I was finally promted by the following write up, in the most recent Outdoors Weekly Fishing Report, to post on this subject.
From MILLE LACS – Lundeen’s Tackle Castle, Bill Lundeen, Onamia (320-532-3416)
“Remember, the Mille Lacs walleye slot has “loosened” to a 22-28 RELEASE slot. This means you can harvest 4 walleye UNDER 22 inches, or 3 UNDER 22 and 1 OVER 28 inches.
There is a state regulation that allows only one walleye over 20″ per day.
Hopefully this will save someone a ticket.
ph
Just to clarify, the statewide regulation does not apply to Mille Lacs.
-J.
Thats a 4 pound walleye.
Why would you keep one anyways?
I’ve often wondered about such situations. Down here in Iowa there is a protected slot limit on walleyes 20″ to 27″ beginning at Dubuque (pool 12) but above the dam at Dubuque in pool 11 and on up river there is no protected slot. Now lets say that I put my boat in pool 12 at DBQ and then lock up to pool 11 or just drive up to pool 11 just north of DBQ and fish for walleyes. Lets say that I keep a couple fish over 20″ (I wouldn’t normally) and then I get checked by the DNR after I have left pool 11 (at the boat ramp in pool 12 or on my way thru DBQ). It would be my word against that of the DNR as to which pool those 20″ plus walleyes came out of and seeing how I could not proove it I would end up writing out a check for the fine.
Eyehunter
In WI if you are on a particular body of water that has tighter restrictions than where you landed the boat, you must follow the tighter restrictions for whatever body of water you are in. Also if the boat landing area has tighter restrictions that where you are currently fishing, you must follow those tighter restrictions because as soon as entering the area with fish outside of those restrictions you are in violation of the law.
Under those rules, it would be illegal to put in at pool 12, lock up to pool 11, catch and keep 22″ walleye, and return to pool 12 to take the boat out. The DNR would ticket someone for doing that since the 22″ walleye is over the limit for pool 12.
The rules are set that way so the fisherman can’t say they caught such-and-such fish in this particular area. Easiest is to put in on the body of water where you intend to fish.
That makes sense to me but what if I am backing my boat into my drive when my local DNR officer pulls up? I live in DBQ but just got back from fishing one of the pools above DBQ and I have a couple fish over 20″ in the livewell. I know this is just another scenario but it would end up being my word against his as to where the fish were caught.
Also down here in pool 12 we have a closed season below the dam that doesn’t open until March 16th. The only 2 boat ramps in DBQ are in the closed area. Can I legally use these boat ramps to access the river that is open for fishing or would I be subject to the rules that apply to the areas that the boat ramps are located in? This is really a grey area to me because to accecss the open fishing areas I would need to use a closed area ramp.
Eyehunter
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That makes sense to me but what if I am backing my boat into my drive when my local DNR officer pulls up? I live in DBQ but just got back from fishing one of the pools above DBQ and I have a couple fish over 20″ in the livewell. I know this is just another scenario but it would end up being my word against his as to where the fish were caught.
Also down here in pool 12 we have a closed season below the dam that doesn’t open until March 16th. The only 2 boat ramps in DBQ are in the closed area. Can I legally use these boat ramps to access the river that is open for fishing or would I be subject to the rules that apply to the areas that the boat ramps are located in? This is really a grey area to me because to accecss the open fishing areas I would need to use a closed area ramp.
Eyehunter
You are innocent until proven guilty.
Interesting question as to closed season. In WI I would say you needed to find another landing if you wanted to keep fish.
I don’t think many DNR wardens patrol the neighborhoods looking to check boats when they can be at the landings doing the same.
I had a different question, not involving length, but involving your limit, Mille Lacs is four, other areas it’s 7 for walleye. Now we camp on the north side of the big pond, and have on occasion made a day trip up to winni to see some buddies and of course, catch some fish. Can we catch an additional 3 per person fron Winni and keep our 4 a piece fron Mille Lacs? I know what we do, I’d just like to hear what you all think.
Down here the DNR patrols the closed area during the closed season. I wonder about this as I know people who have used the upper ramp and fished below the closed area during the closed season. I guess I might want to ask my friendly DNR officer the next time I run into him.
I don’t have a problem with any of the regulations down here. I don’t normally keep walleye over 20″ and haven’t since long before the protected slot was put in place. If I can get my boat in the river before it opens for fishing on March 16th I will fish below the closed area but I need to find out if I can do this and use one of the ramps in the closed area. If not then the DNR should just close the entire river because it will be unaccessible.
Eyehunter
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Mille Lacs is four, other areas it’s 7 for walleye.
The limit in Minnesota is 6 fish. Four can be from Mille Lacs.
Yes, now I remember, my bad! We had a “run in” with the local DNR up on the north side a few years back. First off the guys, yes, between the two of them they couldn’t count, and secondly, they wanted us to prove we fished another lake. We said it was not our problem, they had to prove we didn’t fish up at Winni that afternoon. They were very upset, ready to call in reinforcements! We have learned that less said is more, in the end we had a receipt from Sportsman’s Cafe in Deer River for our breakfast. Haven’t seen those two around since. I do know that young conservation officers will sometimes, but not always, want to make a name for themselves. Especially during deer season.
a 21″ walleye is good on the grill…… 
Could not resist a little pot-stirring 
Tim
Actually the DNR is encouraging you to harvest these 20-22″ fish as the majority of them in the system are suppose to be Male gender right now. That is one of the main reasons of opening up the slot. 
That is what I have read and heard here in other posts from pretty informed people. 
Pretty sure that I heard the same thing Lip, I don’t just go to the pond to fill the livewell though so most of what I catch goes back, maybe besides a meal there. 
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Actually the DNR is encouraging you to harvest these 20-22″ fish as the majority of them in the system are suppose to be Male gender right now. That is one of the main reasons of opening up the slot.
It’s not that “most” of those fish are males, but more that there is a dis-porportionate amount of males to females in that size slot. With the normal slot restrictions we have (20-28″) as well as the earlier tighter restrictions, a large number of older males have been protected over the years and as a result we have something like 12-13 different year classes of males in that 20-22″ range. A 22″ male walleye on this lake is the same age as a 28+” female, and is no longer really a viable, or should I say “important” part of the spawning base for the lake.
Also, by removing them, it helps to protect the rest of the walleye population should the forage base collapse as it did in 2002.
Thanks for the correction and correct data Jack!
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