2019 Mille Lacs Open Water Regulations

lindyrig79 wrote:

Seems to me it was the same or very similar slots that they use on other big walleye lakes?

Most other lakes don’t vary the slots too much from year to year. It was probably more of a perfect storm with all the other variables.

No doubt about it. But this lake is more heavily pressured because of its proximity to the twin cities, plus its regulated with some tribal conditions. That’s why it has to be managed differently. I think we can all agree that a more consistent rule from year to year would be nice too.

gimruis wrote:

No doubt about it. But this lake is more heavily pressured because of its proximity to the twin cities, plus its regulated with some tribal conditions. That’s why it has to be managed differently. I think we can all agree that a more consistent rule from year to year would be nice too.

Correct. I think we are saying the same thing.

Hindsight is 20/20 but to say that the slots were targeting the same fish (i.e. 18″ and less with one over 26″) is basically the same or very similar slot that most of the other big walleye lakes use. And the same or very similar to what Canada does.

So, my point was it was more of a perfect storm with all the other variables at the same time. High pressure / proximity to metro. Zeebs making water clear which had a domino effect. And of course everyone’s favorite – Netting during the spawn

my mother always said that if you can not say anything nice say nothing at all.

Justin riegel wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>biggill wrote:</div>

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Justin riegel wrote:</div>
I relaize the dnr is not perfect, but they are managing this lake with both arms tied behind their backs. The fact remains the court ruled in the Mille lacs band’s favor and our government ie governor as done nothing to but support that decision. IMO the dnr has done a heck of job getting the lake back to where it is, with the help of mother nature. I will enjoy it fully this summer, no matter if i can keep a fish or not.

I’m sorry but I couldn’t disagree more. Without going deep into it, I think they really dropped the ball by relying on ineffective slot limits for far too long.

I should have qualified this statement as post 2010. Yes since netting was introduced and until the crash they did not do a great job. Getting the lake back to where it is now i think they have done ok. I also agree with conservative approach as they did not do this pre crash and look what happened. They have done a great job with Red lake and I am hoping they learned some lessons up there they can apply to Mille lacs.

When did this crash happen? I must have missed it. I have fished the lake often for 20 plus years and it’s always been plump full of walleyes. Just because the dnr didn’t catch them in the nets put in the same place doesn’t mean the lake crashed.

The lakes in the ceded territory in N. WI are regulated pretty good with one landing to access, warden present measuring fish and limits imposed on spring Native harvest.

Mille lacs from what they hear is a spring free for all. If they get a permit I got an invite. Will post a report

Ban Launches
Or limit the # of people who can fish from one boat.

jeff_huberty wrote:

Ban Launches
Or limit the # of people who can fish from one boat.

That’s a little extreme dontcha think?

jeff_huberty wrote:

Ban Launches
Or limit the # of people who can fish from one boat.

What problems are launces causing? Ever been on a launch trip?

-J.

Jon, here is the problem as I see it with some of the launches, not so much the last couple of years but maybe again this year and not throwing all launches under the buss.

What I have witnessed with some launches that concerns me is pack the launches with 20 or more folks, many of them having a good time, and then have at best two folks from the resort on the launch. They are pretty much dialed in on the bite and when the bite is on, the two folks can not keep up with the chaos.

I have seen this play out a lot. Multiple fish on at the same time, deck hand nets fish, removes hook, hand to the one who caught the fish, opps dropped the fish, hand picks up and gives back, then friends want in on the pic, snap, bad pic, need another, then finally back in the water. I don’t know if resorts are required to measure and record their fish, but add this in and the time out of the water is even longer.

Now this does not happen to every fish but I have seen this happen a lot. I believe many folks who are on the launch are not your avid fisherman, out for a good time, and not tuned in to best practices of handling a fish.

I know launches are needed for the resorts to survive but in general I would like to see a little better handling of fish.

I also bobber fish as grand kids, wife, and daughter in laws like to fish and have a good time in the boat. However when we do this, there is typically two of us that are not fishing so if there is a double, we can quickly deal with unhooking, a quick pic and quickly releasing.

