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Location: On the X that marks the mucky spot | The Cass Lake spearing amendment was added last night and passed on the Fish and Game Bill. It's next step is to go to the Pawlenty for his signing. If you're against it please contact Tim Pawlenty and ask him for a veto.
'[email protected]'
Rumor has it the DNR doesn't like this bill either and will be asking for a veto as well so the more opposition we can get against it the stronger we make their case.
Thanks,
Shawn |
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| E-mail sent. |
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Location: Minnesota: where it's tough to be a sportsfan! | Thank you Shawn for keeping this up front for all of us. For all our out- of - state brothers: please don't feel this is a Minnesota issue only. The decline of a pure strain Muskie fishery in any state will affect the future of the entire Muskie Range and the quality we all work so hard to obtain and protect. Please take the time to let your voice be heard too!
Shawn as soon as you hear the outcome please post here. thanks again, Jake |
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Posts: 75
| I called the office of Gov. Pawlenty to request he veto the bill allowing spearing on Cass lake.
The person I spoke with was not aware of the Pawlenty position on that topic. I gave examples of how our lake has had the larger pike removed, the spearing of fish other than pike and I did not beleive the DNR was in favor of removing the ban.
It took less the 5 minutes to make the call. A few more calls would not hurt. |
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Posts: 75
| If you need the contact information:
To contact Governor Tim Pawlenty and Lt. Governor Carol Molnau
Telephone: (651) 296-3391
Toll Free: (800) 657-3717
Facsimile: (651) 296-2089
E-mail: [email protected]
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| I saw that there were increased penalties for spearing muskies in the bill. What exactly does that mean? |
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Location: Lake Country, Wisconsin | email sent from the Land of Lincoln, don't fish there but hoping for the best for you guys |
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Posts: 223
Location: minneapolis | E-mail Done !
This Governor has never hesitated before to exercise his line item veto authority- let's hope he does it again with this spearing provision ! |
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Location: Maple Grove, MN | I made the call. It only takes a minute. |
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Location: Blaine, MN | e-mail sent, and call completed. |
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Location: Minnesota: where it's tough to be a sportsfan! | The Govenors office set up a young man to answer the calls, record the count on those opposed to this bill being signed into law and make the report to the Govenor. It sounded like they are getting allot of calls!! Let them hear from us, there is never too many at the critical hour. Toll Free: (800) 657-3717
Thanks all you out of Staters for your help too! |
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Posts: 275
| I called. It is important that the Governor hears from us.
Tom |
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| Has anyone heard if he vetoed this or not? I mad my call this morning and an email last night! |
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Location: WI | Will call today. Lots of things in that bill I disagree with. Grouse "hunting" within 10 feet of a vehicle? Rediculous. |
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| There are other changes they want also. Allowing two lines on open water but you pay another $10 for that endorsement. Your limits are cut in half once you pay for the entire season. I don't like that. Star Tribune has an article about the omnibus bill and DNR Commissioner Mark Holstens not really happy about and might recommend a veto. That was posted on the 18th around 10pm.
http://www.startribune.com/sports/outdoors/94207814.html?elr=KArksL... |
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Location: Alexandria, Minnesota | E-Mail sent, Thanks for all of your hard work Shawn and Kevin Cochran
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Location: Green Bay, WI | Just saw this thread. E-mail sent. I will post the contents of my email below, simply to clarify the issue (as I see it) for those who might want to submit an email to Governor Pawlenty, but are unsure of what to ask for.
THANKS to all involved over there, for the efforts at the local level. And thanks to everyone who spoke out across the entire range of the fishery, for supporting this tremendously important issue.
TB
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Dear Governor Pawlenty,
As a concerned Muskellunge angler and a member of the Muskies Inc. organization, I feel compelled to send this email in regards to the Cass Lake spearing ban. I urge you to veto the bill that would lift the spearing ban on this body of water.
While I am not a citizen of your great state, I do live in Wisconsin--a state with its own heritage of the spearing of fish. Thus I can appreciate the debate between those who favor spearing, and those who do not. I simply cannot understand why it is so vital that spearing be allowed on this particular lake--when there are apparently many other lakes (with lesser Muskellunge populations) where spearing is already allowed. And given that the Cass Lake Muskellunge fishery is very valuable to your state as a whole, I question why it would be necessary to risk the confusion that is sure to exist in the positive identification of the targeted species (Northern Pike), and the protected species (Muskellunge)? From above, these two species look nearly identical, and therefore it should be quite obvious that a person throwing a spear might mistakenly injure or kill a musky while intending to take a pike. Thus it seems incredulous that the State of Minnesota would even consider allowing this potential for such unintended harvest to exist; doesn't this undermine the efforts of the fisheries professionals trying to enhance this important fishery? And then to allow the mistake to go unmitigated by providing a "penalty-free" time in which the offending angler can report the mistake and surrender the Muskellunge? This simply absolves the angler throwing the spear of the responsibility to make proper identification of their target *before* the spear is thrown! The end result is still the same however...one more dead musky.
