|
|
Posts: 714
Location: Rhinelander, WI | I know there are over 4 pages of pros and cons of this issue, but if and when this new regulation takes affect how will it affect you.
With the poll I am trying to see how this will affect people on this board regarding money, because apparently that is how this was sold to the State Representatives. I.E. it will be good for tourism.
Thanks,
Nail A Pig!
Mike |
|
| |
|
Posts: 999
| Depending on the weather and how the spring goes if the musky's are ready I will start a week earlier then the normal opener. If it's a late cold spring then that will be a different story. I will not be targeting them the first weekend or two in May in the northern zone.
Mr Musky |
|
| |
|
Posts: 170
| I'll spend the same...no doubt, this time frame will still be carved out for getting my walleye fix at the cabin until late May/Early June rolls around when muskie fishing turns on. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 412
Location: Waukesha, WI | I usually hit the Eagle River area with a bunch of friends mid to late May. This is basically the only trip I fish to fill the frying pan with them. No skis. No change for me. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 691
Location: nationwide | I would be fishing regardless but if I am musky fishing I would probably burn more gas running to different areas.
So I guess I would spend more . . . . but not much.
Corey Meyer |
|
| |
|
Posts: 9
Location: Green Bay | Usually hit Eagle River for opening weekend. Mainly for eyes but won't pass up the new opportunity to get some shallow water skis if the eyes are slow.
Probably spend the same....(in case wife is reading) |
|
| |
|
Posts: 1996
Location: Pelican Lake/Three Lakes Chain | I will spend exactly the same. I will not take part in this early season, I will continue to do as I always have and either walleye fish or travel south. I am not in favor of this law, and especially not how it was passed. Enough has been said about that elsewhere however. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 2323
Location: Stevens Point, WI | I agree with Norm. I to will do the exact same. That time of the year is spent filling my freezer with Walleyes, seeing it doesn't get done much after Musky opener on Memorial weekend. I also am not in favor of this law, and how it was passed either. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 617
Location: Clintonville, WI | No change for me in any repsect, but it has nothing to do with the new C&R reg or how it was "sold" to the public.
For me, the simple fact is that I head south (WI) for that opener and try to get to the WI/MI border opener.........no need for me to fish WI north of Hwy 10 until the classic North opener. |
|
| |
|
| What is the new regulation? Is it WI opener N of hwy 10 will be opening May 2nd? Being from MN i will definetly spend more money as i will fish WI as much as possible till MN opens. Northern WI is a lot closer to Minneapolis than Southern WI lakes, makes it much easier and shorter driving time. This is awesome. |
|
| |
|
Location: Lake Tomahawk, WI | I'm in Vilas at that time anyway, so wouldn't be any more spending for me. During our walleye runs in May we usually catch muskies on jigs and redtails, and it would be nice to be able to finally have the muskie net along without fear of recieving a ticket for "targeting" muskies.
My opinion on the new law doesn't matter, but I too am not a fan of how it was brought about. However, I would like to see how many people would complain about the process had it been used to ban single hook rigs or get 50" size limits on the 28 designated trophy lakes up here. Everyone says they would, but I seriously doubt it.
JS |
|
| |
|
| Pretty much what Norm said. I will not be participating. Wont be any change from what I have been doing, I like having to focus on the waters south of 10 for a couple weeks or target the spiny carp up here. Gives me a chance to fish with friends I dont get to once the season starts and things get busy.
I think its a huge slap in the face to guys that have worked hard to get things done the right way? And I think you will see more of this in the future. Very sad indeed. |
|
| |
|
| I find it very sad, that some of the bigger names in Norther WI muskie fishing are planning on "not fishing" during this new season. Even if you don't like how it is passed, this is one of the greatest opportunities for education to transpire...there is not longer an question of, "if the fish is legal size, you can keep it", it is only a chance to teach people the proper way to release the fish. I would think a pamphlet on how to being included with the new regs would do wonders. There are a large amount of opportunities to teach CPR here to a crowd that normally would not listen and a super chance of having this type of cpr behavior leech into the regular fishing season...It seem like a great opportunity for the fishery is being passed up by hurt feelings and sense of pride....Ben |
|
| |
|
Posts: 999
| Ben , how is not fishing during this new season going to affect how these bigger names teach people CPR? They teach it all year long on the water and off. What is the crowd your referring to that normally would not listen? I dont see where the hurt feelings plays a part either. Who hurt our feelings? I dont get what your trying to say.
