simple fact that natural reproduction is not as successful as it has been in the past. |
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Posts: 719
| MOJOcandy101 - 10/26/2016 9:51 AM
I'm sure the decision of 3,000 wasn't related to money at all. Its not like these things are cheap to stock.
Complain if they stock em, complain if they don't. The DNR never can do anything right.
Not complaining just stating a fact. The money is around if they want to stock more. Access to supply could be an issue, on that subject I have no knowledge. Sure 3000 is better than nothing, that is obvious BUT it won't make a dent in the falloff of a fishable population in the lake. To put it in perspective if you stocked the same density in a
400 acre lake you would be putting in 10 fingerlings. If they ALL survived in 10 years you would have 10 adults in that lake to target...pretty thin. If that lake is to be a truly viable musky destination again the ante needs to be upped on stocking considerably.
I'm a supporter of the MN DNR bringing Muskie fishing to a number of new waters over the years but the heavy pressure on the waters they occupy means an uptick in stocking needs to happen or the fishing suffers rather quickly when stocking doesn't keep up with mortality from catching them. |
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Posts: 114
| This may be a dump question but does natural reproduction occur in Mille Lacs? If so I wonder what % of offspring survive. |
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Location: Alex or Alek? | Per the MN DNR Muskie plan they want to stock their lakes with 0.13-0.35 fish per acre. They would need to stock Mille Lacs with over 20,000 fingerlings every other year. They only stocked 23,000 total this year. I don't think the DNR has the public support, money, or access to double the amount they stock just for one lake. Larger lakes need to reproduce on their own and can't rely on stocking. You don't see the DNR going and dropping 9,000 in vermillion or 25000 in leech.
Also there are still plenty of fish, and big fish, caught on mille lacs. |
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Posts: 719
| Wow, I know nothing you win. |
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| Bob you couldn't be more correct. They don't call it "the lake of broken dreams" for nothing.
The good thing is the rape of the trophy pike resource from the darkhouse spearing is sure to lead to better survival of those musky fingerlings.
Edited by Cfollow 10/26/2016 8:08 PM
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Posts: 315
| I'm with Bob here! Why the hell are they stocking new lakes with muskies when we already have plenty of awesome muskie lakes that are in dire need of more muskies. Even if they start pumping more into a lake like mille lacs it will be another 20 years before we see big fish again, yet I would happily accept that. Its a big mistake to let so many lakes fall by the wayside just to stick minimal numbers of fish into a few new lakes. My 2 cents. |
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Posts: 1000
| i've heard the DNR suspects there may be some population suppression going on with a few of these lakes, where you have enough large fish that suppress and up and comers. |
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| Play dirty pool,,get the tribes to stock they can do what they want,,mile lacs, prior lake by the mystic lake tribe,red lake and they get fat on 2lb crappies  |
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Location: Alex or Alek? | Just stating the publicly posted numbers.
Kinda funny when we fight so hard to get new lakes stocked then people complain that we shouldn't stock new lakes because other lakes are dying. |
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| +1 with Bob.
I just wish they would peanut butter spread all the available muskies for all lakes. If you look at the number of Muskies stocked per littoral acre across the state, your jaw will drop to see where all the available muskies are truly going.
Edited by TimmyP19 10/27/2016 8:26 AM
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Posts: 444
Location: Duluth, MN | The problem is not how many they are stocking but what they are stocking. The survival rate of fingerlings is so low it doesn't make a dent. They need to start stocking yearlings. The argument is that costs too much money. But if you look at this report from 2010 that the WI DNR has posted it is far cheaper in the long run if you measure cost per surviving fish. I saw several posts in the spring how clubs in WI were allowed to purchase and stock yearlings. But when asked if that could be done in MN at least in Duluth were told no. They wanted to see if increasing the stocking by 30% would help Island Lake. I'm guessing all your doing is feeding more pike and walleyes. If you look at the chart on pages 6 and 7 you can see the cost per survivor is much lower compared to stocking fry and fingerlings.
I realize it's difficult for the DNR to produce yearlings but have they ever investigated the possibility of purchasing them with the money that is used to harvest and raise them? It would seem on avg if you stock 3000 fingerlings you would get 120 survivors but if you stocked 600 yearlings you would get 120 survivors but the end cost would be much lower.
But i do not know if there is even the availability to produce that many yearlings.
http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/fishing/documents/musky/MuskyStockingstrate...
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Posts: 833
| The quantity of fish being stocked is going down across the state on a lake by lake basis. (There are some exceptions). Mille Lacs is the most glaring example. I agree on Yearlings vs. Fingerlings, but perhaps a bigger issue is that that some of the DNR area mangers appear to be looking to 300 acre Elk Lake as a model.
Elk Lake has a population of larger females that the DNR believes self regulates the musky population. One might argue that at 300 acres it is very easy for the lake to reach it's carrying capacity as opposed to a much larger body like Mille Lacs or Vermilion. Regardless, the DNR now has a group of area managers who are of the view that more stocking isn't the answer on existing lakes. Meanwhile we see catch rates continue to crash, IMO, Mile Lacs is not unlike the canary in the mine. As stated above it isn't getting the replenishment it needs and as such the population is increasingly becoming more low density. How bad will it get before the Fisheries Mangers decided that their approach is wrong? How many years will it take AFTER that inflection point for the population to rebound considering it takes 10+ years to grow a 50?
Edited by Brad P 10/27/2016 9:22 AM
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Posts: 114
| I think we can all agree that Mille lacs is a complete disaster right now. I swear sometimes the DNR seems like they have no clue what they are doing...... |
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Location: Medford, WI | I'd be careful with statements like the one above.
