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Location: Okoboji | wouldnt it be easier to just put a bounty on the pike? |
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| If they did that I see lots of dead pike that get tossed and wasted |
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Location: minocqua, wi. | will the musky and pike alliance step in to save the pike? |
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Location: Minnetonka | The night ban is to POSSIBLY protect vulnerable fish from being harmed so that the spawning population gets stronger. The same thing will POSSIBLY happen for the muskies. They won’t be running around inhaling Cowgirls to their b-holes for an entire year. I say GOOD. Nothing has changed, so I don’t know why people are going so berserk about this supposed “issue” when it could POSSIBLY be helping the fish. If there's a possibility that this night ban will help strengthen a severely waning Mille Lacs muskie population, I think I would support that. Am I the only one who feels this way??
Edited by Hammskie 3/26/2014 9:44 AM
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Location: minocqua, wi. | Hammskie - 3/26/2014 9:42 AM
The night ban is to POSSIBLY protect vulnerable fish from being harmed so that the spawning population gets stronger. The same thing will POSSIBLY happen for the muskies. They won’t be running around inhaling Cowgirls to their b-holes for an entire year. I say GOOD. Nothing has changed, so I don’t know why people are going so berserk about this supposed “issue” when it could POSSIBLY be helping the fish. If there's a possibility that this night ban will help strengthen a severely waning Mille Lacs muskie population, I think I would support that. Am I the only one who feels this way??
Totally Agree!! |
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| Why would not being able to fish walleye at night improve the walleye fishery? What is the issue w/ fishing at night?
Why would night fishing have anymore effect vs Day fishing? |
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Location: Michigan | Slow Rollin - 3/26/2014 10:57 AM
Why would not being able to fish walleye at night improve the walleye fishery? What is the issue w/ fishing at night?
Why would night fishing have anymore effect vs Day fishing?
Eagle lake has the same night fishing ban and the idea around it is walleye are much more active at night and it is much easier for people to catch a limit of walleyes at night. |
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| The night ban is in place to limit walleye harvest. The DNR is concerned about exceeding the 60,000 pound safe harvest quota, which includes both native and non-native harvest. If they go over the safe harvest quota, they will more than likely have to go to catch and release only or shut the lake down completely. Night fishing for walleyes is not any better than day fishing on ML. Typically, the sunset and 30 minutes after dark is really good and then slows way down. The whole idea in this is that by not letting anglers fish 24/7, it will take longer to reach 60,000 pounds of fish.
Edited by Baby Mallard 3/26/2014 11:06 AM
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Location: Lake Country, Wisconsin | jasonvkop - 3/26/2014 10:04 AM
Slow Rollin - 3/26/2014 10:57 AM
Why would not being able to fish walleye at night improve the walleye fishery? What is the issue w/ fishing at night?
Why would night fishing have anymore effect vs Day fishing?
Eagle lake has the same night fishing ban and the idea around it is walleye are much more active at night and it is much easier for people to catch a limit of walleyes at night.
that might be true...to an extent. Resort owners had a lot of say in that change. I have spoken to one from the East end of the lake who said himself, and 1 or 2 others, pushed for the ban because a certain famous reef named after a mediocre NFL team turned into a drunk fest after night and intoxicated resort guests would show up to the lodge banging on doors at 2 Am asking for fish to be cleaned....and they didn't want to deal with it anymore. I think presuming the ban on night fishing on Eagle turned the lake around is a stretch, had much more to do with changing the dynamics of the possession limits, imo...
Edited by Musky Brian 3/26/2014 11:12 AM
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Location: Michigan | Musky Brian - 3/26/2014 12:10 PM
I think presuming the ban on night fishing on Eagle turned the lake around is a stretch, had much more to do with changing the dynamics of the possession limits, imo...
Never said anything about that being the reason for the lake turnaround, just said Eagle has the night fishing ban as well. |
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Location: minocqua, wi. | hope the lighted bobber stock isn't in any of my mutual funds ... |
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Location: Smith Creek | Why don't they just make Mille Lacs motor trolling only? |
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Location: Minnetonka | Baby Mallard - 3/26/2014 11:03 AM
The whole idea in this is that by not letting anglers fish 24/7, it will take longer to reach 60,000 pounds of fish.
There it is. |
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| kodiak - 3/26/2014 9:00 AM
wouldnt it be easier to just put a bounty on the pike?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HbehN1LET8
It was too easy.... |
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Location: minocqua, wi. | Maybe MN should employ a citizen's legislature … like a, a, a … Conservation Congress? yah, that would be cool. then the fishermen could tell the DNR what to do, since the MN DNR can't build a fishery. wait, i thought MN DNR was the epitome of what should happen to build a fishery?
i'm confused :/ |
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| Baby Mallard - 3/26/2014 11:03 AM
The night ban is in place to limit walleye harvest. The DNR is concerned about exceeding the 60,000 pound safe harvest quota, which includes both native and non-native harvest. If they go over the safe harvest quota, they will more than likely have to go to catch and release only or shut the lake down completely. Night fishing for walleyes is not any better than day fishing on ML. Typically, the sunset and 30 minutes after dark is really good and then slows way down. The whole idea in this is that by not letting anglers fish 24/7, it will take longer to reach 60,000 pounds of fish.
