Breaking News!!

LIVE BAIT BAN LIFTED ON MILLE LACS !!
The DNR after conversations with the Fisheries Advisory Committee has decided to allow live bait this season for all species. Press releases to follow soon. ‪‬

This is good news, at least to me. I was having a hard time justifying having a place on Mille Lacs of I can’t take my kids out bobber fishing on the rock piles (we don’t keep any fish).

Is it April 1st again? What about the cane poles?

biggill wrote:

Is it April 1st again? What about the cane poles?

Live bait will be allowed on Mille Lacs Lake starting with opener

(Released April 7, 2016)

DNR works with local advisory committee to reconsider live-bait restriction

All Mille Lacs Lake anglers will be able to fish with live bait when the season opens Saturday, May 14.

“This year’s Mille Lacs regulation will not include a live bait restriction due to feedback from anglers and stakeholders,” said Don Pereira, fisheries section chief for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. “The DNR is hearing that anglers are accepting of the catch-and-release aspect of the walleye season, but members of the Mille Lacs Fisheries Advisory Committee heard clear concerns about the live bait restriction, as did the DNR.”

The DNR decided to allow live bait after committee members and the DNR met Wednesday, April 6, and had a productive discussion about the pros and cons of the live-bait ban.

“Our discussion showed the DNR and the committee are determined to work together to protect the resource while still providing the best recreational opportunities on Mille Lacs for a wide range of users,” said Dean Hanson, who operates Agate Bay Resort in Isle and co-chairs the advisory committee.

All other Mille Lacs regulations announced March 21 remain in place, including the provision that requires all walleye caught to be immediately released.

The new regulations come as the DNR is working to conserve young walleyes so they can mature and become spawners, thus helping the lake’s walleye population to recover. Hooking mortality – an estimate of the number of fish that die after being caught and returned to the water – is a factor in keeping state anglers under this year’s state walleye allotment.

Hooking mortality increases as water temperatures warm and catch rates increase. Both factors are at play in Mille Lacs this year. Studies show anglers using only artificial bait can reduce hooking mortality substantially because fish are less likely to swallow artificial bait and suffer internal damage from a hook.

Pereira said the initial decision to include a live-bait ban for Mille Lacs regulations reflected the desire of anglers and area businesses to keep walleye fishing open as long as possible.

Removing the live bait restriction does not pose any conservation risk because the state’s walleye allotment of 28,600 pounds established by the DNR and eight Chippewa bands remains in place. A federal court decision requires that walleye fishing on Mille Lacs be suspended if anglers exceed the limit.

Anglers and the Mille Lacs Advisory Committee members said live bait is an important part of the Mille Lacs fishing experience. Concerns about the live-bait ban were expressed locally around the Mille Lacs community as well as from members of the public visiting the Northwest Sports Show, which concluded April 3.

DNR staff learned that it would be difficult for some anglers to adapt to using only artificial bait, and it could particularly discourage young anglers. Bobber fishing with live bait has a long tradition on the lake. Those concerns prompted Wednesday’s meeting between the DNR and the Mille Lacs Lake Advisory Committee.

Hanson said he believes this discussion shows the advisory committee process is working. “We focused on prolonging the walleye season as long as possible by whatever means were available,” said Hanson. But stakeholders told the committee they found the live bait restriction objectionable.

Pereira agreed that the advisory committee process is working well. “The framework was established to communicate information from the public to the DNR, and that’s exactly what happened,” he said. “The committee’s leadership and commitment were crucial to the DNR’s decision-making process.”

Information about Mille Lacs Lake is available on the DNR’s Mille Lacs Lake Web page.

Thank GOD they came to their senses on that.

I am having hard time on this one I get it is hard to catch fish without live bait, But….

Just throw some Glup minnows and add a bobber worked for me last year.

What a bunch of bumbling ******* IDIOTS !!! What the hell is going on over at the DNR?? Proof positive important decisions are made or changed due to political pressure rather than sounds scientific data. Obviously the rule was put in place due to someone’s best guess? If it were sound biological decision, will the lake suffer? At what price now? We are all doomed.

-J.

Jon Jordan wrote:

What a bunch of bumbling ******* IDIOTS !!! What the hell is going on over at the DNR?? Proof positive important decisions are made or changed due to political pressure rather than sounds scientific data. Obviously the rule was put in place due to someone’s best guess? If it were sound biological decision, will the lake suffer? At what price now? We are all doomed.