The launches can be chaotic at times. I’ve seen it. I’ve been on several of them. They ALL bobber fish with live bait and many anglers on board contribute to the hooking mortality problem. But its what represents a big portion of business to the area, so it will continue. The resorts that operate launches were one of the main parties that really railed against the proposed live bait ban because they really can’t fish any other way with that many people in close physical proximity.

A) Hooking mortality isn’t a problem, it’s a excuse.
B) 1/2 the people in boats don’t know how to handle fish.
C) Launches are part of the tourism experience, out of town people wanting to fish Mille Lacs.

Unless you want to start a discussion on ignorance and include hunters for being poor shots and to lazy to track their wounded game, I think leaving people who just want to fish and not buy a boat alone would be a good idea.

ding ding ding, NAILED IT!!!
AGREED 100% Dutch!!!

I’m not going to fault the launches either. Most run a good and law abiding operation. Plus, I’ve seen kids get to enjoy fishing that otherwise wouldn’t be able to.

I gotta agree. I don’t think we have any kind of “Launch Problem” that needs fixing.

-J.

Dutchboy wrote:

Unless you want to start a discussion on ignorance and include hunters for being poor shots and to lazy to track their wounded game, I think leaving people who just want to fish and not buy a boat alone would be a good idea.

I disagree Dutch. I’d call it selfishness. It’s selfish to suggest launches are a problem and that people without boats aren’t allowed to use this fantastic resource in close proximity to the twin cities.

Jon Jordan wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>jeff_huberty wrote:</div>
Ban Launches
Or limit the # of people who can fish from one boat.

What problems are launces causing? Ever been on a launch trip?

-J.

He’s more familiar with bandwagons.

A refresher for those late to the ML party. ML did not have an over fishing problem, like say, Red. ML had a management problem that caused young of year fish to disappear. They disappeared to the point of completely missing year classes. Anglers were (and are) not to blame for the problems on ML because anglers were not keeping the 4-7″ young of year walleyes that repeatedly disappeared year after year.

In that vein, hooking mortality was also not to blame for the previous crash, because anglers weren’t targeting and killing those 4-7″ fish.

Likewise, launchers aren’t to blame either because they carry anglers targeting fish bigger than 4-7″.

Management was to blame. Management is still to blame. All these other feel good ideas to fix the lake aren’t addressing the problem of poor management.

This joke of a three week season on a huge walleye factory of a lake that reportedly contains an average population of walleye is just one more example of the continued poor management.

We have what we have and anything that anglers can do to help to me should be a goal. Even if there wasn’t a problem on ML or a perceived problem on ML, taking good care of fish should be all our goals.

I did not say to ban the launches as the lake and businesses need the launches. All I asked for was that some of the launches do a little better job in taking care of the resources.

Kyhl wrote:

A refresher for those late to the ML party. ML did not have an over fishing problem, like say, Red. ML had a management problem that caused young of year fish to disappear. They disappeared to the point of completely missing year classes. Anglers were (and are) not to blame for the problems on ML because anglers were not keeping the 4-7″ young of year walleyes that repeatedly disappeared year after year.

In that vein, hooking mortality was also not to blame for the previous crash, because anglers weren’t targeting and killing those 4-7″ fish.

Likewise, launchers aren’t to blame either because they carry anglers targeting fish bigger than 4-7″.

Management was to blame. Management is still to blame. All these other feel good ideas to fix the lake aren’t addressing the problem of poor management.

This joke of a three week season on a huge walleye factory of a lake that reportedly contains an average population of walleye is just one more example of the continued poor management.

So what is your solution? If anglers had to follow your rules, what would you do?

Buffalo Fishhead

lindyrig79 wrote:

Seems to me it was the same or very similar slots that they use on other big walleye lakes?

Most other lakes don’t vary the slots too much from year to year. It was probably more of a perfect storm with all the other variables.

That is true, but a slot of only 2″ for years in a row almost garauntees a decimated year class.

I wish they could stager the slot maybe one fish that is either 16″-18″ or 21″-23″

How about state regs, 6 fish one over 20?

-J.

Limit the size of launches, the pontoon 40 person and one captain and a mate are no different than a gill net.

biggill wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Jon Jordan wrote:</div>

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>jeff_huberty wrote:</div>
Ban Launches
Or limit the # of people who can fish from one boat.

What problems are launces causing? Ever been on a launch trip?

