In the last email from Brian K on the MNCSA, there were several comments on stricter regulations on the Minnesota River as opposed to other waters. I was just curious as to the thoughts behind these comments. Were there specific stretches in mind or were these for the Minnesota in general. Specifically the comments I had in mind were about allowing 2 lines any where but the MN, closing the flathead season on the MN, and others along those lines.
I believe BK was just listing all the comments from everybody. So there maybe people who just wanted to address the MN river, thus it presents itself as if we all want stricter regs on that particular body of water.
That is what I figured, I was hoping to hear from people who left those comments. I was just curious as to the rational behind those comments, plus I’d feel bad if everyone got to fish with 2 lines except us suckers pulling in the hogs on the more remote stretches of the Minnesota.
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were about allowing 2 lines any where but the MN, closing the flathead season on the MN,
I’ll have to go back and check the original email, but I think the 2 line comment was to allow 2 lines anywhere in the State of MN.
The only closing of the season I recall were for a closed “wintering” season…but again, I’ll have to check over the actual comment before I can be certain.
Although now that I think about it, there was a comment about making the MN River catch and release only.
There’s many comments to follow up on.
In my personal opinion, the MN is already a trophy fishery. Just anecdotally from IDO and from news stories I see locally, I’d have to say that I see proportionally more monsters come out of the MN than anywhere else.
Of course, without any hard data to back it up, that’s all we really have is anecdotes. Does anyone know of a recent fish survey done on the MN? One would have to assume that the fishery has improved immensely as the water quality has over the past 30 years.
The comments that made me wonder were: “…I would also only make it legal to use on rivers or possibly the designated major rivers. You know, the St Croix, Mississippi, Vermillion, St. Louis, but not the Minnesota.” and “I would like to see a catch and release only season for flatheads on the Minnesota river” I guess I have only kept 3 cats this year and all were channels so don’t necessarily have any major issues with the comment, just stirring up conversation.
How are the St. Louis and Vermillion major rivers and the Minnesota not?
Thats what I was thinking, sounds like a very one sided opinionist
Mr. Goat,
I thought I would use your tread, if you don’t mind.
There are many members of the Alliance that are not members of IDo, which might be why there wasn’t a response here. Or maybe they just want to remain anonymous(?)
I’ll be sending out an email this week to talk specifically about the MN River along with a few other tid bits.
All I have at this time specifically for the MN River is that…
1) Everyone wants to see more larger flats
2) A section of the membership would like to promote flathead fishing along their portion of the MN, but is afraid to because of the sizes that can be taken out of the river.
I need to drill down a lot more.
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1) Everyone wants to see more larger flats
Not me. More fiddlers! 
Correction: 
MOST want more and larger flats.
As far as I know, there is support for both, two lines and a C&R cat fishery.
I’m not sure the MNCSA has a deffinate stance on C&R yet. Still trying to work that one out.
The problem with better ideas is everybody’s got one. I would like to see regulation changes regarding flathead catfish in the Minnesota River…I have for many years now.
I originally promoted a total C&R on my mudeyes but I think that idea went over as too extreme. Ok, How about this one…”Only one flathead catfish over 70 pounds may be caught, weighed, measured, and photographed before being released alive back into the river”
Two Lines? How about you buy your extra line….what, 10 or 20 bucks? No Problem….you win..the state wins.
What would we do with the cats under 70 pounds Kevin?
Ok, maybe I’m being a little fishtitious. We could (by special permit) allow one large flathead to be brought up to the park every August to enjoy beer and beans…. and I suppose we could allow one or two smaller mudeyes to be kept by some hungry hillbilly. Keep in mind my vision of catfishing utopia only includes the Minnesota River. I think the current state record for the flathead catfish is way too old (and its funny there aren’t better records of this fish)…and I hope a little kid catches the new record on a zebco.
They don’t mind putting special regs into place for every other fish and body of water…I also enjoy reading poetry while I fish for trout.
So..you’re saying the current laws are ok?
5 cats, no more that 2 flats and only one over 24″?
I’ll have to check, but I haven’t heard of the DNR banning the reading of poetry yet.
Oh, one more point concerning the two line thingy. Ten or twenty bucks is a lot cheaper than the current price for a two line permit…I know one guy who bought one last summer (twice). I think it was $300 and loss of fishing privileges for a year 
Seriously yes, We have a good flathead management tool in place already. I don’t think they do it as well anywhere else in the country…I just want the big boys to get bigger faster.