Mr Musky |
|
| |
|
| Mr Musky - 1/7/2008 7:52 PM
Ben , how is not fishing during this new season going to affect how these bigger names teach people CPR? They teach it all year long on the water and off. What is the crowd your referring to that normally would not listen? I dont see where the hurt feelings plays a part either. Who hurt our feelings? I dont get what your trying to say.
Mr Musky
I agree you did not get what I was saying. Clearly when you have a season that is only C&R, a new season at that, the opportunity to teach proper methods in conjunction with the launch of the new season is a huge marketing opportunity for C&R. Sure these guys teach C&R year round to clients and others who are open to it...not a hard sell. Here you are given a group that has to do it and the opportunity to teach people who otherwise would have no access to it or are old school...But not everybody gets it...lots of ego in the muskie community |
|
| |
|
Posts: 1996
Location: Pelican Lake/Three Lakes Chain | Ben,
Maybe some are more concerned about letting the muskies spawn unharassed than they are about teaching proper release techniques of a spawning musky. Remember, in northern Wisconsin most of our lakes are sustained via natural reproduction. It is not proven that fishing them during the spawn will hurt them, but logic says it surely can't help their spawning success.
I personally feel that I can teach more by NOT fishing them at all than I can by targeting these fish while they spawn.
Edited by nwild 1/7/2008 8:49 PM
|
|
| |
|
| nwild - 1/7/2008 8:47 PM
Ben,
Maybe some are more concerned about letting the muskies spawn unharassed than they are about teaching proper release techniques of a spawning musky. Remember, in northern Wisconsin most of our lakes are sustained via natural reproduction. It is not proven that fishing them during the spawn will hurt them, but logic says it surely can't help their spawning success.
I personally feel that I can teach more by NOT fishing them at all than I can by targeting these fish while they spawn.
It sounds to me like the law is going to pass or already has, so people are going to be fishing them. I don't want to sound mean, but the people you have a chance to educate won't care if you fish or not because they have no idea who you are...What does your boycott accomplish? Pretty much nothing and only hurts the fish further, because an education promotion via some of the guides in that area would enable those who do fish them to release them in great condition to spawn...but a boycott by someone that the general public has no idea about only hurts the opportunity to educate, it accomplishes nothing else.... |
|
| |
|
Posts: 1996
Location: Pelican Lake/Three Lakes Chain | And to turn that right around....maybe those general public people won't all of a sudden decide to musky fish just because it opened a month earlier.
And just maybe those that already musky fish and do know me and did see me fishing them might say..."well Norm's doing it, maybe its just fine."
Most of the people in the general fishing public will target walleye instead of musky that time of year, myself included.
Edited by nwild 1/7/2008 9:10 PM
|
|
| |
|
Posts: 999
| Ben, Just because there's an early catch and release season it doesnt' mean a whole "new" rookie group of individuals are going to be out there. There are people in the general publc that dont know how to handle muskys because they dont fish for them. These same people are surely not going to run out and book guides for this early season so I still dont get your point? The groups will still stay the same. We will be educating the public as we are doing on this board by letting the public know that we do NOT support the early season because we feel it is best to leave the musky's alone while they spawn. The same reason we leave the walleyes and northern pike alone while they spawn.
Mr Musky |
|
| |
|
| nwild - 1/7/2008 9:06 PM
And to turn that right around....maybe those general public people won't all of a sudden decide to musky fish just because it opened a month earlier.
And just maybe those that already musky fish and do know me and did see me fishing them might say..."well Norm's doing it, maybe its just fine."
Most of the people in the general fishing public will target walleye instead of musky that time of year, myself included.