In this uncertain economy, I cannot understand why any government body would knowingly allow a valuable resource such as the Cass Lake musky population to be compromised in such a way. Simply put, the Muskellunge fishery in Minnesota is worth millions in anglers' dollars spent on a yearly basis in pursuit of this great fish. But I have to wonder, how many anglers would make a conscious decision to avoid Cass Lake in the future, once spearing is allowed on that body of water? I would argue that the public perception of a dwindling Muskellunge fishery in Cass Lake (as a result of the loss of fish brought on through spearing activities) will only hurt the local economy, in addition to potentially decimating the local population. Muskellunge populations can be measured in 0.5 - 1 adult fish per acre (or less), and although the lake is almost 16,000 acres in size, it will likely not be long before the population of Muskellunge in the lake has been dramatically affected. Muskies and Northern Pike simply look too similar for there to not be mistakes made. So in my opinion this is not a matter of 'if' there will be a problem, but rather a matter of 'when.' Thus I urge you to reconsider the value of the Muskellunge fishery in Cass Lake before allowing the spearing ban to be lifted. Simply put, it should not be lifted--and the muskies in that lake should be protected as intended by the fine professionals in your Department of Natural Resources. Therefore I formally request that you please veto the bill to lift this ban on spearing.
In conclusion, thank you very much for your time and attention in this matter. The concerned musky anglers of your state--and indeed, the concerned musky anglers across the entire North American continent--are relying on you to make the right decision on this vital issue. Please say NO to lifting the ban on spearing on Cass Lake.
Respectfully submitted,
Thomas C. Betka, MD, BS (Aquatic Biology)
former Vice President of Research for Muskies Inc.
current Research Director, Titletown Muskies Inc.
Green Bay, WI
Edited by tcbetka 5/19/2010 4:42 AM
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Location: Shoepack | I contacted my State Rep, Jim Davine - DFL 62A. He replied back twice indicating he doesn't support the bill. |
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Location: Shoepack | I thought the Star Tribune article was interested as it seemed to me to be somewhat biased toward the groups urging vetos. Because I agree with that stand, it was fine. I did expect a bit more explanation for the pro-bill advocates.
I called the governor's office urging a veto. The entire process took about 15 seconds.
Edited by Qrocks 5/19/2010 8:55 AM
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Location: On the X that marks the mucky spot | Keep up the calls and emails. I think if we keep the pressure on we'll get that veto.
If we can help get this veto'd I think that some legislatures will start to see what a large and vocal group we can be. Once it's noticed what we can do I think more legislators will be more wary of sponsoring/supporting legislation against our fishery in the future.
A HUGE thank you to everyone who was called, emailed and testified on this and other topics!!!!!!!!!! Underhill, Cochran and I are only as influential as the support we receive from you all. |
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Location: Green Bay, WI | Response received from my email:
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Thank you for contacting Governor Pawlenty’s office with your thoughts. Because the Governor’s e-mail gets several hundred e-mail a day this reply is set up to notify you that your important message has been received.
Messages are routed to the appropriate person for assistance or compiled by issue area for the Governor’s review. Please know that your comments are important to our office and will be thoroughly considered.
If you need immediate attention, please call the Governor's office at (651) 296-3391 or 1-800-657-3717.
Thank you for taking the time to contact our office. Active and thoughtful citizens like you make Minnesota a great state in which to live.
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At least they sent a reply. Hopefully they will be seeing a lot of these types of emails!
TB |
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| I believe today will be the last day that you will be able to call. Please do so. If this goes through all the spearing bans will potentially be lifted next year. |
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| Called and emailed. Worth a try. |
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Location: Racine, Wi | Email sent. |
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| Light up the phones!!!!!!!!! 651-296-3391. State you are OPPOSED to the bill put before the Gov. |
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Location: Minnesota: where it's tough to be a sportsfan! | Have we heard anything on this VETO? |
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Location: Minnesota: where it's tough to be a sportsfan! | I just spoke with the Govenor's office they are still taking input. She said they are still getting a number of calls on the Fish & Game Bill. Takes under two mins to make this call, all they want is your first name and what city you are from. Then say VETO the Fish & Game bill...that's it.
