Dick Sternberg’s Report

http://www.perm.org/pdfs/TimeforChange.pdf

After reading the PERM report, I agreed with most everything they suggested other than a 17-21″ slot. What do you guys think? Are there really that many 17 – 21″ fish in the lake. I didn’t see many last fall on our night trolling trips. I don’t have the hours on the lake like you guys do though. Scott, Adam, Hooks, Bobber?? What do you think of that slot??

Other than that we (us non-natives)would’nt be targeting those 14-16 inch any more……….I quess I’m getting my spring time attitude already.

We need to reduce the limit size and allow one of the 20+ inch fish to fit in the slot. The trouble with whatever we do is that harvest quoto…….####

I agree with the 1fish in the +20 catagory.Ice fishing this winter Ithink i have caught 1slot fish allwinter and have caught many +20inch fish.

There aren’t many walleyes in the 12-19″ range. The walleye numbers get better as you get bigger than 19″. A 17-21″ slot is targeting the same year classes that were targeted in the under 17″ slot this year, the 14-16″ slot last year or so, and the 14-18″ slot the year before that.

One good thing this slot would do is let the 9-11″ 2002 year class get bigger. With people wanting to take fish home, I can see people starting to harvest these fish once they hit 12″. With people harvesting 12 and 13″ fish, the situation won’t get any better.

They almost have to allow one or two fish over 20″ to help balance the lake out over the next few years. They are talkng about stricter limits until the night ban comes off. If there is another good spawn this spring, the fishing would be slower after the hatch and an overharvest isn’t too much of an issue. There would be three good year classes coming up as well.

If there is a bad spawn this spring …………?????? It’s complicated any way you look at it.

Very good post Adam. My feelings exactly!! The most important thing is they need to protect that 2002 year class for at least one more year. As for a harvest slot of 17-21, that isn’t going to do much good. Harvest will remaim low unless they open that up to about 23 inches. With a harvest slot of 17-23, some fish would be harvested. There are a FEW 19-20 inchers, as that is one year class we tend to see a few of, but they don’t represent the lake well. To get some meaningful harvest they will have to look at a 17-23 inch harvest slot. I am still in favor of a 3 fish limit in exchange for a wider harvest slot.

I am in favor of changing the slot before the opener to 13-17 again though. I really would like to see that 2002 year class get protected.

It will be interesting to see what the spring bite is like. We were out observing the schools of perch this weekend and it looks like a new crop of yoy perch again this year. We saw schools of thousands of 1-2 inch perch and schools of hundreds of 5-6 inch perch.
It can’t wait to see what slot they go with or if they adjust it mid season???