-J.

I won’t say either way if I agree with this as I see and respect both sides of the issue–but will say it happened mainly due to one voice in Isle, one on the east side and one on the west side/Garrison area –they were the loudest–and most short–sighted. IMO

I think the bottom line here is that there is no increased risk to the lake itself as the quota remains in place; however, the input committee worked with the local businesses to get a feel for whether they would rather increase the risk of having the lake shut down again or go continue with the no live bait ban. My gut feel is that most of the local businesses agree with this approach.

My only disappointment is that I wish the DNR would have held these discussions with the advisory committee before going “live” with the regulations.

Will

What a freak’n mess…sadly that should have never happened but continues to be reality. Damned if you do and damned if you don’t is where the businesses are now.

Good thing the guys I grew up with including my dad are not around or it would get ugly!

I liked the ban for the fact that launches would have had to have their catches monitored so we could get a true estimate of the damage done to the smallmouth population good or bad.

I did hear conflicting reports from very good sources on whether they would monitor anything but walleyes at all so even with the ban I may not of had my wish.

Quote “My only disappointment is that I wish the DNR would have held these discussions with the advisory committee before going “live” with the regulations.”

I thought thats what they are there for. I wish the DNR would make a decision based on sound biology with the best facts available to backup their decision! And then STICK TO IT!!!!

Will Roseberg wrote:

My only disappointment is that I wish the DNR would have held these discussions with the advisory committee before going “live” with the regulations.

Will

You do wonder how this played out. Here is a quote from one of the advisory committee members from last Sunday. “Pro angler Tom Neustrom, another member of the Mille Lacs advisory committee, said part of the unrest stems from surprise. While the DNR had discussed the hooking mortality benefits of using artificial bait, it did not discuss the possibility of a catch-and-release season coupled with only artificial bait, Neustrom said.” You would think the committee would have been clued in before the ban was originally announced to the general public!

The DNR reviewed with the panel multiple scenarios involving water temperature, angling hours, catch rate, etc. and the likelihood of each scenario resulting in reaching the quota. The panel gave them feedback as to which of the scenarios they felt would be most palatable to the local businesses and fishermen. As I understood the panel felt very strongly that the regulations needed to be selected to avoid a closure… The DNR then used that input to come up with the regulations, which ended up being a combination of multiple scenarios and as such the combined approach was never discussed which is why the panel was surprised.

Will

This whole Mille Lacs issue is a Total mess. Once again the DNR try’s to do what they think is right to try and help correct the problem, and outside forces push and get what they want. At this point I don’t think the problem is ever going to get better. Come on everyone, Its one lake and just a fish. If being able to fish with live bait for a year or two on one lake is that big of a issue to you, You need to get a life !!!!! Would it not be better to have a few restrictions for a few years to get the lake back to where it once was, rather than having it messed up for many years to come. With live bait back in play, I hope the quota is reached on opening weekend and they end up having to close walleye fishing for the rest of the summer. Every fisherman thinks they know the cause of the problem and the solution to fix it. If I only had .01 for each of those thought and idea’s I’d be a really rich person. As the saying goes ” you can please some of the people some of the time, But you can’t please all the people all the time”

311hemi wrote:

This is good news, at least to me. I was having a hard time justifying having a place on Mille Lacs of I can’t take my kids out bobber fishing on the rock piles (we don’t keep any fish).

Even though you don’t keep any, How many of those bobber / live bait caught fish do you think are dying for hooking mortality? My best guess is way more than you think. What ever the # is, just like a netted fish, there is that many less fish to spawn the following year. At this point, the lake needs as many fish as possible to survive to spawn the next few years.

fishthumper wrote:

This whole Mille Lacs issue is a Total mess. Once again the DNR try’s to do what they think is right to try and help correct the problem, and outside forces push and get what they want. At this point I don’t think the problem is ever going to get better. Come on everyone, Its one lake and just a fish. If being able to fish with live bait for a year or two on one lake is that big of a issue to you, You need to get a life !!!!! Would it not be better to have a few restrictions for a few years to get the lake back to where it once was, rather than having it messed up for many years to come. With live bait back in play, I hope the quota is reached on opening weekend and they end up having to close walleye fishing for the rest of the summer. Every fisherman thinks they know the cause of the problem and the solution to fix it. If I only had .01 for each of those thought and idea’s I’d be a really rich person. As the saying goes ” you can please some of the people some of the time, But you can’t please all the people all the time”

I can’t say that I agree with almost anything that you’ve said…

The lake won’t go back to what it once was until the current approach to managing the lake is changed. The ever changing regulations are treating the symptoms but not fixing the underlying problem. Yes, shutting it down will protect the 2013 year class but it will not fix the underlying problems which are why everyone is so frustrated.