Telephone: (651) 296-3391
Toll Free: (800) 657-3717
Facsimile: (651) 296-2089
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Location: Green Bay, WI | I would echo that recommendation, with one caveat--take a few more seconds to give your rationale for the request. Something to the effect of:
"Please veto the bill to allow spearing on Cass Lake, because too many muskies will be mistakenly injured or killed."
...something to that effect. Use whatever reason you feel strongly about.
In my opinion, this is better because it outlines the rationale behind the call, and (because it is a very valid concern) supports the argument to disallow spearing on that lake. Otherwise I think the concern is that we have simply gotten a bunch of people together to 'stuff the ballot box,' and this can be more easily discredited. So cite a reason for your request. It only takes 3-5 more seconds...
TB |
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Location: Musky Tackle Online, MN | At the end of April the DNR released their projections on what would happen to the northern pike fishery on Cass if spearing was opened up as well. You can see that info here.
http://michapter54.com/pubfolder/Cass/NOP%20Cass%20Lake%20Model.pdf
Their projections show that opening up spearing (a segment of the population that constitutes 1% of the angling public) would increase northern pike harvest by 52% on the lake. But the far more concerning figure is that they would decrease the number of 30"+ pike in the lake by 40%.
These DNR projections and the concern over what it would do to the northern pike fishery and in turn, all species in the lake, is another thing worth mentioning.
Aaron |
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| Made my call from CR and let them know as a vacationer in that part of MN i wouldn't want to see the muskie and pike populations in Cass harmed by spearing |
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Location: Minnesota: where it's tough to be a sportsfan! | After speaking with one of the gals taking calls I don't think they are writting down any resoning or comments. I think they are just trying to get the basics and answer the next call. I understand there has been a rally cry for those that want to see spearing opened up on Cass Lake and that 1% of the licensed anglers in this state, are also calling only to support the of lifting the ban. If you haven't made your call please do so. |
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Location: Green Bay, WI | Any updates on this? I searching online for some sort of news report on the status, but didn't find anything. Has the Governor made a decision yet?
TB |
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| Nothing yet.
but this is funny
http://www.startribune.com/galleries/92541189.html?elr=KArks8Lcac_Q...
Edited by Muskiefool 5/22/2010 8:22 AM
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| so has anyone heard a word about this bill. i know it has alot of bad ju-ju associated with it. it wouldn't make sense for this to be passed with all the press it is receiving. |
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Location: On the X that marks the mucky spot | I think the Republicans are milking this for all it's worth. Why cut a scandal like this short? |
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Location: Green Bay, WI | I'm not sure I'd go so far to call it a "scandal," but I certainly agree that it is an odd request (to open Cass Lake for spearing), given the thousands of other lakes that Minnesotans can apparently already go to, if they want to spear pike. I guess I really do not see this as an efficient (or wise) use of their resources--especially when the DNR is against it, judging by everything I've read.
It's really too bad that these things don't have to have DNR approval before going on a bill. It's no different than our C&R Spring musky season debacle here in Wisconsin: Some politician, not knowing any better (we'll give them the benefit of the doubt for a minute) and wanting to please their constituents, adds something to a bill. Unfortunately they really don't do the due diligence that they should, and then it's up to the concerned public to be burdened with proving that this unfortunate change shouldn't in fact be allowed. So then the concerned folks (musky anglers, in this case) look like elitists...when in fact the problem was the series of moronic decisions made that led up to that point in the first place.
It really doesn't give you great faith that "big brother" even finished high school, now does it?