+1
We're overthinking this people. |
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Location: Waconia, MN | Hammskie - 3/26/2014 9:42 AM
The night ban is to POSSIBLY protect vulnerable fish from being harmed so that the spawning population gets stronger. The same thing will POSSIBLY happen for the muskies. They won’t be running around inhaling Cowgirls to their b-holes for an entire year. I say GOOD. Nothing has changed, so I don’t know why people are going so berserk about this supposed “issue” when it could POSSIBLY be helping the fish. If there's a possibility that this night ban will help strengthen a severely waning Mille Lacs muskie population, I think I would support that. Am I the only one who feels this way??
Agreed! |
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| Night ban in an attempt to protect struggling fish populations I get. I'm slightly concerned with lifting the spearing ban on pike however. The lake has a nice size structure right now. If you could get spear fisherman to target only 30" or smaller fish then that's great (however highly unlikely). Minnesota history has already showed us what removing the top end pike from a lake will cause. I'd be much less concerned about the night ban as I would decimating the quality pike size structure, the end result also being bad for the walleye population and even natural recruitment of muskies.
Edited by musky-skunk 3/26/2014 4:32 PM
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| I just received this from the fisheries chief. It takes a little to get through, there is allot of info. http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/millelacslake/index.html |
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Location: deephaven mn | The night ban is minimal compared to a complete lake shut down that I thought might happen.
Maybe shutting the lake down to anglers and letting it recover is a good strategy. I would support this. There are lots of other lakes to fish. Of course the resorts would take a hit, they've taken several already. Maybe there should be a program where resorts are compensated during shut down years. Fisherman should realize how serious this matter is and not be so selfish. |
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Posts: 51
| I'm still not sure how banning night fishing is necessarily a bad thing. In the short term it may impact the local economy, but in the long term it will help the walleye and musky populations and bring people back to help the local economy. The Ontario MNR banned night fishing on Eagle Lake and look how that helped turn the lake around for both walleye and musky populations.
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| We should start a pool and bet on when they shut the lake down to walleye fishing this summer. My bet is the 60,000 pound quota is met by the end of June, if not earlier. |
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Location: Chisholm, MN | Ok, you can't blame the DNR as a whole. The two guys behind this are out of line, but all the fisheries guys in my office are as dumbfounded as we are.
One thing to note is that the area supervisor in my office stated that there is evidence to show that walleye harvest at night is more than you would think. Of course, this doesn't explain why muskie fishing is banned at night.
Also, one of these guys legitimately apologized to me for this decision.
As for the pike limit, pike are at a high population compared to normal for the lake, but are still low compared to statewide averages.
As for the economy, I don't really care about it. I would rather see a lake become healthy than see some resorts flourish. The lake was here long before men, and will be long after men. In my opinion, it's more important to protect the lake itself. |
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Location: Walker, MN | I agree that being good stewards of our lakes and streams should be our #1 priority. People's interests should come second. |
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Location: Chisholm, MN | I shouldn't say I don't care about the economy, but the natural world should come first IMO. |
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Location: Albertville, Minnesota | Shouldn't you care for the economy? |
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Location: Elko - Lake Vermilion | Serpant - 3/27/2014 8:50 AM
Shouldn't you care for the economy?
Not if your a State or Federal Government employee.
The night ban will only be good for the fishery.... Period.
Edited by Top H2O 3/27/2014 9:45 AM
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Posts: 897
| When I fished Mille Lacs for walleye I wouldn't get on the lake until an hour or so before dark. The fishing is absolutely that much better on Mille Lacs after dark. That said, even when night fishing is open the vast majority of folks leave the lake before dark. I'd say maybe 5% stay out after dark on opening weekend. |
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Location: Hastings, mn, 55033 | There is another "pair of eyes" to look at the way this will affect the resorts and how one feels about it. Its a tough deal as no one likes to see good hard working people struggle or lose what they've worked for.
...BUT many of those same resorts have used their combined "lobbying" power with local and state legislators to fight DNR efforts in the past to address what many knew would eventually come. They were afraid, and probably rightly so, they would suffer a loss of revenue if limits were lowered, slots restricted etc. Most folks can understand and recognize that when a new harvest input is added to the equation, i.e. native netting during the spawn, that something else is going to have to change to offset that. If not inevitably there will be trouble. So what happened is the issue was kicked down the road in favor of revenue NOW. The inevitable was delayed by some phenomenal year classes and above average recruitment during the late 90's mid 2000's. Folks were happy to keep limits and brag about releasing 100 fish off the deep mud in mid July! Resorts were full, all was good....but it wasnt.
Now the bell has tolled and the resorters, walleye anglers etc all want others to feel for them. Perhaps they should spend just a little time looking inward and asking how they contributed to the current situation and how they can play a part in changing it for the better moving forward.
Then again I feel that way in general, but doesnt seem to be a popular view to have. If we all spent half as much time looking at ourselves and ways we could improve the world around us instead of how we can place blame on others for problems we see things may actually get better. |
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Location: The Yahara Chain | Wouldn't a better solution to protect the walleyes be to not allow any walleye harvest?
The limit is only two per day, people can surely catch their two walleyes during the day. |
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