Perhaps most of you don’t realize how dire of a situation it is for a majority of the businesses on Mille Lacs right now… The no live-bait may not mean much to your fishthumper, but it would have been the nail in the coffin for many businesses up there. Sadly even having this in place for two weeks already had an impact to a business that I used as Rod’s Bait in Isle closed it’s doors 2 weeks ago when the original regulations were announced.

For the sake of my friends back home I definitely don’t hope the quota is reached quickly. I also hope there is more to this story… I personally would endorse setting checkpoints throughout the summer that would result in triggering additional regulations such as adding more restrictive regulations once a certain water temperature is reached that would result in high mortality.

Will

fishthumper wrote:

Even though you don’t keep any, How many of those bobber / live bait caught fish do you think are dying for hooking mortality? My best guess is way more than you think.

There is no scientific data to support your guess. The study has never been done. Want my guess?

-J.

fishthumper wrote:

This whole Mille Lacs issue is a Total mess. Once again the DNR try’s to do what they think is right to try and help correct the problem, and outside forces push and get what they want. At this point I don’t think the problem is ever going to get better. Come on everyone, Its one lake and just a fish. If being able to fish with live bait for a year or two on one lake is that big of a issue to you, You need to get a life !!!!! Would it not be better to have a few restrictions for a few years to get the lake back to where it once was, rather than having it messed up for many years to come. With live bait back in play, I hope the quota is reached on opening weekend and they end up having to close walleye fishing for the rest of the summer. Every fisherman thinks they know the cause of the problem and the solution to fix it. If I only had .01 for each of those thought and idea’s I’d be a really rich person. As the saying goes ” you can please some of the people some of the time, But you can’t please all the people all the time”

^^^^^ Nailed it.

Whole problem has nothing to do with the DNR. The problem is the DNR is being pushed aside every time they implement something that somebody doesn’t like.

And when it comes to ML, somebody is against anything and EVERYTHING. And the worst part it, this situation is going to get worse before it gets better. Almost everybody is still expecting a quick fix to ML, so the howls and squeals of self-righteous indignation will only get louder as it becomes apparent that the problem won’t be fixed by 2017.

Could somebody please tell me how I can get my business in a position where my own failure to diversify is cause for changing government regulation so that I can stay in business? Here at One Trick Pony corporation, that would REALLY help us out because, you know, diversification is really hard and such.

Grouse

I’m pleased they reversed the no live bait regulation. We can now use crappie minnows to catch crappies after opener, use small leaches on a rock pile to catch rock bass until the kids are bored, worm chunks off the dock to catch small perch etc.

This is total tail wagging the dog. There are people that are not happy regardless of what is decided as “sound” management for the lake. No live bait, stomp your feet, get your way then it gets brought back. So those same people thought it would be better to have live bait an option at the risk of closing the season entirely much earlier than the thought of being “forced” to use artificial bait? Come on. This is beyond ridiculous and a total soap opera.
Because of this I don’t care if I spend one red cent in any of those businesses again. Are they really concerned about the fishery or just their bottom line? They have to remember WHAT makes or breaks their seasons and really do a self check when it comes to their frustrations. Do you want a tough year or two or worse?
Maybe all these launches, guides, resorts, etc should be taxed higher since their living is based on a natural resource that ALL of us are entitled to and with the extra money, funnel it toward more sound management practices and measuring.
Many of the “guides” from Mille Lacs have already moved on to other water to make their money. Makes you wonder how much some (some, not all) of them care about the fishery. Just a thought…
Yes, the lake has been mismanaged. No doubt about that. Nothing is ever going to get accomplished with both sides grandstanding about what issues each potential solution causes and changes that occur with the wind direction.

Jon Jordan wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>fishthumper wrote:</div>
Even though you don’t keep any, How many of those bobber / live bait caught fish do you think are dying for hooking mortality? My best guess is way more than you think.

There is no scientific data to support your guess. The study has never been done. Want my guess?

-J.

Sure – What is you guess

There been plenty of Hooking mortality study’s done that are clear enough that it occurs. Rather not one has been done on Mille Lacs or not really doesn’t matter.