TB |
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Location: On the X that marks the mucky spot | Tom, the Game and Fish Bill has turned into a scandal. 4 articles in 2 papers in 4 days (one being on the front page) usually = a scandal. There's a lot more to this G&F Bill that's got people really ticked off. It's just the spotlight we put on it got others looking at it as well (a 1.5 million dollar walkin program that was to be paid for by the new 2-line fee as an example). |
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| Im FOR the walk in program,,,,the only way Im ever gonna own land is when they put me in my grave plot
pheasant hunting beats muskies
Ernest Hemingway said,,,Pheasant hunting is worth??? has much has you HAVE to pay for it!!!!! |
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| Is this the same bill that has allows 2 lines for trolling? I have seen that the walleye folks are starting to call in to support it on a few forums, not sure if it is the same bill though....BR |
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Location: Grand Rapids MN | The bill will allow people to purchase a $10 stamp to add the extra line. But if you purchase this stamp for 2 lines you can only have 1/2 the possession limits. Even if you are only using one line you still only get half just by owning the stamp. There's a lot of fine print to this bill that most are not aware of. |
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Location: On the X that marks the mucky spot | The 2 line bill would allow anyone to use 2 lines in if they purchase the $10 adder. Ben the problem is that the money generated from the 2 line would essentially go to fund the walk-in program. The DNR is very opposed to this bill so I doubt it'll get passed. |
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Location: Warroad, Mn | There are lots of different things involved with this bill. Some good, some bad, some actually stupid (10 feet from your ATV before you can shoot a grouse, wonder who's going to measure that). Here's a link to a Star Tribune article that gives more details. http://www.startribune.com/sports/outdoors/94639954.html?elr=KArksi8cyaiUgOahccyiUiacyKUUs Doug Johnson
Edited by dougj 5/23/2010 6:17 PM
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Location: Green Bay, WI | Never having fished in Minnesota, I was unaware that you cannot currently use 2-3 lines. We've always been able to use 3 lines in Wisconsin, which I personally do not care for. To each their own I suppose, but I prefer to only use two lines when trolling alone--or four lines for the entire boat. So if I have 3 people on-board...four lines in the water. I seem to do just fine with that number of lines, and it's easy enough to handle two lines by myself. So that's what I do. Thus I would have no issue with the two line provision in the Minnesota bill. The ice-fishing argument to use three lines may be more valid, especially when using tip-ups, so I'll concede that one. But I would be just fine if WI lowered the number of lines to two, for open-water angling. And I would love to see barbless hooks for muskellunge, but that argument is a sticky wicket right now, so we won't even get into it.
But I really haven't followed all of the provisions of the bill all that closely, to be honest. So maybe it is a bit of a scandal indeed, when considered in toto. But I still can't understand the logic behind this Cass Lake spearing portion, given all the other lakes that a Minnesota resident can go spear. I just cannot imagine the rationale behind this push to open that lake for spearing, especially when the DNR is against it.
I guess maybe that's why I didn't go into politics...
TB |
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Location: Grand Rapids MN | Tom, as for Cass Lake that question has been asked time and time again and really there is no rationale so don't beat yourself up over it. It really just comes down to be regulated from lake when spearers feel their method of "angling" is no different than line/hook. Harvest is harvest in a sense. Which I can see to a point but the nature of the spearing doesn't allow for release so its difficult to set and enforce slot sizes and other regulations to help maintain a quality level for that particular water. Whereas with line/hook if you catch a walleye, pike, muskie, etc in a slot limit there's a huge increase in percentage of releasing that fish. |
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Location: Green Bay, WI | Well, that's exactly it, isn't it? It's nothing more than a harvest mentality. And we have WAY TOO MUCH of a harvest mentality these days, as far as I am concerned. Our fisheries simply cannot sustain harvest of that magnitude.
Who hasn't caught more fish when they were a kid, than we do today? And who hasn't caught bigger panfish when they fished 20 years ago, than they do today?
While these are only two examples when there are likely many more than can be mentioned, I think it goes to show the basic problem we have in this society: Bonk, then bake. Repeat.
I certainly have no major issue with keeping a few fish to eat now and then, but these stories of groups of anglers taking 40+ panfish per day. WOW! How is a fishery going to sustain this sort of pressure? Surely we aren't going to hear the word "subsistence" used to justify this level of harvest? I'll might believe that if I saw a bunch of 12-14 foot aluminum boats out there, powered by old, beat-up, 15-20hp outboard engines. But I haven't seen many of those out there fishing lately, so I am not quite sure where the need is. So some call that kind of thing 'harvest,' but in many cases I'd simply call it greed. Just because you can take that many fish, doesn't mean you should. That's just me though--so take this for what it's worth.
But I agree that with spearing, there simply is no choice that ends well for the fish. But hey, they are only fish. So what if we kill too many of them...the DNR will simply drop in some more, and life will be good again. And if that doesn't work out so well, then we'll simply blame it on the Indians, because everyone knows they harvest way too many fish...right? It couldn't be the rest of us--we're just taking the left-overs before they are all gone...right?
While watching that politician lay out this Cass Lake spearing proposal for the committee, all I could do was shake my head--because it was quite obvious who was driving that bus.