Interesting logic, I don't live in WI and have not fished there in about 15 years and I know about the new C&R season so I think it will be very popular. I also think many people especially with higher gas prices will fish there instead of driving south for the earlier seasons...I guess we can only hope that everyone realizes that Norm is not fishing and that power shall carry over to the masses:) |
|
| |
|
Posts: 1996
Location: Pelican Lake/Three Lakes Chain | I really don't see your logic where anyone can help the fishery by targeting spawning fish. If I go on the water targeting muskies I intend to catch them, and I don't see how that is going to help spawning fish. Me not handling a bunch of spawning fish very well may help it.
I hope nobody notices that I wasn't there, largely because they weren't either.
Hopefully we won't have to worry about it, maybe something will be done before the spring of '09.
Edited by nwild 1/7/2008 9:20 PM
|
|
| |
|
Posts: 20227
Location: oswego, il | I won't be spending more, I usually don't head north untill the season opener anyway, I still fish down here. I agree with Norm and I base it off of tropical fish I used to have when I was a kid that were pregnant. The stress of capture and separation caused problems and dead young. |
|
| |
|
| I am not here to argue if it hurts the fish or not. I have my own ideas, but I will say that if you own a house on a muskie lake you are hurting them more than fishing for them during the spawn for the most part I think everyone will agree...I am just saying if it is a law and going to happen, better to make it positive and help the fishery rather than just be a dog chasing his tail.... |
|
| |
|
Posts: 1996
Location: Pelican Lake/Three Lakes Chain | Again, let me try to explain this. If I am handling an egg laden female there is no way I am helping the fishery in any way, shape or form. I am doing a far better service by not targeting these fish and not offering a guide service at this time.
Pelican lake is completely sustained through natural reproduction. We fought hard to get a 50" limit on that lake to protect these larger spawning females. How on God's green earth would I be helping the fishery by hooking, fighting, and releasing these fish during the spawning season. It would seem just a touch hypocrytical for me to hire myself out to target these fish.
Sometimes the best teaching is done by example. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 734
Location: Watertown, MN | Mike
Spend the same, Ben people would still head south, good fisheries with warmer water temps, and more active fish. Pending the weather fishing muskies in early may is going to be slow. Here is an interesting questions is how will this effect border waters like LVD and St Croix.
Troyz
Like Norm stated nothing good is coming out of this, beside potentially hurting the future of WI fisheries. I have not seen and real support from the DNR on this topics. May is for eyes and giving the in-laws a few fillets to actually prove that I do fish and catch something.
|
|
| |
|
Location: The Yahara Chain | The WI/ MI border lakes will not be affected by this. |
|
| |
|
| I'll likely fish all 3 weekends with kids on action lakes near Hayward. It's a great opportunity to get kids out fishing on these lakes where spawning is typically over and the WDNR is promoting harvest of Muskellunge - so I don't see a problem.
Gas, restaurants, new lures (barbless) and possibly an overnight stay or camping will be a sure thing.
I hope that people concerned with spawning Muskies on a lake like Pelican (for example) that is going to rely on NR will be working with the DNR to keep that particular lake closed to Musky fishing until Memorial day and not try to keep this fishing opportunity from the rest of us. Like 50" size limits the early season may not be the best thing for all lakes.
On a side note - the C&R season is a great precedent to have in place.
|
|
| |
|
| I dont think people realize that the majority of lakes in the effected area do have at least some natural reproduction going on. We are literally talking hundreds of lakes here. To try and deal with it on a lake by lake basis is just not realistic. Why take the chance? Not one biologist has said this is a good idea that I am aware of. Until I see biologist support for this, my opinion wont change. |
|
| |
|
| Shane, would you agree that most biologists will say that catching, handling and releasing muskies at ANY time of the year isnt too good for them? |
|
| |
|
| Peter, I am not aware of any biologists outside of PETA that are against catching fish at "any" time of the year. But common sense would tell you that this is probably correct.
But we arent talking about any time of the year, we are talking about during the spawn, on many naturally reproducing waters. |
|
| |