Department of Natural Resources, or department of public opinion and economic stability?

We all get it, it’s a tough area to run a 3 generation business in. But that’s an economic issue, not a resource issue. The resource is suffering. The businesses are suffering because the resource is.

Fix the resource, the economy will follow suit.

Bow to political correctness, a starving economy and angler pressure, and the cycle will keep circling the drain.

I honestly don’t care one way or the other on the bait issue, the flip flopping should be more concerning and more than enough proof that the DNR is over their head and completely ignorant to manage something they have no clue on how to address the elephant in the room.

There’s no shor-term easy fix. Fishing opportunities and business stability will have to take a back seat to resource management. Or statusquo will keep an already tumultuous situation tense, unresolved and cyclical. There’s absolutely, positively no leadership.

If the nets were taken out of the equation, it’d still take years to recover. And then the results of all the other issues would raise their heads and be more challenges to deal with by a gutless dnr and state politicians.

Minnesota’s dnr and politicians don’t have the lakes long-term best interests in mind, they are more worried about public opinion and the lakes economy, instead of focusing on the resource. As long as that continues, the lake will be a shell of what it could be.

I don’t claim to know anything about anything and as far as Mille Lacs goes until the DNR recognizes the white elephant in the room I don’t care what they do.
But I would think that most of the “estimated” mortality rate is related to the way people are fishing and not so much what they are fishing with. with today’s artificial leeches and night crawlers you can use them on a Lindy rig and gut hook walleye’s all day long. think about it, your fishing with a Lindy rig and you get a bite what do you do? feed them line until they poop the hook out.
I’m just saying.

TheFamousGrouse wrote:

Could somebody please tell me how I can get my business in a position where my own failure to diversify is cause for changing government regulation so that I can stay in business? Here at One Trick Pony corporation, that would REALLY help us out because, you know, diversification is really hard and such.

Grouse

Diversification opportunities for any given business can be endless or very limited based on the business itself, the line of business, the business climate, the location or region? There are Mille Lacs area business that are trying to diversify as best they can but for obvious reasons they are limited to their location and walleye fishing. If there is little or no fishing customers they can’t all just open a water park or another golf course. Ask anyone from the Iron range communities what their failure is to diversify?

Pauleye wrote, quote..
“I thought thats what they are there for. I wish the DNR would make a decision based on sound biology with the best facts available to backup their decision! And then STICK TO IT!!!!”

The DNR has not made decisions regarding Mille Lacs “based on sound biology” for the last 20 plus years!

SLACK wrote:

I don’t claim to know anything about anything and as far as Mille Lacs goes until the DNR recognizes the white elephant in the room I don’t care what they do.
But I would think that most of the “estimated” mortality rate is related to the way people are fishing and not so much what they are fishing with. with today’s artificial leeches and night crawlers you can use them on a Lindy rig and gut hook walleye’s all day long. think about it, your fishing with a Lindy rig and you get a bite what do you do? feed them line until they poop the hook out.
I’m just saying.

That’s what’s called an anal hook set.

Will Roseberg wrote:

Perhaps most of you don’t realize how dire of a situation it is for a majority of the businesses on Mille Lacs right now… The no live-bait may not mean much to your fishthumper, but it would have been the nail in the coffin for many businesses up there. Sadly even having this in place for two weeks already had an impact to a business that I used as Rod’s Bait in Isle closed it’s doors 2 weeks ago when the original regulations were announced.

Will

I feel for those businesses in the area. I just happen to think its short sighted thinking like – what needs to be done to keep the business going this year – at the expense of the long term recovery of the lake. Is not much of a solution.

Will Roseberg wrote:

I think the bottom line here is that there is no increased risk to the lake itself as the quota remains in place; however, the input committee worked with the local businesses to get a feel for whether they would rather increase the risk of having the lake shut down again or go continue with the no live bait ban. My gut feel is that most of the local businesses agree with this approach.

My only disappointment is that I wish the DNR would have held these discussions with the advisory committee before going “live” with the regulations.

Will

Bingo…

Maybe the DNR is smarter than you think. They are dammed if they do and dammed if they don’t. The keep no fish rule would have everybody up in arms. Demanding a change. How it would put many out of business. They knew this would blow up. They planned to reverse it. The perfect deflection. Now everybody is accepting. If the season has to close they can go back to the pressure to overturn the live bait ban. Told you so.

Hope the quota isnt met with just hook mortality this summer.

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