TB
Edited by tcbetka 5/23/2010 9:55 PM
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Location: The desert | Most anglers will claim they caught more and bigger fish 10 years ago, no matter the state nor the species. Often times the data doesn't support this sentiment. After all, anglers never embellish anything do they? |
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Location: Minnesota: where it's tough to be a sportsfan! | Two points, one is this piece of legislation is not the end of it. It is simply the begining of the end of it. In other words this is an attempt to get a foothold on many of these issues. Once they have that, the rest will come in smaller dose's...rest assure all being a DOSE!
The political process in my mind would be greatly improved and enhanced if each issue had to stand on it's own merit. These riders are killing good legislation, or shirtailing their way in on good legislation. What's even sadder are the legislators that have created some of the riders! If we trust them blindly they will believe we are blind! |
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| spearers claim they DO practice catch and release,,,I run the show booth for The twin cities chapter of MI and we do the general sportshows and have speaers stop by,,,they claim that their version of catch and release is to simply choose NOT to drop the spear when a certain size fish swims in= their version of catch and release,,,not agreeing with it just passing on what their view is. |
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Location: Grand Rapids MN | They call it "Look-&-Release" and I hope more and more pass on that mindset. There has been huge changes in the direction of preservation by sportsmen in all outdoor activities over the years and maybe this will take hold in spearing as well. I have nothing against spearing at all; I just don't see the need to stick trophy fish. I would be looking for eaters.
Getting of the subject of the original post but I agree with Pointer in that people embelish a bit about the past and that things are better today. I don't recall ever catching so many 20"+ walleyes from smaller lakes 15-20 years ago. I know it drives some people nuts when they take a trip only to hit the bite and catch hundreds of fish with many big fish and are only able to keep a handful. I personally like catching lots of fish and still able to have some for the dinner table. Also this saves a lot of money in stocking programs by allowing natural reproduction to do the work.
Edited by Targa01 5/24/2010 12:23 PM
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| So if you buy the second line provision, would your muskie possesion limit be 1 or 0? If it was 0, would you be in violation for landing a fish? You would be in possesion of the fish at that point. Just something to ponder. |
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Location: The desert | Guest - 5/24/2010 12:35 PM
So if you buy the second line provision, would your muskie possesion limit be 1 or 0? If it was 0, would you be in violation for landing a fish? You would be in possesion of the fish at that point. Just something to ponder.
Simply landing a fish does not constitute possession. |
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Location: Green Bay, WI | Well I would argue (from personal experience, both seeing them caught and kept, and catching them myself) that in areas where the fish are easily accessible, the tendency is to over-harvest. But in the data you cite Mike, does it account for additional stocking done by Conservation Departments, in response to declining population estimates?
I'll admit that this is a complicated issue, to be sure; one not likely to be solved by a bunch of folks on an internet musky forum (I know...that's heresy). But just looking at the positive trends in the Muskellunge fishery alone should be more than enough evidence to support the value of C&R. The number of 50"+ fish has steadily increased on almost a yearly basis, according the MI Lunge Log. So I simply refuse to believe that incessant harvesting of fish stocks in many lakes where these fish are easily accessible, is sustainable.
As an aside, I took the Admiral out on the boat yesterday, into the large part of Green Bay. That place is freakin' HUGE! We motored for about 15-20 minutes at 25mph, all the while passing over or near prime musky habitat. And it got me thinking...the fish have a significant advantage out in the vast expanse of that place. Most anglers simply aren't going to put in the effort or the time to get at them. So while I still worry about over-harvest in the southern part of the bay (and the rivers) where these fish are relatively accessible at various times, the vastness of the rest of the bay is a great 'buffer' for the population.
It also made me realize that I need a MUCH bigger boat... 
TB
Edited by tcbetka 5/24/2010 12:49 PM
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Location: The desert | Certainly if you're speaking to just musky populations alone, yes they could be over harvested fairly easily. Perhaps I was mixing both this thread and the "sick of harvesters" thread and applying your statement to a broad multispecies viewpoint. But speaking to the sentiment that "15 years ago the fishing was so much better....." I tend to dismiss these fairly quickly. I can't count how many times I've heard something along those lines after a day when the fish simply were not biting, they are generally old timers too. |
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Location: Green Bay, WI | Well, but I can tell you that nearly EVERY angler I talk to who fishes the reservoir I grew up on, says the same thing--they used to catch a lot more fish, and the fish that they used to catch were significantly larger than those being caught today. You name the species...the story is the same. And there is no substantial muskellunge population in that water body, so we aren't talking about muskies. This isn't about people having "bad days" on the water--this is a trend that many individuals have noticed and comment about at the land owner's association meetings. So is it just this body of water, or is this an example of a more widespread issue? I honestly don't know, because I really don't fish many other water bodies in my home town. But I've noticed a significant tendency towards fewer and smaller fish in that water for the last several years, as have others. And while there certainly may be other causes (I haven't done a formal study), I'd argue that enough others have made the observation that there is probably something to it.