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I just want the big boys to get bigger faster.
Now who can argue that? 
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Oh, one more point concerning the two line thingy. Ten or twenty bucks is a lot cheaper than the current price for a two line permit…I know one guy who bought one last summer (twice). I think it was $300 and loss of fishing privileges for a year
I heard a one-time permit for two lines is about $120
I have a friend that made a poor choice. I’m guessing more than once and got caught. He paid the price, still a friend and hopefully learned by it.
As catfishing (night fishing) grows, I expect to see more and more DNR Enforcement on our waters at night. At least I hope so.
I know I was checked for license more last summer than the last 10 years fishing on the Minnesota. They got themselves a nice 16′ riverpro with a jet motor and love to show it off. Wasn’t real impressed when they gunned it after checking my license and killed the action for the rest of the afternoon. As far as the 2 line rule, I think an add on fee would be a compromise most river fishing enthusiasts would be happy to pay.
I think the user fee for an additional line is a great idea personally. If the main argument against 2 lines is going to be hooking mortality and harvest increase, and thus equating to greater stocking costs, the user fee should offset that.
In regard to people harvesting trophy flatheads for whatever reason – the person with the mindset to do that probably can’t be regulated in the first place.
Question – if there was a fee associated with a 2nd line, would it have to be written into the bill, or does the legislator make the 2 lines legal, then it is up to the DNR to regulate how it is implemented?
While I wouldn’t mind seeing special regs for the MN river, special regs are getting out of control and it seems like just about every body of water you fish on, you have to learn a new set of rules/regs and its very frustrating. The MN river is a big muddy ditch with no fish that nobody cares about and I want to keep it that way. 
As far as the 2 lines go, it is pretty ridiculous that a total C&R type guy might run into a scenario where he is caught with an extra line and now cannot fish for a year because his license is suspended. What a joke. Especially when you have meat hogs using 2 lines in the winter filling those buckets plump full with fish and double tripping all winter.
It’s very simple, just tack on a stinkin $20 fee for a 2 line endorsement and while you are at it, make it across the board for summer AND winter fishing.
Hope I didn’t make you throw up on your shirt this time Brian. 
I don’t want to throw things off track, but I don’t know why people have problems with special regulations. Most people fish 1 body of water in one day. I believe all special regulations should be posted on piers and at launches. It shouldn’t be much of a hassle. And for most of these regs they have identified trophy waters for particular species and they are trying to protect that.
Hope this doesn’t throw the OP off track. Maybe I should have started a new one 
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Hope this doesn’t throw the OP off track. Maybe I should have started a new one
Ha! The OP was thrown off track in September! Interesting thread though!
I’ll tell you why.
You go to lake A and you can keep walleyes from 14-17” and only 2. So you catch your 2 there and realize that a few miles away at River B, you can put in there and keep 4 walleyes with no slot, and as a bonus can use 3 lines. So now you have 6 walleyes, but 4 over the limit and slot from lake A, and the CO happens to stop you coming out of river B because you forgot to pull the drain plug on your boat and wants to give you a refresher course on spiny water fleas and zebra mussels and also to make sure you have a green sticker on your trailer and not a red one.
Well then he discovers that you have all these walleyes. Now it’s a big mess trying to prove your possession legality, not to mention that you now have to explain why you have a few bullheads in your bait tank and if they came from infested waters or not and if you used a cast net to catch them.
Oh what’s this, do I see a weed on your fender?
The micromanaging is out of conrol.
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Oh, one more point concerning the two line thingy. Ten or twenty bucks is a lot cheaper than the current price for a two line permit…I know one guy who bought one last summer (twice). I think it was $300 and loss of fishing privileges for a year
Well if you would have pulled your drain plug like you are supposed to, none of that would have happened.
I’m afraid not every lake or even river is made the same way in MN. To manage them properly we as anglers are stuck with “micro management” or separate rules for separate bodies of water.
As biologists learn more about each type of water, we’ll be seeing more and more specialized rules. It’s going to be a change and of course everyone enjoys change..as long as it doesn’t effect them.
On a side note, I think it was about 2003 or so when the Palm III came out and I predicted that a fishing license would cost $400. someday and be packed into a Palm Pilot with a gps.
This device would give the angler the rules for the body of water they were standing by.
Looks like I was wrong. It’s going to be the Smart Phones.
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