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Posts: 148
Location: Northwest Wi. | Ive been fishing Mille Lacs since 1998 and I normally fish the S/E corner. This Sunday the lake was glass and I decided to go up to the northeast corner to hit a few spots, As I got closer I saw flotilla moving along the brakeline. At first I thought there was some kind of a Boat Parade but then I saw the plainer boards,,The boats were spread out about 400yards apart and were everything from the 14ft. northwoods to the 20ft. pontoons, Each one running plainers and propwash cranks. I saw two large fish draging along the side of two pontoons on stingers.. Between this and the unattended lines with Bobbers and suckers that you see on a lot of docks in the bays It coud be the beginning of the end for Mille Lacs!! Ive seen the same thing happen on Yellow Lake in Burnett Co. Wi.--It used to be a good lake but now.....not so much. |
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Posts: 3165
| have a helicopter take a pic of the northend from a couple thousand feet up,,then ask a photo historian which is this picture???
Mille lacs northend durring summer
or
The Allied invasion force at Omaha beach on June 7th 1944 |
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| that drives me nuts. just angers me to no end. |
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| Why go to Mille Lacs then if you don't like what you see? It's only one of the most popular fisheries in the US. If you don't like what you see, how many umpteen other lakes are in that area? |
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| So are you saying that Mille Lacs muskie fishing should only be reserved for folks that don't troll and own a sparkly Ranger? Isn't it a public resource for everyone to enjoy? |
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Posts: 719
| Some trolling going on here too.............. |
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| and some want to allow motor trolling in the northwoods of wisconsin ... |
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Posts: 7119
Location: Northwest Chicago Burbs | What positive is going to come out of this? |
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| they arent "trolling." they are snagging. seen it first hand. they are also killing big fish. so yes that is a bother to me. |
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| Mille Lacs is a public resource that everyone should enjoy, as long as your fishing methods are ETHICAL! Dragging crankbaits in 2' of sand and snagging dormant, lethargic muskies in the back is not an ethical means of fishing..
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Posts: 148
Location: Northwest Wi. | Its a sprarkly Tuffy...Just seems like a shame to see dead fish..But its legal.. |
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Location: Illinois | I'll be up on the Big Pond for the very first time at the end of summer. I'm not crazy about "getting in line" on the North End like many have described to me. But I'll have to at least check it out so I can see it firsthand. It's kind of like the Wrigley Field of Musky Fishing. Lots of idiots all around, many of whom have no idea of what the game is all about. (Not saying all Cubs fans are idiots, far from it, but you get what I'm saying, right?) That said, I'm more likely to find somewhere that's less crowded and hope for the best. The spots I'm looking for are like the Minnesota Twins- they don't look like much, but they somehow produce year in and year out! "A good friend of mine used to say, 'This is a very simple game. You throw the ball, you catch the ball, you hit the ball. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, sometimes it rains.' Think about that for a while." Bull Durham
Edited by muskellunged 7/28/2008 11:43 AM
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| Mille Lacs is a public resource that everyone should enjoy, as long as your fishing methods are ETHICAL! Dragging crankbaits in 2' of sand and snagging dormant, lethargic muskies in the back is not an ethical means of fishing...
exactly.
this isn't a "trolling" issue, and has no relevance to trolling in other places, imho. we spent some time trolling Vermilion this week out deep over the suspended cisco pods...essentially zero likelihood of snagging fish.
this is an issue of ethical fishing techniques.
for example: imho, using livebait is ethical, using swallow rigs is not.
in the same way, trolling is ethical, but running baits over extreme shallow structure in an attempt to "oops" snag fish is not.
likewise, it sounds like many of the charters doing this are generally catch/keep type outfits. even if caught in a sporting manner, keeping big fish hurts the most desireable part of the resource.
so...what's to be done?
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Posts: 8866
| Step 1. Talk about muskie fishing to anyone who will listen
Step 2. Talk about where you fish
Step 3. Show people pictures of the fish you caught there
Step 4. Talk about muskie fishing some more
Step 5. Repeat steps 1-4 on all the internet muskie fishing websites
Step 6. Complain when every Tom Dick and Harry is out muskie fishing in your favorite spots
Now, in regards to the specific methods of fishing named above? Certainly not ethical as far as I'm concerned. But then if they are keeping the fish they catch anyway, I don't suppose it matters much in the end.
I would think that what they are doing would qualify as snagging. Has anyone checked with the DNR on this? That would be the first thing I would do -- put in a call and tell them what you saw.
Edited by esoxaddict 7/28/2008 11:58 AM
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Posts: 32958
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | If a fish is foul hooked and kept, and anyone sees that happen, a call to the Tip Line is in order.