Therefore I stand behind my previous statements and will argue that bodies of water with easily accessible populations of sought-after fish species, will tend to be overfished. So while I certainly encourage more people to take their kids fishing and spend time together as a family unit (for example), I also encourage stewardship and sound use of the resource. And if this includes only taking a few fish home for a meal when you may have taken 2-3 times as many in years past, then so be it. Call me an elitist, I guess...
TB |
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Location: Iowa Great Lakes | Tom the spearing guys want Cass for 1 reason, big pike. Go on sites that have spearing forums, you don't see many pics of fish under 30" even though most claim look and release. Kellot can vouch for this since I know he fights a few spearing guys on another site |
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Location: Green Bay, WI | Well, I guess that's proof enough then isn't it? If they are looking to spear the lake because there are big pike there, and the lake hasn't been speared previously...
"If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and quacks like a duck..."
TB |
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Location: The desert | tcbetka - 5/24/2010 8:27 PM
Well, but I can tell you that nearly EVERY angler I talk to who fishes the reservoir I grew up on, says the same thing--they used to catch a lot more fish, and the fish that they used to catch were significantly larger than those being caught today. You name the species...the story is the same. And there is no substantial muskellunge population in that water body, so we aren't talking about muskies. This isn't about people having "bad days" on the water--this is a trend that many individuals have noticed and comment about at the land owner's association meetings. So is it just this body of water, or is this an example of a more widespread issue? I honestly don't know, because I really don't fish many other water bodies in my home town. But I've noticed a significant tendency towards fewer and smaller fish in that water for the last several years, as have others. And while there certainly may be other causes (I haven't done a formal study), I'd argue that enough others have made the observation that there is probably something to it.
Therefore I stand behind my previous statements and will argue that bodies of water with easily accessible populations of sought-after fish species, will tend to be overfished. So while I certainly encourage more people to take their kids fishing and spend time together as a family unit (for example), I also encourage stewardship and sound use of the resource. And if this includes only taking a few fish home for a meal when you may have taken 2-3 times as many in years past, then so be it. Call me an elitist, I guess...
TB
Could it be that there is a lopsided forage base and the "big fish that everyone used to catch" are simply eating real food and not fisherman's offerings or could it be something else? I've creeled 2 reservoirs and have heard from many, many, many people day in and day out that the fishing isn't what it used to be years ago. Yet when we do are sampling and crunch our numbers we feel that the populations are not only healthy but offer good size structures as well. Fisheries are continuously changing. Perch and crappie can be cyclical and this can be even more present in reservoirs as opposed to lakes.
Fisherman are known to embellish things, just watch the pictures this year and the comments that likely follow judging the sizes. Some fish WILL be embellished, whether on purpose or simply through a lack of experience/knowledge. Basing opinions about fisheries as a whole based solely on angler opinions isn't the greatest way to form an opinion, which I know you know. You also need to examine how your body of water is managed. Is it put/take or put-grow-take? There are so many other factors playing into fish populations that lumping everything on harvest is a bit heavy, IMO. |
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| They have a letter stating their support for the bill, then asking people to tell the Gov they want to spear Cass. I suppose as a sidebar to the $2,000,000.00 loss in revenue.
Social programs for kids, land owners and a Pike in every Pot.
Oh and economic and racial discrimination for those that cant afford a boat or are Mexican or Asian.
Great Bill, how do you support something like that.
Call if you haven't, this will be on-gong for a few more days. |
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Posts: 994
Location: Minnesota: where it's tough to be a sportsfan! | I can't think of too many that would argue a decline in the quality of fish in 96+% of the lakes in northern Minnesota. (that's a ton of lakes) There are exceptions of enhanced fisheries growing larger fish by particular species. But without exception most of the lakes have seen a decline in the quality of size in most species present over the last 30 years. Just Brainerd area north... this is almost the case for four species in every lake. I recall being invited into a "secret" lake in the 60's where we caught and released L.M & S.M bass with great regularity the whole time we were camped there. The fish ranged from 1lb. up to around 7 lbs. With the best 6 fish going over 30 lbs as weighed and recorded prior to release. Several large pike were also caught & released. There were so many fish & so little time! Giant sunfish, and big beautiful black crappies 14" or so. We did eat Crappies while we were there for two meals. Two fish apiece, all the rest were released. I was back in there a few years back. There's a road now and you don't have to carry everything in. We caught fish, mostly just L.M & some Sunnies. Numbers were fair to good. Size was absolutely smaller. We never saw a fish even over 4lbs. Wasn't a weather related deal as we timed the trip to the bite, and it was on. Pressure & harvest go hand in hand. |
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Location: On the X that marks the mucky spot | Veto'd!!!!!!