There's a lot of people in WI that would die to have the Musky Program that MN has.
Debating what's currently being done is a good thing, but I wouldn't state they have no clue what they're doing. I'm no expert by any means, but the majority of my fishing is done in MN now, due to the fisheries that clubs and the DNR have helped to create.
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Posts: 80
| MOJOcandy101 - 10/26/2016 2:14 PM
Per the MN DNR Muskie plan they want to stock their lakes with 0.13-0.35 fish per acre. They would need to stock Mille Lacs with over 20,000 fingerlings every other year. They only stocked 23,000 total this year. I don't think the DNR has the public support, money, or access to double the amount they stock just for one lake. Larger lakes need to reproduce on their own and can't rely on stocking. You don't see the DNR going and dropping 9,000 in vermillion or 25000 in leech.
Also there are still plenty of fish, and big fish, caught on mille lacs.
Mille Lacs is the perfect body of water to relieve pressure from others while offering a fantastic opportunity for anglers to catch the fish of a lifetime. There are only a few lakes in the state that offer such a thing. And maybe 3 or 4 that hold a true state record. This lake produces multiple state records per year and you say it shouldn't rely on stocking?
I think your idea of "plenty of fish" and mine are very different. I see you're from Fargo. Have you fished Mille lacs in the last 5 years?
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Location: Smith Creek | The only thing the MN DNR did that was wrong was creating a bunch of muskie anglers that think catching a muskie should be as easy as catching a bass. |
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Location: Alex or Alek? | Angler II - 10/27/2016 11:14 AM
MOJOcandy101 - 10/26/2016 2:14 PM
Per the MN DNR Muskie plan they want to stock their lakes with 0.13-0.35 fish per acre. They would need to stock Mille Lacs with over 20,000 fingerlings every other year. They only stocked 23,000 total this year. I don't think the DNR has the public support, money, or access to double the amount they stock just for one lake. Larger lakes need to reproduce on their own and can't rely on stocking. You don't see the DNR going and dropping 9,000 in vermillion or 25000 in leech.
Also there are still plenty of fish, and big fish, caught on mille lacs.
Mille Lacs is the perfect body of water to relieve pressure from others while offering a fantastic opportunity for anglers to catch the fish of a lifetime. There are only a few lakes in the state that offer such a thing. And maybe 3 or 4 that hold a true state record. This lake produces multiple state records per year and you say it shouldn't rely on stocking?
I think your idea of "plenty of fish" and mine are very different. I see you're from Fargo. Have you fished Mille lacs in the last 5 years?
No this lake should not and can not only rely on stocking. It is not feasible to drop 20k plus fingerlings in this lake every other year unless you don't stock any other lake in the state.
And to answer your question no, I have not fished mille lacs in the past 5 years. I do however have friends from down there that fish it and still catch fish.
I guess you guys are right. Lets just make one lake a great fishery and forget about all the other lakes in MN.
Edited by MOJOcandy101 10/27/2016 12:36 PM
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Location: Alex or Alek? | Flambeauski - 10/27/2016 11:32 AM
The only thing the MN DNR did that was wrong was creating a bunch of muskie anglers that think catching a muskie should be as easy as catching a bass.
but its so east bass guys can catch them!!!
https://www.facebook.com/IMnFishing/photos/a.148395338632156.32521.1... |
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Posts: 2026
| From a more political perspective, maybe it's best for the DNR to stabilize the walleye population in Mille Lacs before worrying about muskies??? Just a thought to consider. |
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Posts: 3163
| supply and "permission"is the problem with stocking,, the muskies Inc chapters in this state would love to augment the population if we were allowed to. Have the money to do that. But DNR only lets us add to very few. |
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Location: MN | happy hooker - 10/27/2016 4:46 PM
supply and "permission"is the problem with stocking,, the muskies Inc chapters in this state would love to augment the population if we were allowed to. Have the money to do that. But DNR only lets us add to very few.
Agreed seems Wisconsin allows a more relaxed approach to private groups adding to the population but I could be wrong |
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Posts: 617
Location: Clintonville, WI | Ok.....I'm going to hijack the post for one message but answers via PM can get it back on track. Will anyone give me the "Readers' Digest version" of the Mille Lacs situation?
Admittedly I have never fished it and have only watched/seen info and photos over the years. I have noticed less chatter about it in this forum but my conclusion was that fishing just slowed down (kind of like Vermilion now versus 5-10 years ago). **In my contrarian mind, the less I hear about a place, the more I think I should fish it.
All that said, when I saw words like "mess" and "disaster" regarding Mille Lacs in this thread, I was in WTF mode. Objective perspectives to get me up to speed are welcome via PM. |
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Posts: 393
| 3000 is pretty standard for Mille Lacs... In 92 it got 5000, that was the largest. 3451 in 95 and 3500 in 97. Otherwise 3000 is the norm, often times less due to availability. To me, Mille Lacs has never really been a numbers lake. It's always been about that chance at a fish of a lifetime. Let's be happy about the expanded opportunities we do have and the fact that stocking of muskies hasn't stopped on any MN lakes regardless of misguided individuals causing a stink. Any MN residents, make sure to get out and vote, support the lawmakers who supported us. If you still want to go out and catch a dozen muskies a day, I hear Shoepack is basically a Muskie "hammer-handle" factory. Not saying that to be a smart A either. I'm trying to plan a trip up there next June armed only with a fly rod, can't wait!
Edited by FlyPiker 10/28/2016 7:40 PM
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Posts: 148
Location: Northwest Wi. | Anyone know the current water temp? Thank you very much... |
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Mille lacs