-J.

He’s more familiar with bandwagons.

Yea 40 people on a launch gut hooking walleyes for a one walleye slot.
If you are on a launch and you catch your one slot fish, what do you do for the next 4hrs?
OH Yea keep fishing for smallmouth and Northern while the Lauch hovers over a spot walleye fishing.

Give me a break.

Lauches are out dated.

jeff_huberty wrote:

Yea 40 people on a launch gut hooking <strong class=”ido-tag-strong”>walleyes for a one walleye slot.
If you are on a launch and you catch your one slot fish, what do you do for the next 4hrs?
OH Yea keep fishing for smallmouth and Northern while the Lauch hovers over a spot walleye fishing.

Give me a break.

Lauches are out dated.

Well that’s rather snooty…

So what you’re saying is that unless you can afford your own boat, you’re not entitled to fish the “public” lake?

Separate classes of people is already an issue…isn’t it?

And what you describe happening on launch boat…never happens amongst the “higher class” private boat owners?

Walleyestudent Andy Cox wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>jeff_huberty wrote:</div>
Yea 40 people on a launch gut hooking <strong class=”ido-tag-strong”>walleyes for a one walleye slot.
If you are on a launch and you catch your one slot fish, what do you do for the next 4hrs?
OH Yea keep fishing for smallmouth and Northern while the Lauch hovers over a spot walleye fishing.

Give me a break.

Lauches are out dated.

Well that’s rather snooty…

So what you’re saying is that unless you can afford your own boat, you’re not entitled to fish the “public” lake?

Separate classes of people is already an issue…isn’t it?

And what you describe happening on launch boat…never happens amongst the “higher class” private boat owners?

No one brought up classes of people but you?
I absolutely have seen questionable operations on Mille Lacs lauches.
And obviously you know it is happening on the as you have implied,so called less than high class launch operators.

Jeff you haven’t seen squat. You are a boat owner who maybe has never even been to Mille Lacs? If you want to speculate and throw mud against the wall go back to your Wild thread.

Those hundreds of vacationers who travel to Mille Lacs to vacation every year have every right to fish off a launch as you and anyone else has to fish out of a boat. It’s asinine for anyone to even suggest the launches limit the amount of clients to less then mandated by the state. So you want the resorts to turn away business when the customer count reaches a certain level just to pacify you? Perhaps a better solution would be to actually put yourself on a launch and see what goes on. If you then don’t like the way things are done approach the owner / operator and buy the launch. At that point it will be very easy for you to limit your trips to 10 people with every 2 having their very own instructor on how to care for the fish.

You and others seem to think there are 500 launches out there each taking 100 people per trip.

jeff_huberty wrote:

Limit the size of launches, the pontoon 40 person and one captain and a mate are no different than a gill net.

There’s a big difference. It don’t kill everything! Not there 24 hours a day during spawn. Catching fish that are not feeding!
Is a town of fish houses with a bunch of lines down 24 hours a day any better than a launch!

Buffalo Fishhead wrote:

So what is your solution? If anglers had to follow your rules, what would you do?

Buffalo Fishhead

If we are to believe the reports that ML has an average walleye biomass then there should be an average allocation of 300,00-400,000 lbs.

They need to stop protecting every big fish and stop targeting single year classes with a narrow 2″ harvest slot.

They need to start harvesting the 2013 year class before they become untouchable for the next decade where they will eat all the young of year fish and repeat the cycle.

If the lake has an average biomass of walleye then there should be an average harvest. At least one fish all season with a wider slot that doesn’t wipe out an entire year class. Maybe two or three fish limit with a harvest slot of 17 – 23″ with one over allowed, to thin out the herd of larger fish.

What they are doing is setting the lake up for the next forage base crash where the protected large fish will eat up all the bait and young of year walleye again.

Sadly politics will not allow that and the press will never tell the real story. Most people that don’t know ML only know that there is a problem and they assume it was an angler over harvest problem when it wasn’t.

It’s a small mouth lake, so there’s that…

Seth F wrote:

It’s a small mouth lake, so there’s that…

Agree 100%. It also has fantastic Muskie fishing. I’ve said this before but some people are meat hunters and they have no interest in targeting a fish for the sport of it.