Mille Lacs, Vermilion, and quite a few other waters up there need additional protection in the form of a 50" or larger size limit. I know several dedicated activists have been working hard to accomplish something along those lines, and that would help some. Either way, IMHO Mille Lacs is at it's peak, and may never be as good in the future as it is right now. |
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| We can all post our little thoughts on this website and think we are all going to come up with these great solutions, i.e.
"Hey, how about we talk to... AKA postman, he'll understand if we educate him and I am sure he'll stop."
"Maybe we should put flyers at the landing to help educate people."
It is what it is on Mille Lacs and there is nothing you can do to stop it... It is going to continue, and probably the best thing we could do is not continue to promote it on websites. I am sure there is some idiot reading this post right now and already thinking;
"Man, I'd do anything to get my picture on MF with a 50", and I can just go drag lures in shallow water I could get lucky and snag on myself, than my dreams will come true."
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| Tip line is a great idea... I had my daughter crappie fishing this year in a channel on the south end. The channel was loaded with big females spawning, and I knew that someone would not be able to resist. I seen some idiot pull out his big daredevil and start casting at all the big females spawning... I politely asked him to stop, in which he told me to F-off. For the first time, I used the DNR tipline and reported this guy. My daughter and I continued to crappie fish for another hour as this guy kept casting for the big girls, the DNR never showed up. The guy left after an hour and we stayed for two more hours, no sign of the DNR.. Hate to say it, but won't waste my cell phone minutes again! |
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| Sorry, to clarify my above post, the females where big female muskies that were in the channel with the crappies... |
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| "Either way, IMHO Mille Lacs is at it's peak, and may never be as good in the future as it is right now"
I FULLY agree with you Mr. Worral, but lets explain a little further as to why it won't be as good in the future.
No one, including the DNR biologist of Mille Lacs, have any idea how big the fish will continue to get on that lake. Each year they get bigger and bigger.. Each year these big fish are caught and killed, I know of MANY from last year and several from this year! It is ironic to me how many fish where "hooked deep and died" last year and it just so happen to be these individuals biggest fish ever..
We watch a fish get caught 100 yards off my dock last weekend, the fish went in the bottom of the boat and off went the guy motoring across the lake... It was a great step to move the minimum up to 48", but it really is going to do nothing for this lake! |
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Posts: 89
| "The guy left after an hour and we stayed for two more hours, no sign of the DNR.. Hate to say it, but won't waste my cell phone minutes again!"
Wow! That says enough about you! One call didn't work, ok I give up.
LOL
Take a picture of the guy and post him up here. |
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Posts: 32958
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | I'd bet almost anything the 'pontooners' and 'snaggers' are not regulars on MuskieFIRST.
Website message boards are a very popular form of communication no one can stifle and all are welcome to use. Best to use the contacts one can make to push for positive results, I would think.
http://muskie.outdoorsfirst.com/board/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=43... |
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| Mirro,
OK, I'll post his picture up here the next time, that'll get action taken, how much thought was put behind your solution?? I really hope you did not think about that one too hard... |
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Posts: 89
| josh - The way I read it.... - when you see a poacher, you will only call once because your cell phone bill is too high.
"For the first time, I used the DNR tipline and reported this guy."
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Posts: 16632
Location: The desert | Snap a picture of the numbers on the boat. If you can get a shot of them hauling a stringer, even better. Keep calling the tip line, it works if you use it. Game Wardens can only do so much, its not like there is a surplus of them sitting around waiting to take your call and respond instantly. |
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Posts: 89
| Pointer's got the idea. |
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Posts: 148
Location: Northwest Wi. | I am not a Guide. |
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Posts: 654
Location: MPLS, MN | Don't think the DNR can do anything about a guy casting a daredevil. Too subjective, maybe if you seen him actually snag a fish. Stupid reason to not call in poachers... |
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Posts: 375
Location: Browerville, Minnesota | The DNR can do something about him pitching a daredevil. Since Josh was up in the shallow channels fishing crappies, I am guessing that the Muskie season was closed. Perhaps the Pike season was also closed, but even if it wasn't, as long as they witness him targeting an out of season fish, they can bust him on the spot. The intent of that angler was to catch a muskie that is out of season, therefore he is breaking the law. Myself, I would have taken my daughter to shore, and probably come back and parked my boat right next to the guy, and begin to call the TIP line, reciting his boat numbers loud enough so that he can hear me turning him in, especially after his vulgar language towards you with you daughter in the boat. No call for that! |
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Posts: 20281
Location: oswego, il | I agree, call the tip line anyway, take their picture. I have called in unattended lines, I do something else when I see them now but I won't post that here. I is very hard to get the DNR to respond as they are very shorthanded. It's a shame since the tickets they could easily write could more than pay their salaries. All you can do is spread the word and keep up the good fight. Nothing changes overnight. |
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Posts: 159
Location: NYC (and many weeks in MN during summer) | I too have my opinions on styles of fishing, as I'm no fan of trolling or live bait fishing. But that shouldn't be the focus of the thread.