A huge thank you to everyone who called in!!!!!!! |
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Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Perfect! |
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Location: Green Bay, WI | Excellent news guys! I am relieved, and impressed to be honest, that the Governor listened to the concerns of the DNR (and many people), and reacted on the side of the resource. Excellent, indeed...
TB
EDIT: I cannot find confirmation of this online now. Where did the news of this apparent veto come from? How certain of this are we?
Edited by tcbetka 5/25/2010 6:34 PM
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Location: Musky Tackle Online, MN | Best news we've heard in a long time if this is a done deal! As Shawn said, thank you to everyone that spoke up and spread the word for others to do the same. With Pawlenty being good college friends with one of the lobbyists on the other side, it's great to see that he can ignore that and use some good (not sure if we can call it common) sense.
Aaron |
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Location: Musky Tackle Online, MN | http://minnesota.publicradio.org/collections/special/columns/polina...
Governor vetoes game and fish bill
Posted at 5:28 PM on May 25, 2010 by Tim Pugmire (0 Comments)
Filed under: MN Legislature
Gov. Pawlenty today vetoed a sweeping game and fish bill passed in the closing hours of the 2010 legislative session.
Pawlenty signaled last week that the bill could be in trouble when he said he had deep concerns over several provisions. One sore spot was the language allowing anglers to fish with two lines. Another was the provision Sen.Satveer Chaudhary, DFL-Fridley, got included to improve the walleye population on a northern Minnesota lake where he owns a cabin. Republican Senators have asked for an ethics panel inquiry of Chaudhary's actions .
In a veto message to legislative leaders, Pawlenty said the bill would have established a harmful precedent for managing natural resources.
The bill also included a new program to pay landowners to allow public hunting access, free fishing for kids under 16 and a earlier start for the duck hunting season.
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Location: Apple Valley | Yes!!!!!!!!! |
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Location: Green Bay, WI | Excellent, thanks for the confirmation Aaron! I got tied up on the phone, and had to stop looking myself. So I'm glad you posted the link...
GREAT JOB to everyone who took the time to email, call and/or write letters to the Governor on this. And let's hear it for Gov. Pawlenty, showing he has common sense and truly does want what's best for the natural resources in his state. Strong work by the Governor on this one!
TB |
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| Just spent the better part of an hour on the phone with Shawn and John. All of the calls and e-mails paid off. I want to thank Steve for allowing us to get people from MuskieFirst involved in the discussion on the topic. A HUGE THANK YOU to all that called in and voiced their opinions.
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Location: Green Bay, WI | I have to laugh--I called the same day I sent that email last week, and was going to try to give them some background as to why I was opposed. Well shoot, I was on the phone less than 10 seconds! They must have really been getting slammed with phone calls that day, LOL...
Did John indicate that he knew how much opposition had been voiced?
TB
Edited by tcbetka 5/25/2010 7:38 PM
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| on the original legistation, the no votes were in the teens in the House and Senate. So the Governor saved us, that's for sure. |
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Location: Green Bay, WI | What's the chance that the legislature will round up a two-thirds vote, and over-ride the veto? Doesn't seem likely as I count the DFL members in Minnesota, but I am not sure I understand their process entirely.
TB
EDIT: While the MN Senate has more than a 2/3 majority for the DFL party and could easily vote to override the Governor's veto (providing all members voted along party lines), it appears that their House is 3 votes short. There are 134 members of the MN House, and 2/3 * 134 = 90. But there are only 87 DFL Representatives, so they'll need to convince 3 Republicans to cross-over on this issue, and vote outside party lines. So the $64,000 question is, how likely is that to happen?
I am guessing that it isn't all that likely. According to that article, there are apparently some Republicans calling for an ethics panel inquiry of Senator Chaudhary's actions in regards to the walleye stocking of the lake where he owns property. So this matter may become a matter of pure politics--each side votes the party line, and the Governor's veto will stand (as I understand it).
The plot thickens...
Edited by tcbetka 5/25/2010 10:24 PM
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| TBetka -
An override of this bill won't happen.