The issue is that however someone "catches" a Muskie, ethical or not, snagged or not is just a symptom of the problem. As long as it's legal to keep muskies, like it or not, when they pay for their license, it becomes their RIGHT to do so.
What I don't understand is that Mille lacs has some very strict slot limits for walleye, why won't the dnr impose strict Muskie regulations. It's obvious to anyone who has been on that lake to recognize the inordinate amount of fishing pressure. It would seem wise to impose either total catch and release or a 50"
or 52" or even higher, minimum.
Seems like those interested in preserving the quality of that fishery should be pursuing strict size limits. Who knows, convince the Indians that pulling muskies out of that lake will hurt the walleye population (by way of added pressure and congestion) and the regs will change OVERNIGHT.
Randy |
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| I'm from Ohio and have fished mille lacs caught some nice fish there all casting. I have tried the trolling thing with no luck and I don't think it is unethical. One of my best spring time patterns in ohio is trolling leaders out only no additional line in 3 to 6 foot of water going 4 to 5. I put alot of time on the water and have probally caught over 100 fish doing this and never snagged one. As I said I had no luck at mille Lacs doing this with boards but then again I go to MN and CA to cast bucktails and topwaters at big ski's so I've only tried it for acouple of hours. Trolling isn't unethical snagging fish is. When I was at the big V I saw casters trying to snag big females off the reef on a flat calm sunny day. It was ok cause they are casting. I believe in doing what it takes to put fish in the boat casting or trolling. The issue should be SNAGGING there is a difference. Hopefully WI comes around and gets out of the dark age and allows trolling soon.
Jason Bond |
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Posts: 100
Location: Bemidji/Cass Lake | There are morons everywhere, it is unavoidable. People are the problem, not trolling. Trolling is a great way to put fish in the boat sometimes. You shouldn't talk ill about it, there are people that are only able to troll due to injury or age too, besides the enthusists. I'd rather cast because its more fun, but a trolled muskie is still a muskie. Ever fish in Oct and Nov?? In northern MN trolling becomes a favorable option for the body.
I'm sure more fish are snagged by casting anyway. Some people will never learn, or listen, or do anything in a good manner. It would be nice if morals could govern what laws can't, but that's just not how it works for everyone. You can only help those that will lesson. |
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Location: Minneapolis, MN | Have you actually seen any fish "snagged" with hooks burried somewhere other than their mouth? At those high speeds I think it would be unlikely many of the fish snagged would stay on all the way to the boat. That would result in many wounded fish if it were really that easy to snag fish. How many wounded fish have you encountered? Lots of people presume they were snagged because they can't get the same fish to eat casting. Trolling is an effective method to catch fish that are boat shy or not willing to commit to other presentations, even in very shallow water.
Edited by Luke_Chinewalker 7/29/2008 7:15 AM
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| I'm confused here.
So what you are saying is there are fish being kept in MINNESOTA. That can't be. Nobody in MN ever keeps anything. It is the holy grail of musky fishing. They don't single hook sucker rig, they dont spear, they dont have catch and keep guides, they have better size limits, a better DNR, heck they even have a better strain of musky, (which is why they are keeping these fish. It is common knowledge that Leechers taste WAY better than WI mutts) they do NOTHING wrong. Only idiots from Wisconsin keep fish.
You should probably talk to whoever was with you that night because you sir are WRONG. It just can't be. A kept fish in Minnesota. Has anyone contacted Barack Obama or John McCain. Maybe a better option would be Pamela Anderson, she has connections at PETA.... on secone thought I can just contact her, so I'll let you know what she says.
I have to work today and I am thinking of calling in sick cause I feel like someone just hit me in the chest with a hammer. I can't believe a fish died in MN.
Oh the horror of it all!
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| I would hope that you would give the guy(Postman) a call and ask him to take you out and see first hand how he does it before you go on a website and start bashing him. Do not tell us that you have seen it first hand, because you have not(unless you are in his boat). He has been fishing that lake way before you even thought about fishing it for skies. He also does a great deal of charity in the community that he lives in.
I am just tired of people who think they are so much better than everyone else. Maybe that is the reason why some people do not visit these sites. |
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Mille Lacs-North,"Even your Grandma can deplete a resource"