The legislative session is over (the closing date is constitutionally mandated), so the only way they could re-open the issue is if the governor called a special session. With this being an election year, and are current governor very interested in New Hampshire and Iowa at the moment, the chances of a special session are roughly equal to the chances that I'll get run over by the space shuttle on my way to work tomorrow morning. Maybe not even that good.
What's more, Minnesota's legislature runs on a biennial calendar, and the session that just ended was the end of the biennium as well, so the legislative slate will be totally blank when the next session begins in January.
This bill was a mess even without the Cass Lake spearing ban issue. Even without that, as a Minnesota angler I think I would have been calling for a gubernatorial veto. The Minnesota DNR is sometimes a ponderous bureaucracy that moves painfully slowly, but the fact of the matter is they get it right far more often than they get it wrong, and this bill was shot through with provisions that overrode DNR recommendations based on sound science and professional knowledge on subjects that ranged from shore fishing to deer hunting.
Unfortunately, there were a number of very worthwhile provisions that also went out the window with this veto. There was a program established by this bill that would have mandated training about invasive species for people that professionally install docks and boat lifts. That provision happened to be written by Sen Mary Olson, the same Senator who wrote the original Cass Lake bill lifting the spearing ban. There's a good lesson there I think - nobody's worthy of being universally reviled. I wish that bill had gone through as a stand alone measure instead of being dragged down by the rest of the Omnibus bill.
All in all though, this bill was a good example of cases where throwing the baby out with the bath water is the most sensible thing to do.
Cheers,
Rob Kimm |
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| "the chances of a special session are roughly equal to the chances that I'll get run over by the space shuttle on my way to work tomorrow morning. Maybe not even that good. "
Honestly what are the chances of either of us making it to work RK LOL.
Many thanks to all who called and those who had to endure some disgusting antics in an attempt to cause economic and possibly physical harm.
We need to work even harder now and form a tighter band of solidarity across the country for Large Pike and Muskies.
We need to be more mindful and vigilante of the legislation and organizations that promote anti fishing and decimation of our resources.
Thanks to all of you who helped get Anglers, Muskie and Pike noticed.
John Underhill
Edited by Muskiefool 5/26/2010 12:05 AM
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Location: Alexandria, Minnesota | Awesome work guys....Thanks for all of the heads up info over the last few months. |
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Location: Green Bay, WI | Great posts Rob & John... Thanks for all the hard work on this issue over the last several weeks. As with any cause, a solid champion(s) often makes all the difference. There were several of you guys over in MN that made all the difference there, and I think everyone concerned about the future of our fisheries (Pike, Musky or otherwise) owes you guys a huge debt of gratitude. As the Green Bay musky issue has shown us so clearly, having overwhelming support for a matter only goes so far. You need someone to lead the effort, and coordinate all the support. Someone needs to "be the guy" that others can turn to for information, or be the voice of reason when things start to get a little out of hand (as they often do on sensitive issues such as these), and people start to lose focus. So THANK YOU again for your tireless work on these ultra-important issues!
But Rob...you might want to take cover today, because I think they are bringing Atlantis back in--and you may be a marked man now!
TB |
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Location: Minnesota: where it's tough to be a sportsfan! | Congrats all around, & special thanks to those out-of-state people that took the time to make the contacts to get this VETO in place. Rob made an excellent observation about the way a politician actually works. please re-read his last post. In my opinion when it comes to the politicians: There are no friends, there are no enemies, there are only those willing to sell out our resources for the apperance of votes! I'm never shy of an opinion, just ask my wife! I feel the real sad thing here is that a bill with so many questionable issues in it made it through the Senate & the House. Although we rallied this time, they will come again.
Can we as fishermen support an organization that will stay abreast of the political scene and represent and notify us of issues before they get this far along? Is there interest in an organization that can be a pool of information and support to the volunteers of all states that have Muskies & Pike issues? I know wrong time of the year as we all want to go fishing now. But think it over...we are no longer safe in the belief that someone else will do it for us. A hardy THANK YOU to all that kept this going and brought this bill to a Stop. It is too bad that good legislation is incumbered with riders and amendments that are not for the common good. |
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Location: Twin Cities | Great news, especially thanks to Rob, John and shawn for all your hard work. |
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| WOW!!!!!
EVERYBODY GRAB THEIR RIG OR RIG AND BOAT AND LETS CIRCLE THE CAPITAL BUILDING IN CELEBRATION!!!!!!!!!!1 |
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Location: On the X that marks the mucky spot | jakejusa - 5/26/2010 6:36 AM
Can we as fishermen support an organization that will stay abreast of the political scene and represent and notify us of issues before they get this far along?
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Last chance to block Cass Lake Spearing